Creating Safe Schools in California for LGBTQ Youth

Rob Darrow, Ed.D.
Director of Research Safe Schools Project
Santa Cruz County.
CCSESA SPSCC. September 2017
Rob’s Wiki:
http://robdarrow.wikispaces.com
Creating Safe and
Compliant Programs for
LGBTQ Students

CCSESA - SPSSC . Sept. 2017.
This is a Safe Space

Who am I? Who are you?
What is my identity?
What is your identity?

My Lens Today
 What makes schools safe
and affirming ? (Especially
for LGBTQ Youth)
 Current laws
 How you can be proactive

A little history:
LGBTQ Terms and Year First Used
 L = Lesbian (1732)
 G = Gay (1955)
 B = Bisexual (1960)
 T = Transgender (1990)
 Q = Queer / Questioning (1894, 1990)

Important to Know
 There IS a difference between:
 Teaching LGBT history or
Comprehensive Sex Ed
 Advocating for a certain lifestyle
 Religious beliefs

What barriers prevent us from
embracing that
common humanity?
 Share one or two ideas with
someone near you.

Why this matters:
A Few Stories

Frank Kameny
 1925 – Born in NY
 1941 – Joined Army
 1956 – Harvard: Doctorate
in Astronomy
 1957 – Hired by U.S. Army
Map Service – Produced
maps for U.S. military

Frank Kameny
 1953: President Eisenhower signs
Executive Order 10450.
 “Immoral and sexual perversion
were a security risk – sexual
deviants” (In place until 1975).
 1957: Kameny released from
government service
 1960: Files lawsuit. Supreme Court
denies claim. First civil rights claim
based on sexual orientation
 1960: Forms Mattachine Society in
Washington DC to advocate for
gay people.

Frank
Kameny
 1965: First of many protests at the White House
 1973: Lobbies American Psychological
Association to remove gay/lesbian as a disease.
 2010: Present at the repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t
Tell” signed by President Obama
 2011: Dies at age 86

David Schroer
 1959: Born in Chicago
 1979: Joins the military
 Special Forces Commander
 Haiti Special Forces Commander
 Post 911 Coordinated Secret
Counterterrorism Unit in Pentagon
 Briefed VP Dick Cheney on secret
missions
 2004: Retires from Military
 2005: Applies for job with Library
of Congress. Job Offered.

Diane Schroer
 Shares that she is transitioning to Diane
(Transgender male to female).
Library of Congress rescinds job offer.
 2005 – Files employment lawsuit – Title VII
(Schroer v. Billington – Library of Congress)
 2008 – U.S. District Court – Discrimination and
$500,000 awarded
 Works in Pentagon advising transgender affairs

Ronin Shimizu
 2nd Grade: Joins Cub Scouts
 4th Grade: Became a cheerleader – Vista
Junior Eagles Cheer Team
 Enjoyed art and fashion – made his own
clothes
• 2002: Born in Folsom, Ca

Ronin Shimizu
 2008: Began being bullied and taunted
with: “gay,” “girly” and “a fag,”
 2008-2012: Moved to different schools to
escape the bullying
 2012: Awoke every day worried about who
would pick on him.
 2014: Removed from school, placed on
Independent Study program

Ronin Shimizu
 2014 (December):
Took his own life (Age 12)

Every community impacted by student
suicide, bullying, harassment
Many related to LGBT harassment
- if reported -
 Santa Clara County
 Kern County (Seth’s Law, 2010)
 Santa Cruz County
 Santa Barbara County
 Los Angeles County
 San Francisco County
 San Diego County

A few Stats
 20% of homeless youth are LGBT youth.
 63% of LGBT students in California report
being harassed because of their sexual
orientation or gender expression (GLSEN,
2015)
 But, very few of them reported
 More than 30% of all students reported
being bullied or harassed in California
(Ca Healthy Kids Survey, 2013)

Many Variables Impact
Student Achievement
 Learning styles
 Home life
 Culture
 School and school culture
 Friends
 Teachers, Counselors, Administrators
 Curriculum

5 Variables that impact Safe and
Affirming Schools…
Especially for LGBTQ Youth
 1. Administrative leaders
 policies and actions that create a culture of
acceptance and inclusiveness
 2. Teacher and Curriculum leaders
 LGBT history integrated into various courses,
school library books, inclusive sex education
Darrow, R. (2015). Implementation of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and
Transgender (LGBT) Inclusive Policies and Curriculum in California School
Districts and Recommendations for Creating Safe School Environments.

5 Variables that impact Safe and
Affirming Schools…
Especially for LGBTQ Youth
 3. Student leaders
 Gay straight alliances, yearly supportive events
e.g. National Coming Out Day or Day of
Silence
 4. Health leaders
 HIV prevention / Sex Education
 5. Mental health leaders
 ongoing programs to promote wellness and
reduce bullying, sexual assault and suicide

Related Laws
 2016 – Suicide Prevention Policies in
Schools
 2015 – California Healthy Youth Act: Sex
Ed and HIV education must be inclusive.
 2013 –School Success and Opportunity
Act: Transgender youth
 2011 –Fair, Accurate, Inclusive and
Respectful (FAIR) Act. LGBT history in
curriculum.

The Bottom Line
 All students successful in school –
engaged and happy – and college and
career ready.
 If school is safe and affirming for LGBTQ
students – it will be safe and affirming for
all students.
 More cost effective when students
graduate from high school

Curriculum as a Mirror / Window
 Think about how
school curriculum is
a mirror (reflecting
who you are) and a
window (looking at
others’ experiences)
 Share your ideas

A little history:
History Curriculum in Ca
 1998: New Ca History Standards – first state to
adopt such standards. New textbooks.
 2010: Common Core Adopted.
 2011: Fair Education Act Passed. Added Lesbian,
Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Americans to the
curriculum – especially related to history.
 2016: New State History Framework
 2017: K-8 History Textbook Adoptions
(State Board vote in Nov. 2017)

State History Framework –
11th Grade Themes
 Romantic Friendships Increase Women’s Rights
(1890-1930)
 Gays in the Military from the Civil War to Don’t
Ask Don’t Tell (1860-2010)
 Harlem Renaissance: As Gay as it was Black
(1917-1935)
 The Lavender Scare and the 1950s (1918-2011)
 Amendments, Laws and Court Decisions
Expand Equality (1868-2015)

History:
Various Social Movements
 Latinx (gender inclusive term)
 African American
 Asian
 Civil Rights
 Women
 Gay and Lesbian
 Transgender

Intersectionality Lens
 Intersectionality is an important lens that
is used to better understand the lived
experiences of individuals across
identities, both those identities
that hold power in society, as well as
those that
experience marginalization in society
(Warner & Shields, 2013).

Where is the intersection between
ethnicity, gender and LGBT history?
 “I was black before I was a lesbian.”
 “As a Latino gay man, I still live in a world
where I seem to be asked to pick one
community over another. It’s time for
America to realize that there is not one type
of ‘experience.’ Everyone has their own
history, culture and traditions.”
Human Rights Campaign. At the Intersection: Race, Sexuality and
Gender. 2009.

Questions to Consider?
 Does it matter if a person in history was
male or female?
white, African American or LatinX or
Asian?
gay or lesbian or bisexual or transgender?

Questions to Consider
 Are these groups treated differently?
Marginalized vs. Non-Marginalized?
Are there different levels of privilege?
 African American gay male
 White straight female
 LatinX lesbian female
 Asian Transgender female
 White straight male
 Latinx bisexual male

What is happening where
you are?
What do you do in your County Office
or school district or schools to
promote safe and inclusive schools?
 Administratively
 Teachers
 Students
 Support Staff

Be Proactive – 5 Ps
 Policies - Consider adding LGBTQ to LCAP or
School Safety Plans
 Put a rainbow flag or safe space symbol in your
office
 Power of presence. Visit a GSA in your county
and ask them to share with you if they feel safe.
 Participate in national coming out day (Oct) or
day of silence (April).
 Promote safe schools every day…in your words
and in your actions

Ideas from Santa Cruz County
 LGBTQ Task Force – Countywide
 School District LGBTQ Task Force
 SCCOE website has resources for LGBTQ
families
 Annual Queer Youth Leadership Awards
 Safe Schools Project – reactive and
proactive (curriculum integration)
 Organization: The Diversity Center

Support for You
 Curriculum, LGBT History (see hand out)
 Curriculum, Comprehensive and
Inclusive Sex Ed, Cardea Organization
 Safe Schools Environment
 Strategic Implementation of safe and
inclusive school variables
(administrators, teachers, students, health
and mental health professionals)

Comprehensive Sex Education
Networks by CARDEA:
 CSE Networks: County Level
 In 9 counties (Alameda, Contra Costa, Santa Clara,
San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Orange, San Bernardino,
LACOE and San Diego)
 Technical Assistance for Districts
 Updating policies, monitoring and evaluation
 Teacher Professional Learning (School or District
Level)
 http://www.cardeaservices.org/

Equality Schools Indexes
 Campus Pride Index:
https://www.campusprideindex.org/
 Equality California – Safe and Supportive
School Quality Index (To be distributed
for the first time at end of September to
selected unified districts)
http://www.eqca.org/bay-area-reporter-
political-notebook-eqca-to-grade-ca-
public-schools-on-lgbt-policies/

Further Reading
 Curriculum as a Mirror and a Window.
 State Organizations
 Resources
Rob’s Wiki:

Contact Info
 Rob@Onlinelearningvisions.com
Rob’s Wiki:

Creating Safe Schools in California for LGBTQ Youth

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