Claim Your Rights
In partnership with PFLAG.
Have you or someone you know experienced lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer (LGBTQ)-based bullying, harassment, or discrimination in school? You are not alone. According to the 2017 National School Climate Survey, 70.1% of students reported being verbally harassed based on their actual or perceived sexual orientation, 59.1% of students reported being verbally harassed based on their actual or perceived gender expression, and 53.2% of students reported being verbally harassed based on their actual or perceived gender. Even more troubling: only 12.6% of LGBTQ students report that their schools have comprehensive anti-bullying and harassment policies that enumerate protections based on sexual orientation, gender, and gender expression. Clearly, many school communities are in desperate need for a way to address LGBTQ-based bullying, harassment, or discrimination. Without adequate federal protections, what can we—the stakeholders in school communities across the nation—do about protecting the rights of all students subject to bullying, harassment, and discrimination based on real or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression?
TAKE ACTION
If you have experienced school-based bullying, harassment, or discrimination, file a complaint with the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Education Department today.
Things to know about filing a complaint
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How to file a complaint
Go to http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/complaintintro.html to file your complaint online. Read the instructions and click Continue to Complaint Form at the bottom of the page to get started.
Contact Us
If you have questions on how to take action, please don’t hesitate to contact us:
- PFLAG National: Diego Miguel Sanchez, APR, Director of Advocacy, Policy & Partnerships, 202.657.6997, dsanchez@pflag.org, www.pflag.org
- GLSEN Public Policy Office: 202-347-7780, publicpolicy@glsen.org, www.glsen.org
- U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20202-1100, 800-421-3481, TDD: 800-877-8339, ocr@ed.gov