Hi, I'm Jasper (He/Him). I enjoy creating art, programming, and writing. I'm a student at San Diego Met high school interning at Lambda Archives as part of the internship program. This project was inspired by my experience as a queer student.
LGBTQ students spend most of their time in school, averaging six hours a day or over one thousand hours in a year. Students may see their environment as a second home. School should be where they can be proud of themselves and their identities. Although school should be a protective space, Queer students often feel dismissed. Yet, some factors can make students more comfortable with themselves. To measure this, queer students at Metropolitan Regional, Career, and Technical High School (SD Met) were given a survey. A little support can go a long way. Access to adequate mental health resources, a supportive environment, and acknowledging student identity are just a few changes to be made in order to ensure students feel welcome.
The way students identify matters, and determines the kind of support needed. Among the nine students surveyed, there was a wide difference in identity. 44% identified as Bisexual, 77% identified with a transgender identity, and 33% used a gender label that isn’t binary. A question listed was how students describe their identity other than labels. Some examples of student responses are, “My gender is fluid and I fluctuate between anything besides feminine identity.” And “I think that love is love and for me, it doesn’t matter what gender the person is.” Each student’s experience with their identity is different. It can depend on many factors, such as their environment, which can make a big difference. Intersecting identities or different identities can change the way a student experiences school. Destigmatizing Queer identity is the first step to creating a safe environment. That starts with recognizing and supporting student's identities in the first place. The best way to normalize this is through open teacher and student support.
A reason many LGBTQ students struggle in school is a lack of support or feeling isolated. One student wrote, “My orientation and identity have affected me in negative and positive ways throughout all the school. In middle school, I felt [very] shameful for being transgender and would tell close to nobody…”. Having to mask and hide one's identity is exhausting. Unfortunately, LGBTQ people of many ages can relate to doing this. Masking identities as young queer people is a practice they often get used to. It can be hard to tell what parts of their identity are authentic or fabricated for the sake of others. However, this student's experience at school takes a turn after enrolling at the Met. “In high school is when a lot of things changed and my view of myself being transgender went from being something negative to something more positive […] Most of my teachers are very supportive of me and I don’t feel shameful for being transgender and myself…” He writes. Support from teachers and other queer students changed his perspective on school entirely. It makes school a happier environment and makes him feel more proud to be himself. A supportive environment can improve self-esteem and develop a feeling of safety. When surrounded by support, there is no longer a need to hide. Students can only thrive when allowed to be themselves.
Part of a supportive school environment includes access to mental health services. When it comes to LGBTQ students, mental health resources should be accessible. They are much more likely to face discrimination, which results in low self-esteem. One of the survey questions asks for student's opinions on mental health access. Most respondents wrote about satisfaction with mental health support access. Yet, not every student shared this sentiment. One responded, “It is somewhat easy [To access mental health resources] at my school. But still the help kind of sucks, Like get people that actually know what they’re doing…” Counseling services provided by schools can often be inadequate for LGBTQ students. Often there is a gap between accessibility and quality. Or, a lack of understanding when it comes to Queer identity. Counseling services can be unaware or dismissive of marginalized identities. Some counselors don’t focus on adequate support or inclusivity. That can lead to mistrust toward the school system’s mental health systems.To thrive, students should have access to mental health resources, not just academic resources. Mental health support should always be accessible, regardless of a student's identity.
These survey results identify specific problems LGBTQ students are facing. Many of the responses report recent improvement based on experiences in past schools. This improvement can be attributed to mental health resources being more widely available for students, and the school environment being more supportive. School does not have to be a place for fear. In a time when a lot of Queer youth worry for their future, a supportive environment brings comfort. Listening to young people in the community can make schools a comforting environment. Even queer students deserve to thrive and deserve a chance at their future.
The way students identify matters, and determines the kind of support needed. Among the nine students surveyed, there was a wide difference in identity. 44% identified as Bisexual, 77% identified with a transgender identity, and 33% used a gender label that isn’t binary. A question listed was how students describe their identity other than labels. Some examples of student responses are, “My gender is fluid and I fluctuate between anything besides feminine identity.” And “I think that love is love and for me, it doesn’t matter what gender the person is.” Each student’s experience with their identity is different. It can depend on many factors, such as their environment, which can make a big difference. Intersecting identities or different identities can change the way a student experiences school. Destigmatizing Queer identity is the first step to creating a safe environment. That starts with recognizing and supporting student's identities in the first place. The best way to normalize this is through open teacher and student support.
A reason many LGBTQ students struggle in school is a lack of support or feeling isolated. One student wrote, “My orientation and identity have affected me in negative and positive ways throughout all the school. In middle school, I felt [very] shameful for being transgender and would tell close to nobody…”. Having to mask and hide one's identity is exhausting. Unfortunately, LGBTQ people of many ages can relate to doing this. Masking identities as young queer people is a practice they often get used to. It can be hard to tell what parts of their identity are authentic or fabricated for the sake of others. However, this student's experience at school takes a turn after enrolling at the Met. “In high school is when a lot of things changed and my view of myself being transgender went from being something negative to something more positive […] Most of my teachers are very supportive of me and I don’t feel shameful for being transgender and myself…” He writes. Support from teachers and other queer students changed his perspective on school entirely. It makes school a happier environment and makes him feel more proud to be himself. A supportive environment can improve self-esteem and develop a feeling of safety. When surrounded by support, there is no longer a need to hide. Students can only thrive when allowed to be themselves.
Part of a supportive school environment includes access to mental health services. When it comes to LGBTQ students, mental health resources should be accessible. They are much more likely to face discrimination, which results in low self-esteem. One of the survey questions asks for student's opinions on mental health access. Most respondents wrote about satisfaction with mental health support access. Yet, not every student shared this sentiment. One responded, “It is somewhat easy [To access mental health resources] at my school. But still the help kind of sucks, Like get people that actually know what they’re doing…” Counseling services provided by schools can often be inadequate for LGBTQ students. Often there is a gap between accessibility and quality. Or, a lack of understanding when it comes to Queer identity. Counseling services can be unaware or dismissive of marginalized identities. Some counselors don’t focus on adequate support or inclusivity. That can lead to mistrust toward the school system’s mental health systems.To thrive, students should have access to mental health resources, not just academic resources. Mental health support should always be accessible, regardless of a student's identity.
These survey results identify specific problems LGBTQ students are facing. Many of the responses report recent improvement based on experiences in past schools. This improvement can be attributed to mental health resources being more widely available for students, and the school environment being more supportive. School does not have to be a place for fear. In a time when a lot of Queer youth worry for their future, a supportive environment brings comfort. Listening to young people in the community can make schools a comforting environment. Even queer students deserve to thrive and deserve a chance at their future.