New LGBTQ School-Bullying Study Electrifies Advocates

Unexpected new data show how you can fight back and win

If you follow LGBTQ news even a little, you know school bullying is a serious, increasing problem for queer teens. LGBTQ students at U.S. middle and high schools face a rising tide of bullying, which is often violent. Since 2016, the problem has been getting worse, like rising rates of violence against LGBTQ people in the nation at large, part of a worldwide anti-LGBTQ backlash Judith Butler discusses in todays’ Guardian.

To sketch the U.S. problem, The Trevor Project just released a comprehensive survey that shows over half of LGBTQ students face significant bullying. Rates of LGBTQ teenagers considering suicide (already several times higher than among their cis/straight peers) have risen dramatically this year, which has stressed The Trevor Project’s suicide-prevention help lines, prompting them to release preliminary data about a demand surge in Texas and an urgent request for more volunteers and funding. They link the rise in crisis calls to increasing school bullying and Republican demonization of queer people.

Fixing school bullying is hard, but a new study has advocates jumping up and down

Earlier this month, a paper in JAMA Pediatrics highlighted an approach to reducing school bullying that startled experts: Sue school districts and school boards. Data show this approach is at least as effective as traditional ones, much less expensive, and much more accessible to students and families in school systems that don’t welcome or truly implement other methods.

Principals, coaches and teachers receive a powerful message: Make this problem go away. Don’t make us lose another lawsuit.

The details are important, though. The authors don’t recommend indiscriminate lawsuits. Let’s talk about why in a moment, but first … what are the traditional anti-bullying approaches?

For years, advocates have focused on two fronts, student-led peer groups and school-led anti-bullying education programs. Both work at least sometimes, both have drawbacks, and neither is a silver bullet.

1. GSAs and other student-led clubs powerfully reduce bullying, but schools that most need GSAs often find them blocked

When I wrote the other day about LGBTQ students at Paso Robles High school in central California, I quoted queer student leaders who say they feel physically unsafe at school every day. They were reacting to a new district policy that effectively banned Pride flags in classrooms after an incident in which some bullies ripped a flag off a classroom wall and posted a TikTok of one of them defecating on it.

LGBTQ student leaders did an awesome job addressing the problem. They reached out to local media and held a community forum to tell their stories. They presented a list of demands to the school superintendent. He attended the forum and almost immediately gave them their biggest ask, allowing Pride flags back in classrooms so queer students can know where to go for safety and support.

Better than that, peer leaders got students, parents, and community listening and empathizing. They’re winning hearts and minds, which is what student-led groups do best.

These student leaders are members of Paso Robles’ Equity Club, similar to GSA (Gender and Sexual or Gay/Straight Alliance) clubs that bring LGBTQ and allied students together to work on respect, diversity, and tolerance. Studies show students in schools with active GSAs suffer significantly less bullying than in schools without GSAs. LGBTQ students aren’t alone in doing better. Studies show significant reduction in bullying related to race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, and weight.

Student-led GSAs really work to foster respect, but …

They work best when school leaders actively support them. In schools where anti-bullying efforts are most needed, students can be afraid to start a GSA. Often, administrators find ways to effectively ban the clubs, even though they may not legally do so if they allow other student-led clubs. One measure school administrators resort to is creating policy requiring parental notification of club membership. This tactic can dramatically reduce GSA membership and has in some cases survived legal challenge.

2. Comprehensive anti-bullying programs can work, but they are often placeholders

Ask any teacher or school administrator about formal anti-bullying programs and prepare yourself for a tirade. Most school staff detest bullying, of course, but they’ll tell you fixing the problem is HARD and that formal efforts to reduce it often do little more than waste scarce school funds.

Safe Space Program, Not in Our Town, and Stomp Out Bullying are all examples of excellent programs schools can bring in to educate teachers, staff, and students. They help teachers and administrators understand LGBTQ (and other minority) issues. They encourage empathy. They help students understand they have a right to a violence-free education. They encourage bullied kids to work with staff to put an end to bullying.

According to the JAMA Pediatrics study I cited, these programs sometimes work, though entire books have been written to claim they mostly don’t. The authors measured a reduction in bullying of just under 25% across the board in schools that implement comprehensive programs.

But here’s a critical caveat: they work better in some schools than others, with reductions far lower than 25% often seen, sometimes virtually zero reduction. The catch appears to be related to lack of administration buy-in with LGBTQ acceptance and diversity. Educators say that when administrators bring in anti-bullying programs just so they can check off a box, results are poor.

3. Suing school districts and winning reduces bullying as much as any other approach

This is new and it’s real! The JAMA study authors looked at almost 1.5 million students in 499 California high schools. They measured a “23% reduction in homophobic bullying in schools experiencing litigation relative to schools that did not experience litigation.” That reduction is about the same as what schools achieve with the resource-intensive anti-bullying programs I mentioned above, and it’s FAR less expensive. Critically, lawsuits are accessible (see below) to individual students and families when other methods aren’t.

Here’s a catch: The authors found the reduction applies only when students and families WIN. Filing a lawsuit does not seem to reduce bullying, winning does.

Here’s a leading hypothesis for why:

When school administrators resist GSA clubs or intimidate students who wish to join, they show they lack willingness to stand up for LGBTQ kids, likely based on personal homophobia. When administrators bring in comprehensive school-based programs but don’t get behind them, they are probably demonstrating some level of personal bias or at least a lack of motivation.

Money is powerfully motivating

When school districts lose money to successful lawsuits, school board members are put in a bind. They have to find the money to run their schools no matter what. Boards and districts feel pressure to stop the drain on funds. They begin to act to effectively reduce anti-LGBTQ bullying regardless of personal feelings. That pressure (as we used to say in the military with more colorful language) rolls downhill. Principals, coaches and teachers receive a powerful message: Make this problem go away. Don’t make us lose another lawsuit.

The research team that conducted this study are doing follow-up work. They want to know if successful lawsuits combined with more traditional programs produce even better reductions in bullying. The smart money is on yes.

Students and families can sue schools with the help of LGBTQ groups

When I wrote that lawsuits are accessible to students and families, I saw some of you rolling your eyes. “We can’t afford lawyers! Do you have any idea how much it costs to raise kids these days?” And students were like, “We don’t even have jobs!”

But if you or a family member is being bullied in school, advocacy groups are ready to help. If they think you have a good case, meaning if they think you can WIN, they’ll probably represent you at no cost. Lambda Legal and the ACLU LGBTQ Youth Project are two leading agencies that want to help. They know about this new study, they’re excited, and they’re sharpening their legal knives. Also, state groups like Equality Texas and Equality Utah are front-line fighters. Google for a group in your state.

What can you do to reduce anti-LGBTQ school bullying?

I ask that question sometimes hoping to get people thinking about agency and action. Today, I’m answering the question in a novel way. You can sue your school! Some whip-smart researchers just crunched a bunch of numbers and learned lawsuits are super effective. By the way, watch for an article coming soon about how conversion-therapy opponents are also moving toward litigation as a primary tactic. The lowdown is that with lawsuits, you can make a difference. You really can.

What do you say we get started? See you in the courtroom!

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James Finn is a former Air Force intelligence analyst, long-time LGBTQ activist, an alumnus of Queer Nation and Act Up NY, a regular columnist for queer news outlets, and an “agented” but unpublished novelist. Send questions, comments, and story ideas to [email protected].