The GLSEN 2001 National School Climate Survey: The School-Related Experiences of Our Nation's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Youth.

This paper presents data from the 2001 National School Climate Survey on school-related experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students. LGBT students described experiences of homophobic remarks; verbal, physical, and sexual harassment; and comfort within their schools. They described experiences with racial and sexual harassment and feeling unsafe because of sexual orientation, gender expression, religion, or disability and discussed school-based resources and supports. For many respondents, schools were an unsafe and dangerous place where homophobic remarks could frequently be heard, often by faculty and staff. Most respondents reported being verbally harassed because of their sexual orientation or gender expression. A large number reported experiencing incidents of physical harassment, physical assault, and sexual harassment. Transgender students reported feeling particularly vulnerable because of their gender expression. Certain schools provided resources to improve LGBT students' quality of life. Many schools had gay-straight alliances, and LGBT people, history, and events were mentioned in classroom curricula. Nevertheless, the number of youth reporting acts of harassment and victimization far outweighed the number of youth reporting such resources. Results underscored the importance of asking youth about their experiences with all forms of prejudice. (Contains 68 figures and 2 tables.) (SM)