Book With Rainbow Flag
by Jessica Jones
The Texas State Board of Education is in the process of updating its sex education curriculum for the first time in more than 20 years. What is noticeably absent within this major overhaul? The acknowledgment and inclusion of LGBTQ students. As social workers, we must be concerned with this blatant exclusion.
By failing to support a curriculum that acknowledges and includes LGBTQ youth, Texas is sending a clear message to students about who is accepted and welcome within its classrooms. This exclusion can have an enormous negative impact on the mental health of LGBTQ students. A study (Green et al., 2017) by the Trevor Project estimated that 45.3% of LGBTQ youth ages 13-18 seriously considered suicide in the past year.
Fortunately, there are steps we can take within schools to reduce depression and suicidal behavior among LGBTQ students. In 2019, Proulx et al. found that states with LGBTQ-inclusive sex education reported significantly lower instances of bullying, as well as decreased depressive symptoms among LGBTQ students. In the same study, LGBTQ students perceived their schools as safer environments when they were able to see themselves and their experiences reflected in the curriculum. By refusing to include these students in their curriculum, the Texas State Board of Education is contributing to an unsupportive and hostile educational climate. We are failing an already vulnerable population.
Because of the extensive amount of time spent in school, much of students’ social, emotional, intellectual, and sexual development occurs within the context of a school environment. It is vital that their learning environments reflect inclusion and diversity, not only for the mental health and well-being of LGBTQ students, but also for their peers. In a few short years, all students will graduate and become adults, taking with them what they learn in school and applying their knowledge in adult situations. The world is changing and evolving rapidly, and we will do our students a great injustice if we do not prepare them to peacefully co-exist and accept people from all backgrounds, ethnicities, genders, and sexual orientations. All students benefit from supportive, inclusive, and safe learning environments. And when students benefit, our society benefits, too.
I write this as a lifelong Texan who attended public school from kindergarten through high school. I have a great love for my state and my fellow Texans. But it is time we recognize that y’all means all. If we want to create a world that values diversity and promotes social justice, it must start in the classroom.
References
Green, A., Paley, A., Silberman, J., Price-Feeney, M., Dorison, S., & Wong, K. (2017, December 15). National estimate of LGBTQ youth seriously considering suicide. https://www.thetrevorproject.org/trvr_press/national-estimate-of-lgbtq-youth-seriously-considering-suicide/e
Proulx, C. N., Coulter, R., Egan, J. E., Matthews, D. D., & Mair, C. (2019). Associations of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning-inclusive sex education with mental health outcomes and school-based victimization in U.S. high school students. The Journal of Adolescent Health, 64(5), 608–614. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2018.11.012
Jessica Jones
Jessica Jones
Jessica Jones received her Bachelor of Arts in sociology from Southwestern University and is now pursuing a master’s degree at the Graduate College of Social Work at the University of Houston. With a clinical concentration, she plans to become a therapist specializing in children and adolescents. Ms. Jones believes a vital step in achieving social justice is investing in the mental health of our youth.