Teacher Support and Training

Both initial training and in-service training of educational stuff can build awareness, empathy and self-efficacy, which leads to protective and supportive behaviors for LGBTQIA+ students.

Support and training

Support from educational staff is another essential strategy for creating school environments in which all youth can thrive, including LGBTQIA+ students Having sensitive and protective adults is critical to the safety and well-being of all students, particularly those most vulnerable, such as LGBTQIA+ students. While most educational personnel seek to support students, it is a reality that many are unaware of the specific challenges and unique needs of LGBTQIA+students; they may even feel unable to intervene in cases of bullying. Because of the above, it is essential to train educational personnel to understand and protect LGBTQIA+ students.

Support and protection of educational stuff is crucial.

The study of Kosciw et all.( 2018) showed that when LGBTQIA+ students perceive educational staff as protective, they report lower levels of victimization based on their Gender Identities and/or Gender-Affective Orientations.

A key issue in supporting LGBTQIA+ students is bullying intervention. According to a recent study, LGBT*Q students reported feeling safer in schools where educators intervened more frequently in LGBT*Q-biased comments when compared to students attending schools where they intervened less frequently. According to a U.S. study, students felt that teachers intervened less frequently when LGBT-biased comments were made, compared to racist or sexist comments.

Kosciw, J. G., Greytak, E. A., Zongrone, A. D., Clark, C. M., & Truong, N. L. (2018). The 2017 National School Climate Survey: The Experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Youth in Our Nation’s Schools.