LGBTQ students who attended a more inclusive sex education program performed better academically and felt closer to their peers.
- A more inclusive sex education curriculum emphasizes lessons that focus specifically on sexual orientation and gender identity.
- Three and twelve months after participating in the program, a reduction in homophobic and transphobic beliefs was observed among young people.
- LGBTQ students who took it had higher self-esteem and were less likely to experience bullying.
“Homophobic and transphobic beliefs that lead to bias-based harassment remain a key concern for young people in the United States. (…) Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) youth report hearing homophobic comments regularly and transphobic at school and be discriminated against because of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity”, American scientists said. These students may face both negative academic consequences (lower grades, absenteeism, disconnection) and mental health impacts including depression, anxiety and lower self-esteem.
More inclusive sex education: what is the program all about?
According to the researchers, schools have a vital role to play in combating discrimination and violence against LGBTQ students and improving their educational outcomes, health and well-being. That’s why in one study, they wanted to find out if participating in a more inclusive sex education program helped reduce homophobic and transphobic beliefs. In detail, this program highlights lessons focused specifically on sexual orientation and gender identity, but it also ensures that there is more visibility, a wide range of identities, better relevance content for all and that more inclusive language be used.
Homophobia and transphobia: more inclusion from sex education reduces bullying
For the purposes of the research, the team sent the program to 20 schools in two regions of the United States (the Midwest and the South) at random. A total of 1,597 students participated in the survey. They answered questionnaires three and twelve months after participating in the program. According to the results, published in the journal Prevention Sciencescores for homophobic and transphobic beliefs were statistically lower among youth receiving the more inclusive sex education program at three and twelve months.
The authors also found that LGBTQ students who took the program had higher self-esteem. They were also less likely to be bullied, felt safer at school, missed less, performed better in school, and felt closer to their peers. “Our results show that comprehensive, inclusive and carefully designed sex education programs can play a role in promoting better school climates for all young people by reducing beliefs, which can lead to bullying and violence” , concluded the authors.