LGBTHomelessYouth

Establish schools as a refuge for youth by eliminating bullying and
harassment
Ensuring that schools are safe, welcoming places for LGBT youth is just as important
because it addresses the widespread epidemic of bullying, but also because
doing so has the potential to curtail some of the grimmest disparities associated with
discrimination at such a young age such as homelessness. Many LGBT youth leave
home because they feel they have nowhere else to turn; this feeling is legitimate
when their schools and peers are hostile to LGBT students. Moreover, harassment
and discrimination in schools exacerbate family conflicts over a youth’s sexual orientation
or gender identity and increase the chance of homelessness.
The Student Non-Discrimination Act, or SNDA, modeled after Title IX of the
Education Amendments of 1972, would establish the right to an education free
of harassment on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in primary
and secondary schools. Moreover, if signed into law, the bill would allow students
who have been bullied to seek legal recourse, and it would authorize the
federal government to withhold federal funds from schools that condone the
bullying of LGBT students.
Another bill—the Safe Schools Improvement Act, or SSIA—would require
schools that receive federal funding to implement policies to ban bullying,
including on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. It would also
require states to report bullying and harassment data to the U.S. Department of
Education. Sens. Robert Casey (D-PA) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) introduced the bill
in the Senate and Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA) introduced the bill in the House
earlier this year.
Whereas SNDA establishes the legal rights of victims of bullying and the federal
government’s response to schools condoning LGBT discrimination, SSIA requires
primary and secondary schools to take a proactive role in preventing harassment
and discrimination by adopting and enforcing anti-bullying policies. Importantly,
SSIA also explicitly states that schools cannot allow the threat of bullying and
harassment to deter students from participating in school programs and extracurricular
activities. In-school and afterschool programs have the potential to prevent
homelessness for LGBT youth by providing a positive environment and deterring
youth from turning to substance abuse and other risky behaviors to cope
with peer rejection. Discouraging youth from engaging in these behaviors alone
reduces their risk of homelessness at some point in their lives. 162
30 Center for American Progress | Seeking Shelter