Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Youth Talk about Experiencing and Coping with School Violence: A Qualitative Study

This qualitative study used five focus groups of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth attending public high schools to examine their experiences with school violence. Core themes focused on lack of community and empowerment leading to youth being without a sense of human agency in school. Negative attention themes were indicative of the vulnerability that the youth felt at school. As principal means of coping, the LGBT youth escaped and avoided stressors by distancing themselves from school. From emergent themes of LGBT youth's experiences of school violence, recommendations to make schools safe and supportive learning environments for them are provided. These included the need for policies and rules, peer education, planned educational activities, and in-service training for school personnel about LGBT youth to create inclusive school communities.