Research shows that schools nationwide are hostile environments for LGBTQ and gender nonconforming students of color. According to one study, “1 in 5 LGBT students report being bullied due to race, ethnicity, or national origin.”
Findings in this study support previous research on the prevalence of bullying and harassment in schools. However, LGBTQ youth of color are bullied based on race, sexual orientation, gender identity, or all of the above at once. While harassment and bullying of any kind negatively affects students’ ability to thrive in school, student’s who experience multiple forms of bulling and harassment face even greater challenges.
Such compounded bullying and harassment has a significant negative effect on learning environments and on student’s feelings of safety.