School is often a safe haven for marginalized youth, including LGBTQI+ students. The Trevor Project reports in a large-scale 2024 survey that LGBTQI+ students who find their schools to be affirming experience lower suicidality. Even one supportive adult—such as a teacher—can decrease suicide risks for an LGBTQI+ young person by as much as 43 percent.
But in 2023, lawmakers who support anti-LGBTQI+ legislation introduced hundreds of bills that, if passed, would significantly disrupt access to a safe and quality education for LGBTQI+ students. Importantly, the legislation considered in 2023 is part of a larger trend; the number of anti-LGBTQI+ school policy bills considered across the country has steadily and dramatically increased in recent years, and this year, state legislatures have continued to introduce and consider a plethora of similar harmful bills. From censoring LGBTQI+ curricula, to restricting bathroom access for transgender students, the far right has introduced dozens of policies that inflict educational harm, with many becoming state law.
