The Experiences of Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) LGBTQ Students in U.S. Secondary Schools. Research Brief

There has been little research on the school experiences of Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) students in general, with a particular paucity of literature surrounding their overlapping?sexual orientation, gender, gender expression, and race/ethnicity?identities. This report focuses solely on the school experiences of MENA LGBTQ students. More specifically, this brief describes the school experiences of MENA LGBTQ students in secondary schools in the U.S. by examining: (1) MENA students' feelings of safety at school based on personal characteristics, hearing biased remarks from other students, experiences with victimization based on personal characteristics, and experiences with school discipline; (2) changes in hearing biased remarks and experiences with victimization over time for MENA students; (3) the impact of experiences with victimization based on personal characteristics on MENA students' school engagement, educational outcomes, and psychological well-being; (4) MENA students' access to school supports; and (5) whether these supports provide benefits to MENA students. Further, this brief explores whether there are differences between MENA LGBTQ students and other LGBTQ students in hostile school climate experiences, school engagement, educational outcomes, psychological well-being, and access to resources at school.