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Race and LGBTQ Issues in K-12 Schools

What teachers, teens and the u.s. public say about current curriculum debates, table of contents.

• What do teachers think students should learn about slavery and gender identity?
• Should parents be able to opt their children out of learning about certain topics?
• How often do topics related to race and LGBTQ issues come up in the classroom?
• How do teachers’ views differ by party?
• What teachers think students should learn about slavery and gender identity
• Should parents be able to opt their children out of learning about race and LGBTQ issues?
• Influence over curriculum
• What teens want to learn about slavery
• What teens want to learn about gender identity
• 4. Public views on parents opting their children out of learning about race and LGBTQ issues
• Acknowledgments
• Teacher survey methodology
• Teen survey methodology
• General public survey methodology

Pew Research Center conducted this study to better understand how public K-12 teachers, teens and the American public see topics related to race, sexual orientation and gender identity playing out in the classroom.

The bulk of the analysis in this report is based on an online survey of 2,531 U.S. public K-12 teachers conducted from Oct. 17 to Nov. 14, 2023. The teachers surveyed are members of RAND’s American Teacher Panel, a nationally representative panel of public school K-12 teachers recruited through MDR Education. Survey data is weighted to state and national teacher characteristics to account for differences in sampling and response to ensure they are representative of the target population.

For the questions for the general public, we surveyed 5,029 U.S. adults from Nov. 9 to Nov. 16, 2023. The adults surveyed are members of the Ipsos KnowledgePanel, a nationally representative online survey panel. Panel members are randomly recruited through probability-based sampling, and households are provided with access to the Internet and hardware if needed. To ensure that the results of this survey reflect a balanced cross section of the nation, the data is weighted to match the U.S. adult population by gender, age, education, race and ethnicity and other categories.

For questions for teens, we conducted an online survey of 1,453 U.S. teens from Sept. 26 to Oct. 23, 2023, through Ipsos. Ipsos recruited the teens via their parents, who were part of its KnowledgePanel. The survey was weighted to be representative of U.S. teens ages 13 to 17 who live with their parents by age, gender, race and ethnicity, household income, and other categories. The survey on teens was reviewed and approved by an external institutional review board (IRB), Advarra, an independent committee of experts specializing in helping to protect the rights of research participants.

Here are the questions used for this report , along with responses, and the survey methodology .

Throughout the report, references to White, Black and Asian adults include those who are not Hispanic and identify as only one race. Hispanics are of any race. The views and experiences of teachers and teens who are Asian American or part of other racial and ethnic groups are not analyzed separately in this report due to sample limitations. Data for these groups is incorporated into the general population figures throughout the report.

All references to party affiliation include those who lean toward that party. Republicans include those who identify as Republicans and those who say they lean toward the Republican Party. Democrats include those who identify as Democrats and those who say they lean toward the Democratic Party.

Political leaning of school districts is based on whether the majority of those residing in the school district voted for Republican Donald Trump or Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.

Amid national debates about what schools are teaching , we asked public K-12 teachers, teens and the American public how they see topics related to race, sexual orientation and gender identity playing out in the classroom.

A sizeable share of teachers (41%) say these debates have had a negative impact on their ability to do their job. Just 4% say these debates have had a positive impact, while 53% say the impact has been neither positive nor negative or that these debates have had no impact.

And 71% of teachers say teachers themselves don’t have enough influence over what’s taught in public schools in their area.

In turn, a majority of teachers (58%) say their state government has too much influence over this. And more say the federal government, the local school board and parents have too much influence than say they don’t have enough.

Most of the findings in this report come from a survey of 2,531 U.S. public K-12 teachers conducted Oct. 17-Nov. 14, 2023, using the RAND American Teacher Panel. 1 The survey looks at teachers’ views on:

• Race and LGBTQ issues in the classroom ( Chapter 1 )
• Current debates over what schools should be teaching and the role of key groups ( Chapter 2 )

It follows a fall 2022 survey of K-12 parents that explored similar topics.

This report also includes some findings from a survey of U.S. teens ages 13 to 17 ( Chapter 3 ) and a survey of U.S. adults ( Chapter 4 ). For details about these surveys, refer to the Methodology section of this report. Among the key findings:

• 38% of teens say they feel comfortable when topics related to racism or racial inequality come up in class (among those who say these topics have come up). A smaller share (29%) say they feel comfortable when topics related to sexual orientation or gender identity come up.
• Among the American public , more say parents should be able to opt their children out of learning about LGBTQ issues than say the same about topics related to race (54% vs. 34%).

We asked public K-12 teachers what they think students should learn in school about two topics in particular:

• Whether the legacy of slavery still affects the position of Black people in American society today.
• Whether a person’s gender can be different from or is determined by their sex at birth.

For these questions, elementary, middle and high school teachers were asked about elementary, middle and high school students, respectively.

The legacy of slavery

Most teachers (64%) say students should learn that the legacy of slavery still affects the position of Black people in American society today.

About a quarter (23%) say students should learn that slavery is part of American history but no longer affects the position of Black people in American society. Just 8% say students shouldn’t learn about this topic in school at all.

Majorities of elementary, middle and high school teachers say students should learn that the legacy of slavery still has an impact on the lives of Black Americans.

Gender identity

When it comes to teaching about gender identity – specifically whether a person’s gender can be different from or is determined by their sex assigned at birth – half of public K-12 teachers say students shouldn’t learn about this in school.

A third of teachers think students should learn that someone can be a boy or a girl even if that is different from the sex they were assigned at birth.

A smaller share (14%) say students should learn that whether someone is a boy or a girl is determined by their sex at birth.

Views differ among elementary, middle and high school teachers. But teachers across the three levels are more likely to say students should learn that a person’s gender can be different from their sex at birth than to say students should learn gender is determined by sex at birth.

Most elementary school teachers (62%) say students shouldn’t learn about gender identity in school. This is much larger than the shares of middle and high school teachers who say the same (45% and 35%).

What parents and teens say

Parents of K-12 students are more divided on what their children should learn in school about these topics.

In the 2022 survey , 49% of parents said they’d rather their children learn that the legacy of slavery still affects the position of Black people in American society today, while 42% said they’d rather their children learn that slavery no longer affects Black Americans.

When it comes to gender identity, 31% of parents said they’d rather their children learn that gender can be different from sex at birth. An identical share said they would rather their children learn gender is determined by sex at birth. Another 37% of parents said their children shouldn’t learn about gender identity in school.

Teens, like parents, are more divided than teachers on these questions. About half of teens (48%) say they’d rather learn that the legacy of slavery still affects the position of Black Americans today. Four-in-ten would prefer to learn that slavery no longer affects Black Americans.

And teens are about evenly divided when it comes to what they prefer to learn about gender identity. A quarter say they’d rather learn that a person’s gender can be different from their sex at birth; 26% would prefer to learn that gender is determined by sex at birth. About half (48%) say they shouldn’t learn about gender identity in school.

For more on teens’ views about what they prefer to learn in school about each of these topics, read Chapter 3 of this report.

Most public K-12 teachers (60%) say parents should not be able to opt their children out of learning about racism or racial inequality in school, even if the way these topics are taught conflicts with the parents’ beliefs. A quarter say parents should be able to opt their children out of learning about these topics.

In contrast, more say parents should be able to opt their children out of learning about sexual orientation or gender identity (48%) than say parents should not be able to do this (33%).

On topics related to both race and LGBTQ issues, elementary and middle school teachers are more likely than high school teachers to say parents should be able to opt their children out.

How teachers’ views compare with the public’s views

Like teachers, Americans overall are more likely to say parents should be able to opt their children out of learning about sexual orientation or gender identity (54%) than to say they should be able to opt their children out of learning about racism or racial inequality (34%).

Across both issues, Americans overall are somewhat more likely than teachers to say parents should be able to opt their children out.

For more on the public’s views, read Chapter 4 of this report.

Most teachers who’ve been teaching for more than a year (68%) say the topics of sexual orientation and gender identity rarely or never came up in their classroom in the 2022-23 school year. About one-in-five (21%) say these topics came up sometimes, and 8% say they came up often or extremely often.

Topics related to racism or racial inequality come up more frequently. A majority of teachers (56%) say these topics came up at least sometimes in their classroom, with 21% saying they came up often or extremely often.

These topics are more likely to come up in secondary school than in elementary school classrooms.

As is the case among parents of K-12 students and the general public, teachers’ views on how topics related to race and LGBTQ issues should play out in the classroom differ by political affiliation.

• What students should learn about slavery: 85% of Democratic and Democratic-leaning teachers say students should learn that the legacy of slavery still affects the position of Black people in American society today. This compares with 35% of Republican and Republican-leaning teachers who say the same.

• What students should learn about gender identity: Democratic teachers are far more likely than Republican teachers to say students should learn that a person’s gender can be different from the sex they were assigned at birth (53% vs. 5%). Most Republican teachers (69%) say students shouldn’t learn about gender identity in school.
• Parents opting their children out of learning about these topics: 80% of Republican teachers say parents should be able to opt their children out of learning about LGBTQ issues, compared with 30% of Democratic teachers. And while 47% of Republican teachers say parents should be able to opt their children out of learning about racism and racial inequality, just 11% of Democratic teachers say this.

A majority of public K-12 teachers (58%) identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party. About a third (35%) identify with or lean toward the GOP. Americans overall are more evenly divided: 47% are Democrats or Democratic leaners, and 45% are Republicans or Republican leaners .

• For details, refer to the Methodology section of the report. ↩

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213 LGBTQ Research Topics & Title Ideas for Essays

The LGBTQ community has progressed in winning equal rights but still faces significant discrimination, and specific LGBT issues remain unresolved. If interested in this subject, look at our LGBTQ title ideas. You’ll find a list of LGBTQ research topics for your inspiration – feel free to use them for your debate, persuasive papers, and other assignments.

🌈 7 LGBTQ Research Topics – 2024

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• The LGBT Community Theoretical Framework
• Gay Marriage and Ethical Theories
• Theories of Deviant Behavior: Homosexuality
• Cultural Satire in John Gay’s Beggar’s Opera
• Transgender Women in Sports
• Should Gay and Lesbian Couples Be Allowed to Adopt?
• Conflict Theories: Gay Marriages and Feminism
• Argument Against LGBTQ Discrimination LGBTQ discrimination is the unfair treatment of people who identify themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer.
• Healthcare Disparities in the LGBT Community Apart from the disparities representatives of the LGBT community face in everyday life, they also deal with some major challenges as to their access to appropriate health care services.
• Homosexuality as a Problem in the Conflict Theory The term “sexual behavior” encompasses various actions that people engage in to show their sexuality. Sexual arousal is a part of these behaviors’ biological and cultural aspects.
• Gay and Single-Parent Families: Functionalist View The application of the functionalist perspective helps to resolve some problems by outlining the importance of issues and their contribution to the evolution of communities.
• For and Against of Gay Marriage Same-sex marriages is a union that takes place between two people who belong to the same social gender or similar biological sex.
• Gay Marriage Should not be Legal Due to media popularization of gay rights, opposition of gay rights to marriage is normally equated to intolerance.
• Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Activism This paper aims at exploring the background of LGBTQ activism, the oppression that its members experience, the measures they take, and the opposition that hinders their progress.
• The Issues of Gay Parents Scholars have noted a few differences in the characters of children brought up in same sex- marriages and those brought up in conventional ones.
• LGBT Healthcare Disparity: Theoretical Framework The paper prepares research on LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) healthcare disparities and presents a literature review and theoretical framework.
• Homosexual and Heterosexual Families Are the Same Opponents of homosexual parenting advance the argument that children cared for by gay or lesbian partners do not fare as well as those brought up by heterosexual parents.
• Capitalism and Gay Identity by D’Emilio and Berube In this paper, the author will review the link between gay identity and capitalism from the perspective of two essays written by D’Emilio and Berube.
• LGBTQ (Queer) in English Language Learning Classrooms This study addresses the issue of the LGBTQ community’s underrepresentation in English language learning classrooms and in the curriculum.
• The Portrayal of the LGBTQ+ Population in the Media Many scholars have investigated the portrayal of the LGBTQ+ population in the media, noting that it does not always reflect reality.
• Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell: Gays in the Us Military Homosexuals in the military have always had to hide their sexual orientation to prevent discrimination, incrimination, or even discharge from service.
• Gay Marriages Legalization: Arguments Against Proponents of same-sex marriages argue that legalization would grant same-sex marriages equal rights and benefits with heterosexual marriages.
• The Issue of Transgender Discrimination Despite numerous attempts to eliminate biased attitude, transgender people still face different challenges that deteriorate results of treatment.
• Transgender People in the Olympic Games The new guidelines state that transgender athletes may be permitted to compete in the Olympics without undergoing sex reassignment surgery.
• Barriers to LGBT Health Care Access and Effective Nursing Interventions Globalization and cooperation are significant factors contributing to the advent of a wave of sexual and identity orientation.
• Queer (LGBTQ) Community as a Social Problem in Canada The Canadian government has shown interest in LGBTQ matters in recent years. Canadian queer persons are more likely to be victims of violent crime.
• Cultural Immersion Project: Interview with Lesbian The principal challenge of the interviewee’s daily routine is the lack of acceptance by her colleague, which is not directly expressed but still evident.
• ‘Why Shouldn’t Tommy and Jim Have Sex?’ by J. Corvino: Defense of Homosexuality The article written by John Corvino is a short series of paragraphs defending homosexual relationships. The reason is through an abstract example, which is two men, Tommy and Jim.
• Transgender People and Healthcare Barriers This essay aims to explain the barriers that prevent transgender people from receiving quality care and suggest improvements that can be implemented in current medical institutions.
• LGBT Rights in Canada Canada’s progress toward legal equality of LGBT community testifies to the deep belief of its citizens in the fundamental values of democracy and freedom.
• Transgender Offenders in the Criminal Justice System The transgender population who are incarcerated often faces various unique challenges which expose them to vulnerabilities both physical and mental.
• Mental Health Disparities Among LGBT Community LGBT people are at higher risk of suicide, anxiety, substance abuse, and eating disorders. LGBT people are 2 to 3 times more likely to attempt suicide.
• The Reluctance of Gay, Lesbian Victims to Report Domestic Violence Members of the gay community suffer from domestic violence in almost the same magnitude as members of the heterosexual community.
• Gay and Lesbian Adoption: Normalizing a Healthy Childhood This research paper will examine the legal framework of same-sex adoption in the US and Europe, review its socioeconomic, health-related and psychological implications.
• Transgender Women Athletes in Professional Sports The inclusivity and legal recognition suggest that transgender athletes are welcome to participate in competitive sport given they meet the established requirements.
• Gay-Friendly High Schools in Chicago Chicago officials have advocated for the creation of “gay-friendly high schools” for students who feel that schooling with pro-heterosexual students threats their safety.
• Transgender Issues in Cis- and Trans-Made Movies This paper discusses the implications of transgender and transsexual experience from the outside and from within, particularly how they are represented and how the public sees it.
• Challenges of Transgender Patients Transgender patients have to face a certain amount of resistance and discrimination in society regularly, this group of people has to deal with certain challenges in the health care arena.
• How to Get Others to Be More Open-Minded About LGBT People?
• Which Iconic LGBT TV Character Are You Most Like?
• How to Respond to Homophobic and Transphobic Attitudes Against LGBT People?
• How to Respond to Rumors That Someone Is LGBT?
• Does Bumble Work for LGBT?
• How to Help LGBT Colleagues?
• How to Respond to Heterosexual Friends or Coworkers Who Feel Negatively About a Person Who Is LGBT People?
• What Should Say to Someone Who Is Afraid of Contracting HIV or Aids From LGBT People?
• Are LGBT People More at Risk From COVID-19?
• What Is the Difference Between Bisexual and Transgender LGBT People?
• What Is the Nature of Same-Sex Relationships in an LGBT Family?
• How Do People Know if They Are LGBT?
• How Can I Tell if Someone I Know Is LGBT?
• Why Should Healthcare Professionals Consider LGBT Communities?
• Can LGBT People Change Their Sexual Orientation?
• How to Respond to People Who Object to LGBT People for Religious Reasons?
• What Is the Connection Between Bullying and LGBT Youth?
• How to Respond When Someone Tells a Homophobic Joke Against LGBT People?
• Why Are People LGBT?
• How to Make Your Work More LGBT Friendly?
• How to Become an LGBT Ally 2022?
• Can LGBT People Be Good Parents?
• Why Is It Important to Celebrate LGBT?
• How Can I Become Myself More Approachable to People Who Are LGBT People?
• Policies Addressing LGBT (Queer) Healthcare Disparities The paper states that despite the continuous growth of the LGBT community across the globe, they continue to face challenges within the healthcare system.
• The Perspective on Homosexuality The paper states that the perspective on homosexuality has been skewed by the presence of biases and the lack of tolerance among the general population.
• Impact of Sociocultural Factors on the Development of the LGBTQ Identity LGBTQ identity is influenced by different sources, family, peers, culture, and community all play their roles in identity development.
• The Fight for $15 Movement vs. the Transgender Law Center For an examination of non-profit organizations, it will be convenient to use case studies. The Fight for $15 movement and the Transgender Law Center will be used as comparisons.
• The LGBTQ (Queer) Identity Development The purpose of this paper is to evaluate factors that impact the development of the LGBTQ identity from the position of sociocultural theory.
• Underrepresentation of the LGBTQ (Queer) Community in English Language Teaching As the dominant culture becomes more and more accepting, the number of LGBTQ individuals who uncover their identity is growing.
• Health Disparities of Transgender Population The problem is centered around the healthcare inequality experienced by members of the transgender community, where the barriers include financial factors and discrimination.
• Clinically and Culturally Competent Care for Transgender and Non-Binary People The analyzed review can be considered an essential step toward a better understanding of how to work with such groups.
• Violence in LGBT (Queer) Couples Violence in LGBT couples is a serious societal problem that can affect the well-being of many citizens. Suicide risk factors are much more common within the LGBT community.
• Disparity Accessing Health Care Services in LGBTQ+ Adopting legislative changes to enhance the lives of LGBTQ teens is the primary health strategy, including health policies and curriculum changes.
• The Effects of Discrimination That LGBT Persons Encounter The paper focuses on the effects of discrimination that LGBT persons encounter. They never interfere with the lives of people who do not relate to the LGBT community.
• Transgender People in Prisons: Rights Violations There are many instances of how transgender rights are violated in jails: from misgendering from the staff and other prisoners to isolation and refusal to provide healthcare.
• Ethical Relativism Regarding Queer (LGBTQ+) Community Ethical relativism does not always support tolerance toward minorities, such as the LGBTQ+ community, since it depends on the either personal or societal approach.
• Recognition of Human Rights for LGBT Individuals The paper discusses the importance of studying the issue of LGBTQ people discrimination, including its causes, harmful effects, and current state.
• Parenting Peculiarities in Queer (LGBT) Families An examination of LGBT marriages has shown that same-sex partners have varied parenting desires, intentions, and child-rearing experiences.
• Family Therapy Related to a Child’s Homosexuality This case study focuses on a 16-year-old African American male who disclosed his homosexuality to his parents, who are religious people and do not accept their son’s sexuality.
• Aspects of LGBTQ+ Community Values Acceptance and striving for equality represent the main features of the LGBTQ+ community. Acceptance provides the unifying kernel for marginalized strugglers.
• Resolving Discrimination Against Queer (LGBTQ) Community The article focuses on practical measures that can be governed to ensure that LGBTQ people are not discriminated against and violated.
• The Lesbian Family Impact on Canadian Society In this paper, an attempt will be made to explain the advantages of a lesbian family and the potential benefits for Canadian society.
• Transgender People: Prejudice and Discrimination Transgender remains a stereotyped sexual identity, and these individuals face prejudice from critics, religious leaders, and the vast majority of society.
• Transgender Health Disparities and Solutions People who identify as transgender, intersex, gender non-conforming, or gender diverse have exacerbated health disparities compared to other people.
• Florida’s Bill ”Don’t Say Gay” The “Don’t Say Gay” bill should not be published because it will put the mental and physical well-being of LGBTQ+ students in danger and normalize censorship in the classroom.
• Cause and Effect of Queer (LGBTQ+) Discrimination The LGBTQ+ community has continued to experience discrimination in various settings. The results of these factors include social segregation, unemployment, etc.
• Discussion of LGBT Discrimination in Modern Society Despite the fact that most states of the world and humanity as a whole are actively fighting to protect the rights of the LGBT community, discrimination is still relevant.
• Queer (LGBT) Hiring Policy’s Purpose and Authority Organizational consulting specialists (policy-makers) try to implement a new hiring policy regarding the LGBT population in the administrative processes of company performance.
• Gay Marriage Redefines the True Meaning of Family This literature review aims to illustrate how the legalization of gay marriage helped redefine the meaning of family and argues that it transformed the social role of the unit.
• Changes in Perception on Same-Sex Marriage and LGBTQ+ People The paper states that acceptance of the LGBT community and marriage between people of the same sex is gradually beginning to appear in modern society.
• Mental Healthcare Services for Transgender Individuals This research paper suggests a range of options to treat mental health and related illnesses among the non-binary populations.
• Transgender Prisoners and How They Are Treated According to international studies, transgender persons are a particularly defenseless population in the correctional structure, with their most necessities often being withheld.
• Media Coverage of Transgender Policy in Military This paper aims to provide an annotated bibliography for the ten articles related to the topic of media coverage of transgender policy in the military.
• Homosexuality: History and Theoretical Perspective This paper will discuss the history of homosexuality from the perspective of three theoretical lenses. The first theory to review homosexuality is structural functionalism.
• Is same-sex marriage morally acceptable?
• Should same-sex parenting be legal?
• Should transgender conversion therapy be banned?
• LGBT media portrayals are vital for normalizing diverse relationships.
• Should schools introduce gender-neutral bathrooms?
• Should school anti-bullying policies specifically address homophobia and transphobia?
• Are LGBT pride parades effective in raising awareness and advocating equal rights?
• Should schools develop policies to accommodate students’ preferred pronouns?
• Should countries grant asylum to people persecuted for their sexual orientation?
• Can businesses turn LGBT individuals away because of religious beliefs?
• The Gay and Lesbian Rights Movement of the 1960s The purpose of this paper is to discuss the gay and lesbian rights movement of the 1960s and indicate its incredible importance.
• The Problem of Violence Against LGBTQ People: Critical Analysis The perspective on psychological problems is most relevant to LGBTQ problems, as their psychological health is typically influenced by society and culture rather than genetics.
• Homosexuality Perceptions in Mexican Culture The paper identifies the societal reactions and perceptions of homosexuality in Mexican culture and analyzes the social position of homosexual people.
• Transgender Support Group Meeting and Its Importance The transgender support groups allow people to connect and talk about issues that they have faced in their lives.
• Transgender Movement: Overview and Importance Ultimately, policies, guidelines, or steps ensure that the social change that the transgender movement is yearning for can be realized.
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• The Problem of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Youth Suicidality Recently, there was a sharp increase in cases of suicides committed by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer youth.
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• Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual People and Primary Healthcare Services The researchers argue that patient reticence about disclosing their homosexuality elevates the risk of incomplete histories being taken.
• Should Gay Marriage Rights Be a State or Federal Law? If the issue of same-sex marriage is left to the states, some of them would probably recognize it, while others would not.
• Incorrect Interpretation: Everyone Is Gay on Tiktok The article’s main idea is that becoming pseudo gay — when close bodily contact, kisses, and hugs are shown only on video — is hugely beneficial to increase own popularity.
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• Critical Thinking and Transgender Ethics Sexual orientation and preference is a debated and complex topic involving biological aspects, including hormones, which can alter and change people’s behavior and feelings.
• Religious Liberties and LGBTQ Employment Discrimination Reforms The biggest resistance to LGBTQ rights has been religion, with members of society who disapprove of homosexuality.
• Hate Crimes Against Homosexuals in American Colleges Although hate crime is a setback for many students in college and universities, individuals LGBT are more likely to be exposed to a particularly difficult path.
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• Social Prejudice Kills LGBTQ Community Representatives Society must change its attitude and liquidate prejudice among the LGBTQ community members, as the consequences of these attitudes are disastrous.
• Canadian LGBT Progress Overview and Analysis The LGBT progress in Canada is particularly relevant to Canadian Studies. One of the primary issues of these studies is exploring the matters of identity.
• Media Representation of Gay and Lesbian Parented It is alleged that the media often fails to represent the normal privacy and individuality of a heterosexual family.
• LGBT Minority in Higher Education This paper has, as its main objective, the need to show that in contemporary American society, the LGBT minority has witnessed increased attention.
• Gays in the Military: Current Situation and Problems While much effort is being put in to allow the marriage of persons of the same sex, this has not affected the military, since homosexuals are barred from taking up in the military.
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• Should Homosexuals Have Children? One of the controversies on homosexuality includes the debate on whether same sex couples should be allowed to adopt children or acquire a family.
• The Issue of the Gay-Marriage Movement in the United States Gay people should have the right to marry because constitution is aimed to protect social and sexual rights of all people and all citizens of the USA.
• Gay Marriages in the Media: Different Opinions About the Question Gay marriages are rather common affairs in modern world. Many countries began to think about legalization of same-sex marriages.
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• Gay Community and Heterosexism in Language When speaking of gay people, they were often referred to as homosexual in the past. “Gay” is probably the only identity label that gay individuals reclaimed these days.
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• Media Shapes History: Gay Liberation Movement By the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the portrayal of gay and queer folk in the US had vastly improved. This, in turn, had a positive effect on the Gay Liberation Movement.
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• Homosexuality as Percieved in American Society This paper will examine the independent variables of religious affiliation, race, and gender that have an impact on the attitude towards same-sex marriage in the US.
• Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Children This paper discusses the issues a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner should be aware of when interacting with transgender and gender non-conforming children and adolescents.
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New Title IX Rule Has Explicit Ban on Discrimination of LGBTQ+ Students

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LGBTQ+ students will receive explicit legal protection from sex discrimination and harassment under a long-awaited revision of Title IX rules the Biden administration released Friday, April 19, nearly two years after it originally proposed the overhaul .

The revised regulations for Title IX, the law outlawing sex discrimination at federally funded schools, expand the definition of sex-based discrimination and harassment to explicitly prohibit discrimination based on sex stereotypes, pregnancy or related conditions, sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics.

The U.S. Department of Education already interprets Title IX to include protection against discrimination based on gender identity and sexuality due to the 2020 Supreme Court ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County, Ga. , that federal employment law prohibits that type of discrimination. But the new rules make that explicit under Title IX without room for interpretation otherwise.

“These regulations make crystal clear that everyone can access schools that are safe, welcoming, and respect their rights,” U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said during a call with reporters on Thursday, April 18. “It clarifies that Title IX’s prohibition of sex discrimination includes all forms of sex discrimination.”

Even as the administration released the long-anticipated rewrite of Title IX regulations, it didn’t release another set of widely anticipated Title IX rules that have also been in the works for more than a year.

Those rules address transgender athletes’ participation in sports.

If finalized as proposed, those rules would challenge 24 Republican-led state laws banning transgender athletes from joining athletic teams that align with their gender identity. The rules would prohibit those categorical bans on transgender athletes’ participation in school sports while carving out some exceptions, such as in highly competitive sports at the high school or collegiate levels.

Those athletics-related amendments, which the department proposed in April 2023, are still going through the rulemaking process after the federal agency received more than 150,000 public comments.

The finalized rules the administration released Friday also broadened definitions for sex discrimination, sexual harassment, and assault to include incidents that create a “hostile environment” that “denies or limits a person’s ability to participate in or benefit from a [school’s] education program or activity.”

Under the regulations, schools are required to “take prompt and effective action” to end sex discrimination and use the Obama-era “preponderance of evidence” standard of proof when evaluating complaints.

The rules are a sharp reversal from the Trump administration, in which former U.S. Secretary Betsy DeVos applied a narrower definition of sex-based harassment and required schools only to respond to assault claims with “clear and convincing evidence.”

Much of the impact will be felt on college campuses, as the rule revision addresses the process they must follow to adjudicate sexual assault claims, no longer requiring live hearings and where victims and alleged perpetrators could cross-examine each other.

The “new final rule will restore and strengthen vital protections that were weakened by the prior administration while reaffirming our long-standing commitment to fundamental fairness,” Jennifer Klein, director of the White House Gender Policy Council, said in the Thursday call with reporters.

What do the rules mean for schools?

The finalized rules will mean a lot of work for Title IX coordinators and administrators at school districts over the next few months, as the new rules take effect Aug. 1.

The department released a resource for schools as they work to draft policies that align with the new rules. In it, the department states that schools must adopt, publish, and implement a “nondiscrimination policy.”

Schools can decide what this policy looks like, though, as long as it meets the law’s minimum requirements to explicitly state that the school “does not discriminate on the basis of sex and prohibits sex discrimination in any education program or activity that it operates, as required by Title IX, including in admission and employment.”

Under the new rules, schools are required to provide a “notice of nondiscrimination” to students, parents, guardians, employees, applicants for admission or employment, and all unions and professional organizations with contracts or agreements with the school.

Schools are also required to adopt, publish, and implement grievance procedures for sex discrimination complaints. A school might use the grievance procedure document to list the people covered under the nondiscrimination policy—including any students and employees as well as any other person who experienced sex discrimination while participating in school activities—and detail the process the school will use to respond to the complaint.

The Association of Title IX Administrators, which certifies Title IX coordinators and other administrators, announced Friday it is offering a new certification course for both K-12 schools and colleges and universities to align with the updated ruling. The AASA, The School Superintendents Association, also released resources for its members on how to comply with the updated rules.

What about sports?

The rules released Friday do not address perhaps the thorniest Title IX issue from the past few years: student participation in athletics, which has become a divisive topic as a growing number of states ban transgender youth from joining sports teams that align with their gender identity.

In April 2023, the department released proposed amendments to Title IX that would prohibit schools from adopting policies that bar all transgender athletes from participating on a team that aligns with their gender identity. However, the proposed amendments would allow schools to prevent some students from playing sports if there were a concern about competitive fairness.

If finalized as proposed, the amendments would challenge 24 state laws that ban transgender youth from participating in sports, according to the Movement Advancement Project , an LGBTQ+ advocacy group that tracks such state laws.

On the Thursday press call, education department officials said the rulemaking process for the athletics rule is “ongoing.” They didn’t provide an estimated date on when they would finalize it.

Rules receive support from LGBTQ+ advocates, rebuke from Republicans

Melanie Willingham-Jaggers, executive director of GLSEN, an advocacy group for LGBTQ+ youth in K-12 schools, described the finalized rules as a step forward for LGBTQ+ students.

“We must reject the discriminatory policies—many in violation of Title IX—that too many states have rushed to pass in an unseemly race to bully and target marginalized students,” Willingham-Jaggers said in a statement. “It is up to all of us to continue to rise up for LGBTQ+ youth by fighting to ensure robust enforcement of Title IX and the adoption of inclusive policies in school districts across the country.”

However, the rules drew criticism from Republican politicians in the U.S. House.

“This final rule dumps kerosene on the already raging fire that is Democrats’ contemptuous culture war that aims to radically redefine sex and gender,” said Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., who chairs the chamber’s education and workforce committee. “The rule also undermines existing due process rights, placing students and institutions in legal jeopardy and again undermining the protections Title IX is intended to provide.”

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Biden Administration Releases Revised Title IX Rules

The new regulations extended legal protections to L.G.B.T.Q. students and rolled back several policies set under the Trump administration.

By Zach Montague and Erica L. Green

Reporting from Washington

The Biden administration issued new rules on Friday cementing protections for L.G.B.T.Q. students under federal law and reversing a number of Trump-era policies that dictated how schools should respond to cases of alleged sexual misconduct in K-12 schools and college campuses.

The new rules, which take effect on Aug. 1, effectively broadened the scope of Title IX, the 1972 law prohibiting sex discrimination in educational programs that receive federal funding. They extend the law’s reach to prohibit discrimination and harassment based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and widen the range of sexual harassment complaints that schools will be responsible for investigating.

“These regulations make it crystal clear that everyone can access schools that are safe, welcoming and that respect their rights,” Miguel A. Cardona, the education secretary, said in a call with reporters.

The rules deliver on a key campaign promise for Mr. Biden, who declared he would put a “quick end” to the Trump-era Title IX rules and faced mounting pressure from Democrats and civil rights leaders to do so.

The release of the updated rules, after two delays, came as Mr. Biden is in the thick of his re-election bid and is trying to galvanize key electoral constituencies.

Through the new regulations, the administration moved to include students in its interpretation of Bostock v. Clayton County, the landmark 2020 Supreme Court case in which the court ruled that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects gay and transgender workers from workplace discrimination. The Trump administration held that transgender students were not protected under federal laws, including after the Bostock ruling .

In a statement, Betsy DeVos, who served as Mr. Trump’s education secretary, criticized what she called a “radical rewrite” of the law, asserting that it was an “endeavor born entirely of progressive politics, not sound policy.”

Ms. DeVos said the inclusion of transgender students in the law gutted decades of protections and opportunities for women. She added that the Biden administration also “seeks to U-turn to the bad old days where sexual misconduct was sent to campus kangaroo courts, not resolved in a way that actually sought justice.”

While the regulations released on Friday contained considerably stronger protections for L.G.B.T.Q. students, the administration steered clear of the lightning-rod issue of whether transgender students should be able to play on school sports teams corresponding to their gender identity.

The administration stressed that while, writ large, exclusion based on gender identity violated Title IX, the new regulations did not extend to single-sex living facilities or sports teams. The Education Department is pursuing a second rule dealing with sex-related eligibility for male and female sports teams. The rule-making process has drawn more than 150,000 comments.

Under the revisions announced on Friday, instances where transgender students are subjected to a “hostile environment” through bullying or harassment, or face unequal treatment and exclusion in programs or facilities based on their gender identity, could trigger an investigation by the department’s Office for Civil Rights.

Instances where students are repeatedly referred to by a name or pronoun other than one they have chosen could also be considered harassment on a case-by-case basis.

“This is a bold and important statement that transgender and nonbinary students belong, in their schools and in their communities,” said Olivia Hunt, the policy director for the National Center for Transgender Equality.

The regulations appeared certain to draw to legal challenges from conservative groups.

May Mailman, the director of the Independent Women’s Law Center, said in a statement that the group planned to sue the administration. She said it was clear that the statute barring discrimination on the basis of “sex” means “binary and biological.”

“The unlawful omnibus regulation reimagines Title IX to permit the invasion of women’s spaces and the reduction of women’s rights in the name of elevating protections for ‘gender identity,’ which is contrary to the text and purpose of Title IX,” she said.

The existing rules, which took effect under Mr. Trump in 2020, were the first time that sexual assault provisions were codified under Title IX. They bolstered due process rights of accused students, relieved schools of some legal liabilities and laid out rigid parameters for how schools should conduct impartial investigations.

They were a sharp departure from the Obama administration’s interpretation of the law, which came in the form of unenforceable guidance documents directing schools to ramp up investigations into sexual assault complaints under the threat of losing federal funding. Scores of students who had been accused of sexual assault went on to win court cases against their colleges for violating their due process rights under the guidelines.

The Biden administration’s rules struck a balance between the Obama and Trump administration’s goals. Taken together, the regulation largely provides more flexibility for how schools conduct investigations, which advocates and schools have long lobbied for.

Catherine E. Lhamon, the head of the department’s Office for Civil Rights who also held the job under President Barack Obama, called the new rules the “most comprehensive coverage under Title IX since the regulations were first promulgated in 1975.”

They replaced a narrower definition of sex-based harassment adopted under the Trump administration with one that would include a wider range of conduct. And they reversed a requirement that schools investigate only incidents alleged to have occurred on their campuses or in their programs.

Still, some key provisions in the Trump-era rules were preserved, including one allowing informal resolutions and another prohibiting penalties against students until after an investigation.

Among the most anticipated changes was the undoing of a provision that required in-person, or so-called live hearings, in which students accused of sexual misconduct, or their lawyers, could confront and question accusers in a courtroom-like setting.

The new rules allow in-person hearings, but do not mandate them. They also require a process through which a decision maker could assess a party or witness’s credibility, including posing questions from the opposing party.

“The new regulations put an end to unfair and traumatic grievance procedures that favor harassers,” Kel O’Hara, a senior attorney at Equal Rights Advocates. “No longer will student survivors be subjected to processes that prioritize the interests of their perpetrators over their own well being and safety.”

The new rules also allow room for schools to use a “preponderance of evidence” standard, a lower burden of proof than the DeVos-era rules encouraged, through which administrators need only to determine whether it was more likely than not that sexual misconduct had occurred.

The renewed push for that standard drew criticism from legal groups who said the rule stripped away hard-won protections against flawed findings.

“When you are dealing with accusations of really one of the most heinous crimes that a person can commit — sexual assault — it’s not enough to say, ‘50 percent and a feather,’ before you brand someone guilty of this repulsive crime,” said Will Creeley, the legal director of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.

The changes concluded a three-year process in which the department received 240,000 public comments. The rules also strengthen protections for pregnant students, requiring accommodations such as a bigger desk or ensuring access to elevators and prohibiting exclusion from activities based on additional needs.

Title IX was designed to end discrimination based on sex in educational programs or activities at all institutions receiving federal financial assistance, beginning with sports programs and other spaces previously dominated by male students.

The effects of the original law have been pronounced. Far beyond the impact on school programs like sports teams, many educators credit Title IX with setting the stage for academic parity today. Female college students routinely outnumber male students on campus and have become more likely than men of the same age to graduate with a four-year degree.

But since its inception, Title IX has also become a powerful vehicle through which past administrations have sought to steer schools to respond to the dynamic and diverse nature of schools and universities.

While civil rights groups were disappointed that some ambiguity remains for the L.G.B.T.Q. students and their families, the new rules were widely praised for taking a stand at a time when education debates are reminiscent to the backlash after the Supreme Court ordered schools to integrate.

More than 20 states have passed laws that broadly prohibit anyone assigned male at birth from playing on girls’ and women’s sports teams or participating in scholastic athletic programs, while 10 states have laws barring transgender people from using bathrooms based on their gender identity.

“Some adults are showing up and saying, ‘I’m going to make school harder for children,” said Liz King, senior program director of the education equity program at the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. “It’s an incredibly important rule, at an incredibly important moment.”

Schools will have to cram over the summer to implement the rules, which will require a retraining staff and overhauling procedures they implemented only four years ago.

Ted Mitchell, the president of the American Council on Education, which represents more than 1,700 colleges and universities, said in a statement that while the group welcomed the changes in the new rule, the timeline “disregards the difficulties inherent in making these changes on our nation’s campuses in such a short period of time.”

“After years of constant churn in Title IX guidance and regulations,” Mr. Mitchell said, “we hope for the sake of students and institutions that there will be more stability and consistency in the requirements going forward.”

Zach Montague is based in Washington. He covers breaking news and developments around the district. More about Zach Montague

Erica L. Green is a White House correspondent, covering President Biden and his administration. More about Erica L. Green

Biden's new Title IX rules protect LGBTQ students, but trans sports rule still on hold

The rights of LGBTQ students will be protected by federal law and victims of campus sexual assault will gain new safeguards under rules finalized Friday by the Biden administration.

The new provisions are part of a revised Title IX regulation issued by the Education Department, fulfilling a campaign pledge by President Joe Biden. He had promised to dismantle rules  created by former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos , who added new protections for students accused of sexual misconduct.

Notably absent from Biden’s policy, however, is any mention of transgender athletes.

The administration originally planned to include a new policy  forbidding schools  from enacting outright bans on transgender athletes, but that provision was put on hold. The delay is widely seen as a political maneuver during an election year in which Republicans have  rallied  around  bans on transgender athletes  in girls’ sports.

Instead, Biden is officially undoing sexual assault rules put in place by his predecessor and current election-year opponent, former President Donald Trump. The final policy drew praise from victims’ advocates, while Republicans said it erodes the rights of accused students.

The new rule makes “crystal clear that everyone can access schools that are safe, welcoming and that respect their rights,” Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said.

“No one should face bullying or discrimination just because of who they are, who they love,” Cardona told reporters. “Sadly, this happens all too often.”

Biden’s regulation is meant to clarify schools’ obligations under  Title IX , the 1972 women’s rights law that outlaws discrimination based on sex in education. It applies to colleges and elementary and high schools that receive federal money. The update is to take effect in August.

Among the biggest changes is new recognition that Title IX  protects LGBTQ students  — a source of deep conflict with Republicans.

The 1972 law doesn’t directly address the issue, but the new rules clarify that Title IX also forbids discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. LGBTQ students who face discrimination will be entitled to a response from their school under Title IX, and those failed by their schools can seek recourse from the federal government.

Many Republicans say Congress never intended such protections under Title IX. A federal judge previously blocked Biden administration guidance to the same effect after 20 Republican-led states  challenged the policy .

Rep. Virginia Foxx, a Republican from North Carolina and chair of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, said the new regulation threatens decades of advancement for women and girls.

“This final rule dumps kerosene on the already raging fire that is Democrats’ contemptuous culture war that aims to radically redefine sex and gender,” Foxx said in a statement.

The revision was  proposed nearly two years ago  but has been slowed by a comment period that drew 240,000 responses, a record for the Education Department.

Many of the changes are meant to ensure that schools and colleges respond to complaints of sexual misconduct. In general, the rules widen the type of misconduct that institutions are required to address, and it grants more protections to students who bring accusations.

Chief among the changes is a wider definition of sexual harassment. Schools now must address any unwelcome sex-based conduct that is so “severe or pervasive” that it limits a student’s equal access to an education.

Under the DeVos rules, conduct had to be “severe, pervasive and objectively offensive,” a higher bar that pushed some types of misconduct outside the purview of Title IX.

Colleges will no longer be required to hold live hearings to allow students to cross-examine one another through representatives — a signature provision from the DeVos rules.

Live hearings are allowed under the Biden rules, but they’re optional and carry new limits. Students must be able to participate from hearings remotely, for example, and schools must bar questions that are “unclear or harassing.”

As an alternative to live hearings, college officials can interview students separately, allowing each student to suggest questions and get a recording of the responses.

Those hearings were a major point of contention with victims’ advocates, who said it forced sexual assault survivors to face their attackers and discouraged people from reporting assaults. Supporters said it gave accused students a fair process to question their accusers, arguing that universities had become too quick to rule against accused students.

Victims’ advocates applauded the changes and urged colleges to implement them quickly.

“After years of pressure from students and survivors of sexual violence, the Biden Administration’s Title IX update will make schools safer and more accessible for young people, many of whom experienced irreparable harm while they fought for protection and support,” said Emma Grasso Levine, a senior manager at the group Know Your IX.

Despite the focus on safeguards for victims, the new rules preserve certain protections for accused students.

All students must have equal access to present evidence and witnesses under the new policy, and all students must have equal access to evidence. All students will be allowed to bring an advisor to campus hearings, and colleges must have an appeals process.

In general, accused students won’t be able to be disciplined until after they’re found responsible for misconduct, although the regulation allows for “emergency” removals if it’s deemed a matter of campus safety.

The latest overhaul continues a back-and-forth political battle as presidential administrations repeatedly rewrite the rules around campus sexual misconduct.

The DeVos rules were themselves an overhaul of an Obama-era policy that was intended to force colleges to take accusations of campus sexual assault more seriously. Now, after years of nearly constant changes, some colleges have been pushing for a political middle ground to end the whiplash.

The Associated Press

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Biden administration adds Title IX protections for LGBTQ students, assault victims

Tovia Smith

"Our nation's educational institutions should be places where we not only accept differences, but celebrate them," U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, seen in the East Room of the White House in August 2023, said of the new Title IX regulation. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

"Our nation's educational institutions should be places where we not only accept differences, but celebrate them," U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, seen in the East Room of the White House in August 2023, said of the new Title IX regulation.

The Biden administration released rules Friday that protect the rights of LGBTQ students and change the way schools can respond to allegations of sexual assault and misconduct. It's a long-awaited answer to campaign promises made by President Biden to reverse Trump-era regulations he said were silencing survivors.

The Education Department's updates to Title IX , the 1972 law prohibiting sex discrimination in federally funded school programs, are expected to go into effect Aug. 1.

Under the new rules, in-person, court-like proceedings for allegations of sexual assault — including cross-examination of alleged victims — are no longer required. That rolls back Trump administration protections for accused students that victims' advocates say retraumatized survivors and discouraged reporting. Schools will now have the flexibility to question witnesses in live hearings or in separate meetings. If a school chooses to hold a live hearing, alleged victims have the right to attend remotely.

The Biden administration also broadened the definition of what counts as sexual harassment, so more cases might qualify as serious enough to require a school investigation. That reverses Trump-era regulations that had narrowed harassment to what is "objectively offensive."

"Our nation's educational institutions should be places where we not only accept differences, but celebrate them. Places that root out hate and promote inclusion, not just because it's the right thing to do, but because our systems and institutions are richer for it," Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said on a call with reporters Thursday.

Perhaps most contentious, the new rules also officially broaden the interpretation of Title IX to cover pregnant, gay and transgender students.

"Title IX requires more, and these final regulations provide it," said Catherine Lhamon, Education Department assistant secretary for civil rights, who also served in the same position in the Obama administration.

Under the new interpretation, it could be a violation of Title IX if schools, for example, refuse to use the pronouns that correspond with a student's gender identity.

Republican Rep. Virginia Foxx, chairwoman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, blasted the updated regulation, saying "it dumps kerosene on the already raging fire that is Democrats' contemptuous culture war that aims to racially redefine sex and gender."

The Biden administration's changes avoid the controversial question of whether schools can ban transgender athletes from competing on women's and girls' teams. Officials have proposed a separate rule on that issue, which they say is still in the works, but offered no timeline.

The new regulations drew predictably mixed reviews.

"After years of pressure from students and survivors of sexual violence, the Biden administration's Title IX update will make schools safer and more accessible for young people, many of whom experienced irreparable harm while they fought for protection and support," Emma Grasso Levine, a senior manager at the advocacy group Know Your IX , said in a statement to NPR.

But critics say the changes violate due process rights for accused students.

"The Department of Education should recognize that removing procedural protections for students is the exact opposite of fairness," Will Creeley, legal director at FIRE, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, said on social media . "And by expanding the definition of sexual harassment, the new regulations threaten expressive rights."

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Biden’s new Title IX rules protect LGBTQ+ students, but avoid addressing transgender athletes

FILE - Demonstrators advocating for transgender rights and healthcare stand outside of the Ohio Statehouse on Jan. 24, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. The rights of LGBTQ+ students will be protected by federal law and victims of campus sexual assault will gain new safeguards under rules finalized Friday, April19, 2024, by the Biden administration. Notably absent from Biden’s policy, however, is any mention of transgender athletes. (AP Photo/Patrick Orsagos, File)

FILE - House Education and the Workforce Committee Chair Rep. Virginia Foxx R-N.C., speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington, April 17, 2024. The rights of LGBTQ+ students will be protected by federal law and victims of campus sexual assault will gain new safeguards under rules finalized Friday, April19, 2024, by the Biden administration. Foxx said the new regulation threatens decades of advancement for women and girls. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

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The rights of LGBTQ+ students will be protected by federal law and victims of campus sexual assault will gain new safeguards under rules finalized Friday by the Biden administration.

The new provisions are part of a revised Title IX regulation issued by the Education Department, fulfilling a campaign pledge by President Joe Biden. He had promised to dismantle rules created by former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos , who added new protections for students accused of sexual misconduct.

Notably absent from Biden’s policy, however, is any mention of transgender athletes.

The administration originally planned to include a new policy forbidding schools from enacting outright bans on transgender athletes, but that provision was put on hold. The delay is widely seen as a political maneuver during an election year in which Republicans have rallied around bans on transgender athletes in girls’ sports.

Instead, Biden is officially undoing sexual assault rules put in place by his predecessor and current election-year opponent, former President Donald Trump. The final policy drew praise from victims’ advocates, while Republicans said it erodes the rights of accused students.

The new rule makes “crystal clear that everyone can access schools that are safe, welcoming and that respect their rights,” Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said.

“No one should face bullying or discrimination just because of who they are, who they love,” Cardona told reporters. “Sadly, this happens all too often.”

Biden’s regulation is meant to clarify schools’ obligations under Title IX , the 1972 sex discrimination law originally passed to address women’s rights. It applies to colleges and elementary and high schools that receive federal money. The update is to take effect in August.

Among the biggest changes is new recognition that Title IX protects LGBTQ+ students — a source of deep conflict with Republicans.

The 1972 law doesn’t directly address the issue, but the new rules clarify that Title IX also forbids discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. LGBTQ+ students who face discrimination will be entitled to a response from their school under Title IX, and those failed by their schools can seek recourse from the federal government.

Many Republicans say Congress never intended such protections under Title IX. A federal judge previously blocked Biden administration guidance to the same effect after 20 Republican-led states challenged the policy .

Rep. Virginia Foxx, a Republican from North Carolina and chair of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, said the new regulation threatens decades of advancement for women and girls.

“This final rule dumps kerosene on the already raging fire that is Democrats’ contemptuous culture war that aims to radically redefine sex and gender,” Foxx said in a statement.

In the last few years, many Republican-controlled states have adopted laws restricting the rights of transgender children , including banning gender-affirming medical care for minors. And at least 11 states restrict which bathrooms and locker rooms transgender students can use, banning them from using facilities that align with their gender identity.

But the rule makes clear that treating transgender students differently from their classmates is discrimination, putting the state bathroom restrictions in jeopardy, said Francicso M. Negron Jr., an attorney who specializes in education law.

The revision was proposed nearly two years ago but has been slowed by a comment period that drew 240,000 responses, a record for the Education Department.

Many of the changes are meant to ensure that schools and colleges respond to complaints of sexual misconduct. In general, the rules widen the type of misconduct that institutions are required to address, and it grants more protections to students who bring accusations.

Chief among the changes is a wider definition of sexual harassment. Schools now must address any unwelcome sex-based conduct that is so “severe or pervasive” that it limits a student’s equal access to an education.

Under the DeVos rules, conduct had to be “severe, pervasive and objectively offensive,” a higher bar that pushed some types of misconduct outside the purview of Title IX.

Colleges will no longer be required to hold live hearings to allow students to cross-examine one another through representatives — a signature provision from the DeVos rules.

Live hearings are allowed under the Biden rules, but they’re optional and carry new limits. Students must be able to participate from hearings remotely, for example, and schools must bar questions that are “unclear or harassing.”

As an alternative to live hearings, college officials can interview students separately, allowing each student to suggest questions and get a recording of the responses.

Those hearings were a major point of contention with victims’ advocates, who said it forced sexual assault survivors to face their attackers and discouraged people from reporting assaults. Supporters said it gave accused students a fair process to question their accusers, arguing that universities had become too quick to rule against accused students.

Victims’ advocates applauded the changes and urged colleges to implement them quickly.

“After years of pressure from students and survivors of sexual violence, the Biden Administration’s Title IX update will make schools safer and more accessible for young people, many of whom experienced irreparable harm while they fought for protection and support,” said Emma Grasso Levine, a senior manager at the group Know Your IX.

Despite the focus on safeguards for victims, the new rules preserve certain protections for accused students.

All students must have equal access to present evidence and witnesses under the new policy, and all students must have equal access to evidence. All students will be allowed to bring an advisor to campus hearings, and colleges must have an appeals process.

In general, accused students won’t be able to be disciplined until after they’re found responsible for misconduct, although the regulation allows for “emergency” removals if it’s deemed a matter of campus safety.

The American Council on Education, which represents higher education institutions, praised the new guidelines. But the group criticized the Aug. 1 compliance deadline. The timeline “disregards the difficulties inherent in making these changes on our nation’s campuses in such a short period of time,” ACE said in a statement.

The latest overhaul continues a back-and-forth political battle as presidential administrations repeatedly rewrite the rules around campus sexual misconduct.

DeVos criticized the new rule, writing on social media site X that it amounts to “ an assault on women and girls .” She said the new procedures for handling sexual assault accusations mark a return to “days where sexual misconduct was sent to campus kangaroo courts, not resolved in a way that actually sought justice,” she wrote.

The DeVos rules were themselves an overhaul of an Obama-era policy that was intended to force colleges to take accusations of campus sexual assault more seriously. Now, after years of nearly constant changes, some colleges have been pushing for a political middle ground to end the whiplash. ___

Associated Press writers Geoff Mulvihill, Annie Ma and Moriah Balingit contributed to this report.

The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org .

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A qualitative investigation of LGBTQ+ young people’s experiences and perceptions of self-managing their mental health

1 Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, London, UK

Daniel Hayes

2 The Evidence Based Practice Unit, Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families, London, UK

Peter Fonagy

Emily stapley, associated data.

Due to challenges in ensuring the anonymity of qualitative data, these data are not available to other researchers.

There is evidence that young people generally self-manage their mental health using self-care strategies, coping methods and other self-management techniques, which may better meet their needs or be preferable to attending specialist mental health services. LGBTQ+ young people are more likely than their peers to experience a mental health difficulty and may be less likely to draw on specialist support due to fears of discrimination. However, little is known about LGBTQ+ young people’s experiences and perceptions of self-managing their mental health. Using a multimodal qualitative design, 20 LGBTQ+ young people participated in a telephone interview or an online focus group. A semi-structured schedule was employed to address the research questions, which focussed on LGBTQ+ young people’s experiences and perceptions of self-managing their mental health, what they perceived to stop or help them to self-manage and any perceived challenges to self-management specifically relating to being LGBTQ+ . Reflexive thematic analysis yielded three key themes: (1) self-management strategies and process, (2) barriers to self-management and (3) facilitators to self-management. Participants’ most frequently mentioned self-management strategy was ‘speaking to or meeting up with friends or a partner’. Both barriers and facilitators to self-management were identified which participants perceived to relate to LGBTQ+ identity. Social support, LGBTQ+ youth groups and community support were identified as key facilitators to participants’ self-management of their mental health, which merits further investigation in future research. These findings also have important implications for policy and intervention development concerning LGBTQ+ young people’s mental health.

Introduction

Self-management has been defined as, “[t]he taking of responsibility for one's own behaviour and wellbeing” [ 1 , p. 1]. There is a lack of conceptual clarity in the self-management literature, as evidenced by multiple conflicting definitions to describe the concept [ 2 ]. For example, one study of chronic disease in older adults argued there is a distinction between ‘self-care’ as preventative and ‘self-management’ as managing the impact of a current difficulty or disease [ 3 ]. However, in mental health, as probably in many other long-term conditions, this distinction does not hold up, with interventions involving elements of self-management and self-care being used preventatively to identify and manage the early warning signs of manic episodes in bipolar disorder [ 4 ]. A recent study highlights the crossover between self-management and self-care in youth mental health by detailing strategies, such as meditation or deep breathing, which could be used for both illness prevention and management of existing symptoms [ 5 ]. Thus, it is likely that the terms self-management and self-care in the context of mental health are not mutually exclusive and may lie on a continuum of techniques and strategies.

In the last few decades, self-management has expanded from long-term illness toward youth mental health. The idea of caring for or managing oneself is appearing with increasing frequency in published research [ 5 , 6 ], United Kingdom (UK) policy [ 7 , 8 ] and reports from charities and health bodies [ 9 , 10 ]. This may be due to rising societal awareness of the heightened prevalence of mental health difficulties in young people in the UK (NHS Digital, 2018) and long wait times to access specialist youth mental health support [ 11 ]. In turn, attempts to facilitate the use of alternative or additional support options which better meet the needs of young people, are person-centred and exist in the places they ordinarily go have also increased in recent years [ 12 ]. Indeed, young people themselves have said that the efficacy of self-help and self-management resources, approaches and techniques should be a top research priority in relation to youth mental health interventions and services [ 13 ].

In young people’s mental health, self-management strategies could include self-care approaches [e.g., 5 ], unguided self-help interventions [e.g., 14 ] and coping or emotion regulation strategies [ 6 ]. For young people, strategies that can be employed on one’s own have been described as non-professionally mediated interventions [ 5 ]. Despite burgeoning interest in this area, there is a dearth of research investigating the nuances of self-management in young people’s mental health, particularly for young people whose difficulties may not be chronic, are undiagnosed or are below clinical thresholds. This group may be of particular importance if self-care happens to differentiate those who remain sub-threshold from those who are diagnosable and seek professional help. Such investigations are warranted to clarify the concept of self-management and understand what young people perceive they are doing to self-manage their mental health, which in turn will enable self-management strategies recommended to young people to be evidence-informed and better meet their needs.

In looking at the success (or otherwise) of health management strategies at a population level, it makes sense to look at groups at particularly high risk. Among socially excluded groups, such as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) young people, there is a higher prevalence of mental health difficulties [ 15 ]. One in three LGBTQ+ young people in the UK will experience a mental health difficulty [ 15 ], and this figure is greater than the one in eight young people in the general population who will experience a mental health difficulty [ 15 ]. Evidence suggests that sexual minority adolescents are also more likely than their heterosexual peers to experience high levels of depressive symptoms, self-harm, lower life satisfaction and lower self-esteem [ 16 ]. The minority stress model posits the higher prevalence of mental health difficulties in the LGBTQ+ community is due to their experience of hostile social environments fuelled by prejudice, discrimination and stigma [ 17 ].

When a difficulty is encountered, there is evidence that LGBTQ+ people are less likely to access health services due to fear of discrimination [ 18 ], with mental health services perceived to be the most discriminatory amongst health services [ 19 ]. LGBTQ+ people also experience higher dissatisfaction with health services than heterosexual people [ 19 ]. As they are less likely to access health services, it is possible that LGBTQ+ young people are already using strategies to self-manage their mental health, although to-date, there has been no research into this. It is possible that LGBTQ+ young people are forced to self-manage their mental health due to a desire to avoid stigmatising services, and it may be possible that they may have developed particularly effective and robust strategies which may be useful to learn more about. Further research in this area could particularly benefit a group which is often overlooked, marginalised and for whom the pressures of daily life may be greater than their heterosexual or cisgender peers. This research will also enable us to see if LGBTQ+ young people need additional help in self-management and how this process might be facilitated for them.

Recently, a survey showed that 72% of LGBTQ+ young people in Northern Ireland use the Internet and social networks as a source of information or support [ 20 ], suggesting the potential utility of these formats for the distribution of information about self-management. However, a review of qualitative research related to LGBTQ+ young people’s mental health highlighted that many LGBTQ+ young people feel they need more support from their school, community and mental health providers as well as more information [ 21 ]. It is also not known what factors stop or help LGBTQ+ young people to self-manage their mental health. Research into this area is needed to ensure that the strategies and techniques LGBTQ+ young people are using and being recommended to self-manage their mental health are safe, evidence-based and have a positive impact on mental health outcomes.

To better understand the helpfulness of self-management strategies for LGBTQ+ young people’s mental health, and to potentially facilitate LGBTQ+ young people’s self-management of their mental health, there is a need to investigate which strategies LGBTQ+ young people are already using and those that they find helpful, as well as the perceived barriers and facilitators to successful self-management of their mental health. The current study attempts to address this gap in the literature and highlight the self-management process from the perspective of LGBTQ+ young people to learn more about specific factors affecting self-management of mental health for this group.

Research questions

• What are LGBTQ+ young people’s experiences and opinions of using strategies or techniques to self-manage their mental health?
• What are LGBTQ+ young people’s perceptions of what stops them from or helps them to self-manage their mental health?
• What are LGBTQ+ young people’s perceptions of specific challenges (if any) for LGBTQ+ young people in self-managing their mental health?

Participants

Recruitment and sampling strategy.

During the two-month sampling period, young people from diverse ages, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations and geographical locations in the UK (including major metropolitan areas and rural areas, as well as areas known to have a significant LGBTQ+ presence and those not known for this) were recruited. The primary researcher contacted organisations specialising in gender diversity as well as general LGBTQ+ youth groups. Collecting these data and involving LGBTQ+ people in research can help to send a signal that their views and preferences are taken seriously and valued [ 18 ].

On the basis of accessing a wide range of views, a total of 85 LGBTQ+ youth groups or associated organisations, 12 LGBTQ+ University Societies, three post-graduate student cohorts and one participation group were identified via a Google search and the primary researcher’s existing organisational contacts and invited to participate in this research via email by the primary researcher. Staff from 40 interested groups were asked to distribute expression of interest forms to the young people they worked with along with a brief description of the project.

Following guidelines for reflexive thematic analysis, a sample size determined by saturation was not established before starting data collection [ 22 ]. Saturation is “the point at which no new information, codes or themes are yielded from data” [ 23 , p. 2]. Diversity of the sample and richness of the data were monitored during sampling. The decision to stop sampling at 20 participants was based on three considerations: sufficient diversity of the sample, quality or richness of the data being collected in relation to the research questions and the practical capacity of the primary researcher.

Demographic information

Of the 20 young people who participated in this study, their ages ranged from 13 to 24 years ( M  = 19.30, SD = 3.37).

In terms of gender identity, 12 participants identified as female, four preferred to self-describe, three identified as male and one preferred not to say. Self-described gender identities included nonbinary, gender queer and asexual. A total of 13 participants stated that their gender identity was the same as the sex assigned to them at birth, six as not the same as the sex assigned to them at birth, and one preferred not to say.

Regarding sexual orientation, eight participants preferred to self-describe, six identified as bi, four as a gay woman/lesbian, one as a gay man and one as heterosexual. Self-described sexual orientations included queer, questioning, pansexual, homoromantic asexual and asexual biromantic.

In terms of ethnicity, 13 participants identified as White—British, two as White—any other white background, one as White—Irish, one as Asian—Indian, one as mixed—White and Asian, one as Mixed—White and Black Caribbean and one as any other ethnic group—Persian.

Ethical considerations

Ethical approval for this study was obtained from the University College London Research Ethics Committee (Project ID: 17641/001). During the consent process, young people were reminded that they could leave the interview or focus group at any time without giving a reason and still receive a £10 voucher, which was offered to all participants. Parent/carer consent was obtained for participants under the age of 16, which was followed by assent from these participants. Participants were informed that interviews and focus groups would be kept confidential, barring the disclosure of harm to the participant or another person.

Data collection

A total of 20 young people participated in either an online focus group ( n  = 4 participants across two focus groups), or in a one-to-one telephone interview ( n  = 16 participants) over the one-month data collection period. Interviews and focus groups were conducted remotely via video call or phone owing to COVID-19-related restrictions on in-person contact.

Semi-structured interview and focus group schedules were developed by the primary researcher. This format allowed the researcher to ask open-ended questions to elicit information about participants’ thoughts, feelings and beliefs in relation to self-management [ 24 ]. Questions explored participants’ perceptions of the term ‘self-management’, the types of self-management strategies and techniques they perceived themselves to be using, and anything that stopped or helped them to self-manage. There was also an additional question relating to specific challenges experienced by the LGBTQ+ community in terms of self-management.

During the pilot phase of this research, the interview and focus group schedules were modified to include several follow-up questions if a young person mentioned the first COVID-19 lockdown in the UK (beginning in late-March 2020), or any other time-specific period, to investigate how participants’ experiences of self-management may by influenced by time and context. This decision allowed for discussion around the impact of the first COVID-19 lockdown in the UK as and when it came up, as the interviews and focus groups were conducted during this period. A decision was also made during the piloting phase to move solely to conducting individual interviews, rather than focus groups, due to the richness and highly personal nature of the data that was elicited in the interviews.

Data analysis

Thematic analysis.

The data were analysed to answer the three research questions following guidelines for reflexive thematic analysis [ 22 ] and drawing on the step-by-step process developed by Braun and Clarke [ 25 ]. This involved checking the transcripts against the audio files, reading the data in its entirety multiple times and taking notes, creating ‘codes’ which captured interesting aspects of the data systematically across the entire data set, bringing the codes and corresponding data extracts together into initial themes, checking that the themes captured the essence of the data extracts, continuing to refine and analyse each of the themes, and finally producing a report featuring vivid examples from the data extracts for each theme [ 25 ].

A second researcher (ES) reviewed the initial coding structure once it had been generated by the primary researcher to check that the codes reflected the content of the included data excerpts. After this, the primary researcher further refined the codes and began to group the codes into themes and subthemes, i.e., overarching categories encompassing all of the included codes. The primary researcher then checked that the codes and included data reflected each of the themes.

Epistemological stance

The primary researcher holds a realist ontological and relativist epistemological stance in relation to the analysis of these data. This can be described as a critical realist approach, which asserts that a reality independent from subjective experience exists, while situating the findings of this research in the belief that it is not possible to objectively understand or fully access this reality [ 26 ]. The primary researcher also acknowledges that the manner in which participants perceive reality is subjective. In other words, different people interpret reality in different ways, given that “knowledge is always situated” [ 27 , p. 7]. Thus, the analysis focuses primarily on the semantic or language-based themes identified in the dataset, with some investigation of the potential latent meanings of these themes, as well as the wider societal and cultural context. An inductive approach to analysing these data was taken, meaning that the results are data-driven [ 25 ].

Theme 1: Self-management strategies and process

Subtheme 1: list of strategies for self-management.

A total of 51 strategies for self-management of mental health were identified. These encompassed strategies participants perceived themselves to have personally used as well as those they perceived others to have used (see Table 1 ).

Specific self-management strategies and frequency mentioned

Participants’ most frequently mentioned self-management strategy was ‘speaking to or meeting up with friends or a partner’. This dovetails with the perceived importance of social support, which was identified as a facilitator to self-management. While this strategy involved someone other than the ‘self’, participants described how they self-initiated the help-seeking behaviour of reaching out to others for support with their mental health.

Having people speak to you about their own mental health can be very reassuring, ‘cause like helping someone does that, it makes you feel like helping yourself with your own mental health is a lot [more] feasible. (Interviewee 4)

Many of the strategies described by participants involved elements of balancing, distracting oneself from, or regulating thoughts or emotions through the process of participating in the self-management activity or strategy. For example, with regards to target shooting as a self-management strategy, one participant explained:

It's more about distracting yourself, letting your body cool down, and then, when you've cooled down, then you can have that rationalised, proportionate response. (Interviewee 7)

Subtheme 2: Awareness, reaction and prevention

Participants described a process of awareness, reaction and prevention in self-managing their mental health. In terms of awareness, participants highlighted the importance of noticing or paying attention to signs of good or deteriorating mental health.

Even if not actively working on figuring it out, just passively paying some mind to consider what kind of things are good for your mental health. (Interviewee 4)

In terms of reacting, participants described actively using self-management tools, strategies, techniques or skills to combat difficulties or problems they were experiencing, which could help them when they were feeling overwhelmed. In terms of prevention, being proactive and vigilant were also perceived to be important aspects of the self-management of participants’ mental health, even when they were not experiencing poor mental health.

So the proactive things I do are from a place where nothing bad is necessarily happening, and my mental health is not really flaring up or, or doing anything, um, particularly bad, or, or, particularly abnormal, but I aim to keep it that way by doing things in anticipation. (Interviewee 2)

Theme 2: Barriers to self-management

Subtheme 1: self-management can be hard work.

Nearly all participants ( n  = 18) described times when they felt too low, tired or not in the right mindset to self-manage their mental health, which could sometimes be exacerbated by experiencing mental illness or chronic pain. They also explained that sometimes attempts to self-manage could be unsuccessful, which could lead to feelings of discouragement or disappointment.

It can be very disheartening if you think, if it seems like you’re putting in all this effort and nothing’s coming of it. (Focus Group 2, Participant 1)

The actual process of self-management was described as tiring and time-consuming, with participants explaining they sometimes did not know what to do or where to start.

I feel like one of the biggest inhibitors of self-management is if your emotions get too loud and [if] those thoughts get too loud, it's very hard to try and think over them. (Interviewee 6)

Subtheme 2: Strategy-specific challenges

Participants perceived there to be negative or less helpful factors about some self-management strategies. For instance, regarding speaking to or meeting up with friends, one participant explained:

Especially if you’re just talking about how you’re having mental health problems to other people who have those problems all the time, it can kind of cause this, like, negative feedback loop um, with that. So that can be less helpful. (Interviewee 5)

Participants also mentioned self-management strategies or techniques which they had found to be unhelpful, ineffective or counterproductive, such as drinking alcohol, self-harming or repetitively washing their hands.

For a little period, I self-harmed... I was kind of looking for an outlet anywhere I could find at that moment. And, I'd, I’d never feel better afterwards, I'd feel worse. (Interviewee 9)

Subtheme 3: Wanting to wallow

Participants described feeling like they were sometimes their own worst enemy or wanting to wallow in the negative emotions they were feeling, which could prevent them from engaging in self-management. In this context, the ‘self’ was perceived to be a barrier to self-management.

If you just can’t bring yourself to do it, then, it, I found that you sort of end up wallowing in like, the sort of self-pity. (Interviewee 11)

Participants described feeling responsibility to self-manage their mental health. This was perceived to operate as a double-edged sword, both allowing participants to rely on themselves and be decisive, but also creating pressure and a sense that the onus was on them.

It’s like really hard knowing one day you’re going to have to be the one that is relatively solely responsible for, like, engaging in self-care and managing, like, your wellbeing. (Focus Group 2, Participant 2)

Subtheme 4: Fear of judgement

While participants perceived others to be important in helping them to self-manage their mental health, they also discussed factors which might hinder them from reaching out, such as feeling judged or thinking their family would be worried about them.

Like if I told [my family] what actually went on, they'd be kicking off and really worried and panicky. So, that isn't helpful. (Interviewee 7)

On the other hand, having a safe space or feeling safe to talk about their thoughts and emotions with others was viewed as helpful in self-managing participants’ mental health.

Having good supportive relationships and being in a space where I don’t feel very threatened or have any, any severe issues, uh, means that I can work on myself, uh, a lot better. (Interviewee 2)

Subtheme 5: Cultural and environmental challenges

Participants described ways in which culture and environment could influence self-management. It was highlighted by participants that there are different cultural understandings of self-management, which could cause people to view the concept differently from one another.

In (Foreign Language 1) it’s not that uh common to use like the word self-management or talk about emotional regulation. It’s not like integrated into the vocabulary. (Focus Group 1, Participant 1)

Participants also highlighted that some cultures have more challenges around accessing treatment, a different understanding of mental health, or a perception that mental illness is taboo. These challenges could also apply to certain generations within a particular culture, or over time as a culture became more progressive.

And, and I think in (Country 1), it’s just kind of taboo, like, in not, not so much anymore, but it’s just impossible to even, like, if you Google ‘mental health’, like, there will be fewer results. (Interviewee 12)

A perception was also highlighted that participants’ physical location could influence their ability to self-manage their mental health, particularly in environments not conducive to certain self-management strategies or techniques.

It depends on the environment you’re in. ‘Cause if you’re in, like, an education-based building in the middle of the day, it’s not like you can go to your bedroom and try and relax or whatever. (Interviewee 13)

A number of perceived challenges to self-management of mental health stemming from the COVID-19 lockdown in the UK were also discussed by participants. Participants perceived these challenges to negatively affect their ability to self-manage as well as damaging to their general mental health and wellbeing. They described reverting to behaviours indicative of poor mental health like repetitive handwashing, feeling anxiety about going outside, experiencing a lack of structure or routine, not being able to attend locations where they could participate in self-management strategies or enjoyable activities due to closures, not having a reason to get out of the house or to get out of bed, not being able to attend LGBTQ+ youth groups, experiencing an extension of waiting lists or difficulties in accessing mental health care, not being able to spend as much time with friends, work pressures increasing during the lockdown period, experiencing uncertainty and instability resulting from exams being cancelled and feeling anxiety about the pandemic and the future.

It was mostly just a very lengthy waiting list. Of course, it was exacerbated by the lockdown. (Interviewee 2)

Subtheme 6: Digital complexities

Participants mentioned a number of digital complexities relating to self-management and self-care. They perceived ‘self-care’ to be the most recognisable term owing to online promotion. Participants explained that this could lead to particular societal connotations of self-care which could be negative or centred around profit.

It just kind of has become this whole industry of bullet journals and things that I think make finding actual self-care a little complex. (Interviewee 12)

Participants described researching self-care and self-management online and accessing a ‘plethora of resources’ including online videos, Facebook groups, information about LGBTQ+ groups, information about counselling and professional help, information about different self-management strategies and online message boards.

So I, kind of, looked online and seeked advice and, you know, through mental health professionals included. (Interviewee 6)

However, participants did not always find these suggestions or resources helpful, and at times the abundance of available information could be perceived to be overwhelming.

Subtheme 7: ‘Outness’ affects self-management

Participants described how an LGBTQ+ person who was not completely out 1 might find it more challenging to self-manage, as they might have to self-manage on their own. Not being out was perceived to contribute to challenges around accessing therapy for LGBTQ+-related difficulties, not having social or school support around being LGBTQ+, not being able to access an LGBTQ+ youth group and not having access to judgement-free spaces.

I didn’t feel like I had anyone I could talk to about it, because I didn’t feel comfortable to come out to anyone yet. (Interviewee 4)

Nearly all participants ( n  = 18) perceived cultural or societal intolerance of LGBTQ+ people to have a profoundly negative impact on LGBTQ+ young people’s ability to self-manage their mental health, which was also influenced by their degree of ‘outness’. Participants discussed how they believed LGBTQ+ people were more likely to experience adverse events or trauma resulting from homophobia, transphobia, discrimination or a general lack of understanding or support from others. These were linked by participants to increased stress, a reduced capacity to cope, and internalised homophobia.

I have a lot of in-built insecurities that I didn’t experience until I came out, and a lot of sadness and trauma inherited from the community almost. And so, it adds something else to tackle, so it just means you may have more to be contending with. (Focus Group 2, Participant 2)

Participants described how growing up with intolerance could lead to a detrimental sense of internalised homophobia, which was perceived to contribute to poor mental health and hinder self-management, as it was another challenge to tackle in helping oneself. However, participants also highlighted that the self-management techniques and strategies they had successfully used were not specifically tailored for LGBTQ+ young people, and that there was not necessarily a lack of access to self-management tools and techniques for LGBTQ+ young people.

I came out, when was it? Like a couple of years ago, um, but that hasn’t significantly, like, a few experiences happened that did make my mental health somewhat worse, but, the techniques that I was using worked just as well for those experiences as they did for others . (Interviewee 3)

Participants perceived family members’ rejection of their LGBTQ+ identity to have a negative impact on their capacity to self-manage. These stressful or negative experiences could lead to fear or low self-esteem, which participants perceived to undermine their help-seeking efforts.

Trying to help yourself and self-care, um, it might be difficult in a situation where you're around others that are completely undermining you and, um, are trying to steer you away from trying to help yourself. (Interviewee 14)

Participants also described how they felt they had to be less open with their parents, carers or particular members of their family due to fears that they did not meet their heteronormative expectations. They feared that they would be met with homophobia, transphobia or other discrimination based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.

There’s also the other part of my family, which is homophobic, and I’m terrified of coming out to. (Interviewee 1)

This fear of a negative reaction was cited as something that might prevent participants from drawing on others for support in self-managing their mental health.

Theme 3: Facilitators to self-management

Subtheme 1: balance and routine.

Participants described the importance of feeling balanced and being able to get into a regular routine of self-management. They described mental health in terms of one’s mental state, which ideally would be balanced or controlled. The act of self-management was described as a method for regaining balance which could lead to happiness, focussing on the positive or feeling more calm and clear-minded.

When I was in the routine of, of meditating, it becomes a habit, and then it becomes a lot easier to do that. And the m-, the easier it becomes to do something, a coping mechanism that helps me, like meditating, the easier it then becomes to do any other given task on that day. (Interviewee 2)

In relation to location, having a quiet space to self-manage away from others was described as important by participants.

Some people, I don’t know, don’t have like a quiet space where they can go to kind of relax and, and meditate and kind of feel better in themselves. (Interviewee 15)

Finally, participants viewed having a routine for self-management as important. This could involve a daily pattern of behaviour, writing things down or planning ahead.

Subtheme 2: Intrinsic benefits of self-management

Despite experiencing challenges in self-management, participants also described intrinsic benefits stemming from self-managing their mental health. These included a sense of agency, ownership, freedom and confidence that came from successfully self-managing or knowing how to self-manage.

You know that you have yourself to thank for it, at the end of the day. Like it feels incredibly good when it does go right to be able to say, kinda yeah, I did that, there’s no two ways around it. (Focus Group 2, Participant 1)

This ability to manage their mental health was attributed by participants to allowing them to live a better life. Similarly, participants described how the process of self-management could be quite enjoyable, as it could involve activities they already liked to do.

A lot of those things are, are things that do make me happy anyway. It’s not all just a slog of having to do these things to keep my mental health, you know, working well. (Interviewee 2)

Participants also described how feeling connected, grounded, present and grateful could contribute to and result from self-managing their mental health. This was intertwined with a sense of perspective, purpose, peace or clarity of mind.

Subtheme 3: Importance of social motivation and support

When asked about good mental health, participants described interacting socially with others, including speaking to family and friends, contributing to society and enjoying spending time with friends.

A lot of my friends have had experiences with mental health issues in the past, so they can, they can, uh, commiserate with that when I want to talk about it. But also just, hanging out and having a good time and laughing and that sort of stuff just makes me feel happy, and that can, that can make the difference between having a, a good day and a bad day, uh mental health wise. (Interviewee 2)

Conversely, participants highlighted that a sign of poor mental health could be feeling unable to be around other people, isolating oneself, taking others’ comments personally or misjudging social situations.

If it's, say, a negative self-doubt that you might feel, that's a product of poor mental health, be- say you're out with your friends, and, you know, usually a joke might, th- that you might laugh at, suddenly is now a deep personal attack. (Interviewee 6)

This participant also went on to explain that their interpretation of a situation when their mental health was poor did not necessarily align with what was happening in reality.

The majority of participants ( n  = 16) perceived social motivation and support to be important in self-managing their mental health. This involved participants’ family members, friends, flatmates or partners, who could be helpful in providing a listening ear, giving encouragement, reminding them to self-manage or checking their emotions or thoughts.

It makes it much more fun and um, motivational like if there’s other people on board, then you’re like, okay, we’re all in this together. (Focus Group 1, Participant 2)

Subtheme 4: Asking for help and vulnerability

Participants highlighted the perceived importance of being able to ask for help from others or seeking help from a professional to self-manage their mental health. This was linked by participants to good self-management, and it was acknowledged that sometimes outside help was necessary despite efforts to self-manage alone.

I think sometimes it becomes that idea of, "You can do it by yourself. You don't need somebody else to help self-manage." When sometimes you do need someone else's perspective or someone else's professional skills to give you new ideas or to help you help yourself. (Interviewee 5)

It was also highlighted that asking for help involved an element of vulnerability and opening up.

So, self-management also involves the ability to be vulnerable, and the ability to speak to other people about things that you’re going through. (Focus Group 1, Participant 2)

Subtheme 5: Benefits of the COVID-19 lockdown in terms of self-management

Participants highlighted a number of perceived benefits resulting from the COVID-19 lockdown which related to their ability to self-manage. One of these was having more free time to stop, self-reflect and think without distraction, which could help with focussing on self-management.

Mostly since lockdown, ‘cause obviously I’ve, you know, I’ve had a lot of time to just sort of self-evaluate, self-reflect, and I’ve found that maybe this is something that I was neglecting. (Interviewee 11)

Other perceived benefits included developing a closer relationship with family members, spending less time commuting, developing a more regular routine, not having to prepare for stressful exams, being more positive and putting things into perspective, appreciating spending time with friends more, having the opportunity to participate in social justice initiatives and striking a better work-life balance.

Like lockdown has actually been a godsend because I was not looking forward to A Levels and I was getting myself worked up in it, and also my atmosphere at school wasn't great... So, it's now like having more free time, having my dedicated space for like, the meditation. (Interviewee 7)

Subtheme 6: LGBTQ+ community helps with self-management

Participants described a perception that identifying as LGBTQ+ and having access to the wider LGBTQ+ community, either through youth groups, friends who are also LGBTQ+, online resources or forums specifically for LGBTQ+ people or LGBTQ+ events like Pride, could help them to self-manage their mental health.

Like, there's a solid community that I've been able to access because I identify as LGBTQ + ... There’s also, kind of, opportunities to reach out to others like you, and kind of reach out to people who can help, with the same perspective. (Interviewee 9)

In comparison to someone who did not identify as LGBTQ+, participants felt they might experience fewer challenges in self-managing their mental health. They attributed this again to their access to the LGBTQ+ community, which they perceived to strengthen their sense of togetherness and camaraderie (both online and in person) and to provide them with a safe space to talk to others. This was seen as something potentially inaccessible to people who were not members of the LGBTQ+ community.

And I suppose there’s also ways that it makes it, not easier, but, in other ways more positive, such as having this community, the LGBTQ + community, who understand you, without even having to know you... maybe someone who isn’t LGBTQ + , who doesn’t have the best surroundings, may not have that community sense, um, of encouragement. (Focus Group 2, Participant 1)

This research investigated LGBTQ+ young people’s experiences and perceptions of self-managing their mental health. Specifically, this research aimed to illuminate LGBTQ+ young people’s experiences and opinions of using strategies or techniques to self-manage their mental health, their perceptions of what stops them from or helps them to self-manage their mental health, and their perceptions of specific challenges (if any) for LGBTQ+ young people in self-managing their mental health. Three overarching themes were identified covering self-management strategies and barriers and facilitators to self-management (see Table ​ Table2). 2 ). These themes are discussed in turn and compared and contrasted with existing literature.

Themes and subthemes

Specific self-management strategies

Several of the self-management strategies identified in the current study align with previous research investigating coping [ 6 ] and non-professionally mediated interventions [ 5 ]. Stapley et al. [ 6 ] identified similar coping strategies, including ‘digital or media entertainment’, ‘creative activities’, ‘being physically active’, ‘positive thinking or optimism', ‘ignoring people, feelings or situations’, ‘social support’ and ‘other professional support’ (see Table ​ Table1). 1 ). Likewise, a number of non-professionally mediated interventions identified in Wolpert et al.’ study reflected the self-management strategies identified in the current study, including (but not limited to) reading, self-harm, talking to someone you know and trust, positive thinking, physical exercise, sleep, mindfulness, walking, spending time outdoors in nature, warm bath, writing things down and making music [ 5 ]. This overlap suggests that participants perceived some coping strategies and non-professionally mediated interventions to also be self-management strategies, giving credence to the idea that these lie on a continuum of caring for oneself.

Barriers to self-management

LGBTQ+ young people in the current study perceived themselves to be at a higher risk of experiencing trauma or adverse events resulting from identity-related discrimination. This is reflected in research showing that LGBTQ+ young people describe experiencing rejection, isolation, discrimination, abuse, bullying and homophobia or transphobia [ 21 ], as well as evidence suggesting that sexual minority adolescents are more likely to experience all forms of bullying and victimisation in comparison to their heterosexual peers [ 16 ]. Findings from the current study also suggest that experience of these negative or adverse events can have a detrimental effect on LGBTQ+ young people’s capacity to self-manage their mental health, which aligns with previous literature suggesting that adverse events can affect young people’s ability to cope [e.g., 29 ]. While the association between adverse events and poorer mental health for LGBTQ+ young people has been established [ 16 ], more research is needed into how LGBTQ+ young people’s capacity to self-manage may mitigate this. However, the barriers ‘wanting to wallow’ and ‘self-management is hard work’ in the current study could suggest that even in the absence of adverse events, self-management is a challenging process for LGBTQ+ young people to initiate or engage in at times.

Lack of acceptance from family was also perceived by participants to be a barrier to self-management of mental health. This aligns with the individual and family self-management model, which maintains that family members play a key role in the management of illness, particularly for younger people [ 30 ]. It is possible that the degree to which an LGBTQ+ young person is out with their family and friends also acts as a barrier, as an LGBTQ+ young person who is not out may fear judgement from family and friends, which was also mentioned as a barrier to self-management in the current study.

The COVID-19 lockdown in the UK appeared to contribute to a number of perceived barriers to self-management of mental health in the current study. The negative impact of the lockdown on LGBTQ+ young people’s mental health was echoed in research by Kneale and Becares [ 31 ], who found high levels of both stress and depressive symptoms amongst LGBTQ+ people during the lockdown, particularly in the case of younger and transgender respondents, as they were more likely than others in the LGBTQ+ community to have experienced some form of discrimination during the pandemic. Experiences of discrimination such as these have been associated with greater symptoms of emotional difficulties like anxiety and depression amongst transgender people [ 32 ]. The findings from the current study did not suggest that participants had experienced additional discrimination during the lockdown, but instead that the barriers to self-management resulting from the pandemic were partly perceived to be due to not being able to access vital services, attend LGBTQ+ youth groups, socialise as often with friends or attend extracurricular activities due to closures. These barriers align with the minority stress model, which posits that mental health outcomes for LGBTQ+ people are affected by coping and social support, both from the community and individuals [ 17 ], which were likely negatively affected by lockdown-related closures and government-mandated restriction on in-person socialising.

Facilitators to self-management

The current study suggests that the degree which an LGBTQ+ person is out influences their perceived ability to access self-management support from friends, family or their community. This aligns with the minority stress model, which positions ‘minority identity’ as an important factor influencing LGBTQ+ people’s mental health outcomes, coping and social support [ 17 ]. This also links with findings from previous research suggesting that LGBTQ+ young people who are not out might struggle to access self-management support from friends, family or their community [ 21 ]. The current study’s findings also suggest that LGBTQ+ young people who have access to the LGBTQ+ community may find it easier to self-manage their mental health, and that this community can serve as an oasis of social support and acceptance in a heteronormative world. This aligns with findings suggesting that LGBTQ+ people perceive the LGBTQ+ community to have a positive effect on their mental health and wellbeing through providing support and reducing a sense of isolation [ 33 ]. There is evidence that peer support such as this amongst LGBTQ+ young people can reduce a sense of marginalisation and the likelihood of poor mental health outcomes [ 34 , 35 ]. Additionally, social support and motivation and having a safe space to self-manage were mentioned by participants in the current study as facilitating self-management of their mental health, which aligns with policy highlighting the importance of having safe and supportive social environments in the mental health of LGBTQ+ young people [ 36 ].

Positive effects of the COVID-19 lockdown in terms of self-management, particularly in relation to having more free time and thinking positively, were echoed in findings from the Teenagers’ Experiences of Life in Lockdown (TELL) Study [ 37 ]. This research suggested that young people in the UK experienced an enjoyable sense of relief from stressors they were previously experiencing in their daily lives and a sense of positivity during the lockdown [ 37 ]. Likewise, the negative implications of the lockdown mentioned in the current study also aligned with those in the TELL Study, including young people feeling increased fear, anxiety and distress about COVID-19 as well as other aspects of their daily lives [ 37 ].

Finally, participants in the current study highlighted their tendency to seek out information regarding self-management or self-care online. The influence of digital support on LGBTQ+ young people’s self-management of their mental health merits further exploration in future research, as there is evidence that the Internet is one of the main methods of accessing support for members of the LGBTQ+ community [ 21 ]. Therefore, it is likely that an intervention to facilitate self-management would benefit from a digital format, and there is some evidence that young people from a nonclinical population already use digital technology for reducing stress and would find a digital self-management tool useful [ 38 ].

Strengths and limitations

This study has several strengths. Firstly, a diverse group of participants in terms of ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, age and geographic location was recruited, which increased the likelihood that a broad range of views were accessed. Secondly, the inductive nature of the analysis performed allowed for the identification of themes which went beyond the original research questions (e.g., ‘Wanting to wallow’) and spoke to the heterogeneity of experiences regarding LGBTQ+ young people’s self-management of their mental health. A further strength was the enlistment of an additional researcher in checking the coding for the analysis, which enhanced the trustworthiness of the analysis by ensuring that the primary researcher’s interpretations were grounded in the data [ 39 ]. Finally, this study involved members of the LGBTQ+ community who identified with any sexual orientation or gender identity, including those who identified as heterosexual, ensuring that a full range of views could be accessed without adhering to rigid or binary conceptualisations of gender identity or sexual orientation. This is important because it emphasised the researchers’ position at the beginning that gender is a construct and reduced the likelihood that the results were influenced by a bias of heteronormativity, which could have led participants to feel less able to talk about their experiences as it this be perceived as discriminatory or naïve.

There are also some limitations to this research. These findings cannot be generalised to all LGBTQ+ young people but may be applicable to wider populations, as many of the experiences and perceptions may also ring true for other young people in the UK. Additionally, while recruitment yielded a good geographic spread of participants, not all areas in the UK were covered (e.g., Scotland), which means that if there is geographic variation in experiences and perceptions in these areas, it may not have been captured by this study. It is also possible that these data were skewed toward young people who were more likely to be out, as the majority of participants were involved with LGBTQ+ youth groups, meaning the views of LGBTQ+ young people who are less out and therefore more likely to draw on anonymous sources of self-management support merit further investigation. Additionally, participants under the age of 16 were required to provide parent/carer consent to participate, which meant that young people under the age of 16 who were not out to their parents may not have chosen not to participate. Although participants 16 and older did not require parental consent, it is likely that young people who were living with parents/carers who were unsupportive of LGBTQ+ people chose not to participate due to fears of being overheard or not having sufficiently private space available to them. Successfully recruited participants were also those who had access to computers, headphones, tablets or mobile phones, potentially excluding young people with reduced financial means. Future research may benefit from recruiting LGBTQ+ young people from the general population, particularly in-person as COVID-19-related restrictions ease, as this might yield greater diversity of views relating to self-management and provide a helpful point of comparison.

This is the first research study, to our knowledge, to investigate LGBTQ+ young people’s experiences and perceptions of self-managing their mental health, as well as the barriers and facilitators to self-management for this group. Findings established that LGBTQ+ young people perceive themselves to be using multiple strategies to self-manage their mental health and perceive there to be a number of barriers and facilitators to this process. These findings support further exploration into the development of or provision of research-informed support to an intervention or policy to support self-management, particularly that which can be tailored for specific groups (e.g., gender diverse individuals), as some groups might find particular ways of self-managing their mental health more helpful than others [ 32 ]. A key area of future investigation should be into social and LGBTQ+ youth group or community support as key facilitators to the self-management of mental health, as these were highlighted by participants in the current study and have implications for policy and intervention development. More research is needed into digital mental health interventions for LGBTQ+ young people, and how such interventions could facilitate LGBTQ+ young people’s self-management of their mental health, to potentially improve mental health outcomes for this group.

Acknowledgements

The authors of this paper like to thank the young people, LGBTQ+ youth group leaders, participation officers and other professionals who either participated in this study, joined an informal advisory group meeting, or helped to recruit LGBTQ+ young people to participate in this research. They would also like to acknowledge and thank the Evidence Based Practice Unit, The Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families, University College London and the National Institute for Health Research ARC North Thames for their support with this research.

Author contributions

All authors have contributed to writing and editing this manuscript.

This report is independent research funded by the National Institute for Health Research ARC North Thames. The views expressed in this report are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the National Institute for Health Research or the Department of Health and Social Care.

Data availability

Declarations.

The authors have no conflicts of interest or competing interests to disclose.

1 The word ‘out’ used by participants is viewed by the primary researcher to refer to ‘coming out’, which can be defined as “To acknowledge or declare openly that one is homosexual. Also in extended use with reference to other sexual or gender identities” [ 28 , p. 1].