★ Interviewees ★

Welcome to our project’s webpage. This study took place in Spring of 2025, with a goal of identifying LGBTQ+ students' perspectives. These questions were focused around the school environment, as well as how students feel living in the state of the world today. We did both qualitative and quantitative studies, with this study focusing on the more qualitative aspects. Here is the link to the previous (Quantitative) study. To get qualitative responses, we conducted multiple interviews. We analyzed these interviews to determine what is most important to Queer students today.

The primary topics were gender affirming care, dysphoria, discrimination, and support groups. These topics represent what is important to these students, which can aid in understanding what support they need.

Gender Affirming Care

The first most common topic was gender affirming care. The majority of our students had access to this type of care, such as hormones. For these students, access to this type of care has proved to be beneficial for their health. However, one student described the process of getting this type of care to be difficult.

"And you just have to talk about all the homophobia and transphobia you've ever faced, all the issues, and like there's a certain segment of it where I had to talk about every single dysphoria that I have. And it's it's very, very difficult, because then you're just being pushed into thinking about it more. You're just being pushed into remembering all the transphobia that you face and all the problems that you've had in your life."
- Elijah (He/They)

Many students also had worries for the future of gender affirming care. For students who don't have access now, getting access in the future could now be difficult. Even students with access are afraid of getting cut off of their treatment. Gender affirming care can be lifesaving, hence why this topic is so important to students.

"We should be progressing as America not moving backwards, which is what we're doing. And even then, I'm afraid, for my friends. [...] It should be a human right to have this access."
- Karo (She/Her)

Dysphoria and
Discrimination

Every student’s experience with dysphoria and discrimination was a bit different. Some experienced more than others, but there was a frequent link between the two. A lot of the time, discrimination led to internalized transphobia. LGBTQ+ students also feel the government does not care about them or wants them gone. With leaders being more openly against Queer people, it gives more of a platform for people to speak out against them.

"I feel like [Homophobes/Transphobes] are much less scared- not scared. I don't think they were ever scared. In the 1st place, but they're not as afraid of people getting on their butts about it for literally discriminating [against] people, so like when I go to school, I feel like I can kind of dress, however, I want, but then, if I go out in like any other form of public setting, I feel like I have to kind of like downplay how I dress because I feel like you can tell."

Despite all the struggles, LGBTQ+ youth still find joy in aspects of their everyday lives.
​This is another topic we delved into.

Support Groups and
Queer Joy

A sentiment shared between the students is how supportive their school environment is. Many of the teachers are supportive toward LGBTQ+ students, and make them feel very welcome. Some students also have support through their families. Many have found ways to support themselves by finding joy and representation in hobbies like art, music, and other forms of culture. 

"I feel like it's rare to have a queer person that isn't very artistic... Art is so incredibly raw and bare, and I feel like it kind of helps - it kind of mimics how I try to be as a person. I try to be like just very open, I guess. And I think that [art] has definitely played a role into who I am."
- Elijah (He/They)

Along with support from peers and family, students have found ways to support themselves. A lot of students find joy in hobbies like art, music, and other forms of culture. 

 Conclusion and
Review

LGBTQ+ student perspectives on these topics are crucial for knowing how to support them. Broader research could also be done on students' experiences outside of school, and how that shapes them. SD Met aids students who don't have access to gender affirming care by offering a supportive environment and ensuring that students have access to resources through the school district.

"We're allowed to feel and we're allowed to fit in, and anyone's allowed in as long as you're nice, and when I came to this school... I immediately met friends and stuff, I felt it was a really welcoming place."
- Raz (He/Him)

Knowing how and why students feel discriminated against can help prevent dysphoria, and a good support system can help them feel welcome.

You can support LGBTQ+ students in your life by taking the time to truly understand their perspective. Supporting non-profit organizations like Lambda Archives is also a good way to ensure that the history of these students remains available.

Thank you so much for taking the time to view our project!