NEA Website Offers Resources on Anti-LGBT Bias and Behavior

The National Education Association (NEA), a key partner to GLSEN, or the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, and in its efforts to ensure safe schools for all students, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression, has added a valuable new resource to its website.

"Safe Schools for Everyone" helps educators, students and concerned community members understand the climate lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students face in schools while offering resources to address anti-LGBT bias and behavior.

The website states: "NEA believes that a great public school is a fundamental right of every child—free from intimidation and harassment, and safe for all students, including those who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender."

The site refers to GLSEN’s research documents, including the 2005 National School Climate Survey and From Teasing to Torment: School Climate in America, both of which underscore the troubling environment regarding anti-LGBT bias and behavior in school that affects all students’ ability to learn.

Perceived or actual sexual orientation and gender expression are two of the top three reasons students are bullied, along with physical appearance, according to From Teasing to Torment. Additionally, 4 out of 5 LGBT students reported being verbally or physically harassed at school, according to the National School Climate Survey.

GLSEN thanks the NEA for its continued support of the safe schools movement and the understanding that all students deserve a safe place to learn, as well as the organization’s continued commitment to interventions that work.

“The NEA has been a longtime supporter of the idea that every student should be valued and respected, regardless of their race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression or physical, mental or emotional disabilities,” said GLSEN Founder and Executive Director Kevin Jennings. "This website is another valuable tool to help educators ensure an effective educational environment for all students."

An interview with Jennings also is available on the website.