Area of Interest: Struggles of LGBT Youth in Public Schools

Imagine waking up knowing there's a long day of endless bullying ahead of you, being mocked by your peers (and/or teachers), living in fear of being physically abused on your way to or from school, or not knowing if you'll be safe from other students when using the bathroom.

Now imagine doing this every day for four years.

These are just a few things that LGBT youth face throughout high school.

The topic of LGBT youth & their educational experience appeals to me for two different reasons:

1. Being queer myself, these problems are personal.
2. I plan to become a high school teacher, and want to support LGBT students in my school.

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As I searched for information relating to this topic, I happened upon a related article titled Creating Safe and Welcoming Schools for LGBT Students: Ethical and Legal Issues.

This article discusses the laws that protect LGBT students and the statistics of bullying, harassment, and other related issues these students face.

The legal information provided in this article has provided me with 1) a sense of relief, that there are people fighting for the rights of lgbt students, 2) the hope that one day schools providing better education regarding sexual orientations & gender identities, and 3) a springboard into new topics and questions I might research.

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I highly encourage anyone, not just those intending to enter the educational field or queer individuals to think about how to improve the lives of queer youth because someday it might be your child facing these problems.