An estimated 34,000 LGBTQ+ youth ages 13 to 17 live in Colorado, according to data from a federal survey on teen health. For many of these young Coloradoans, school is not a safe place.<\/p>\n
According to the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network\u2019s 2021 School Climate Survey, 80% of U.S. LGBTQ+ youth feel unsafe at school<\/a>. Experiences of harassment and violence are common for these students.<\/p>\n In a single school year, 76% of LGBTQ students experienced in-person verbal harassment, 49% were bullied, 23% were physically harmed or threatened, and 53.7% were sexually harassed, according to GLSEN\u2019s survey and a 2024 survey by the Trevor Project. In Colorado, the Healthy Kids survey tells us that less than half of LGBTQ+ students feel they belong at their school<\/a>.<\/p>\n As a Colorado resident for more than 20 years, I have seen the progress we have made in protecting our most vulnerable. When I graduated from a Colorado Springs high school in 2008, I could not have named a single classmate who was publicly \u201cout\u201d and I had never heard of a Gay-Straight Alliance, what is today called Genders & Sexualities Alliance Network (GSA). Since then, Colorado has enacted relatively robust legal protections for LGBTQ+ youth<\/a>. We should be proud of what we have accomplished together. But there is still work to do.<\/p>\n Rates of anxiety and depression among LGBTQ youth are alarmingly high with 66% reporting recent symptoms of anxiety and 53% reporting recent symptoms of depression. According to the Trevor Project, almost 40% of LGBTQ+ young people seriously contemplated attempting suicide in the last year. Among transgender and nonbinary youth, this number rose to 46%. Rates were highest for students of color and 12% of all LGBTQ+ students had attempted suicide in the last year.<\/p>\n The link between these outcomes and school experiences are clear. LGBTQ students who experienced higher levels of in-person victimization were almost three times as likely as other LGBTQ students to have missed school in the past month. Their academic performance was lower, as was their self-esteem. Their rate of depression was elevated, and they were twice as likely to report that they did not plan to pursue any type of post-secondary education. Suicide attempt rates tripled among LGBTQ students who had been bullied in the past year.<\/p>\n While this data is sobering, it also offers potential solutions. GSA\u2019s are student-led organizations that bring LGBTQ+ students and allies together. They provide a safe space for LGBTQ+ students, build community, and support advocacy efforts.<\/p>\n