LGBTQ Youth
Student Services reminds the community that our mission is to support all students of our diverse population. We post “Safe Space” stickers around campus to remind LGBTQ students and allies that we provide a space where students can speak freely and confidentially about their concerns. We support the work of FVHS's Safe Space Club and work as needed with students individually or in groups. Most lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth are happy and thrive during their adolescent years. Going to a school that creates a safe and supportive learning environment for all students and having caring and accepting parents are especially important. This helps all youth achieve good grades and maintain good mental and physical health. However, some LGBTQ youth are more likely than their heterosexual peers to experience difficulties in their lives and school environments, such as violence. |
What Parents Can Do
How parents respond to their LGBT teen can have a tremendous impact on their adolescent’s current and future mental and physical health Supportive reactions can help youth cope with the challenges of being an LGBTQ teen. However, some parents react negatively to learning that they may have an LGBTQ daughter or son. In some cases, parents no longer allow their teens to remain in the home. In other situations, stress and conflict at home can cause some youth to run away. As a result, LGBT youth are at greater risk for homelessness than their heterosexual peers.
To be supportive, parents should talk openly with their teen about any problems or concerns and be watchful of behaviors that might indicate their child is a victim of bullying or violence―or that their child may be victimizing others. If bullying, violence, or depression is suspected, parents should take immediate action, working with school personnel and other adults in the community.
More Resources for Parents to Help Them Better Understand and Respond to the Needs of LGBTQ Adolescents
How parents respond to their LGBT teen can have a tremendous impact on their adolescent’s current and future mental and physical health Supportive reactions can help youth cope with the challenges of being an LGBTQ teen. However, some parents react negatively to learning that they may have an LGBTQ daughter or son. In some cases, parents no longer allow their teens to remain in the home. In other situations, stress and conflict at home can cause some youth to run away. As a result, LGBT youth are at greater risk for homelessness than their heterosexual peers.
To be supportive, parents should talk openly with their teen about any problems or concerns and be watchful of behaviors that might indicate their child is a victim of bullying or violence―or that their child may be victimizing others. If bullying, violence, or depression is suspected, parents should take immediate action, working with school personnel and other adults in the community.
More Resources for Parents to Help Them Better Understand and Respond to the Needs of LGBTQ Adolescents
Resources for LGBT Youth and Their Friends
Resources for Parents and Family Members
- Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Teens: Facts for Teens and Their Parents from HealthyChildren.org
- Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN): Student Action
- Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) Network
- It Gets Better Project
- StopBullying.gov: Information for LGBT Youth
- The Trevor Project: Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention
Resources for Parents and Family Members
- Advocates for Youth (AFY): LGBTQ Issues Info for Parents
- Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Teens: Facts for Teens and Their Parents from HealthyChildren.org
- Helping Families to Support Their LGBT Children[PDF – 1.39 MB] from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
- KidsHealth.org: Sexual Attraction and Orientation
- Parents, Families, Friends, and Allies of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG)
- Parents’ Influence on the Health of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Teens: What Parents and Families Should Know[PDF – 254 KB] from the CDC’s Division of Adolescent and School Health
- Sexual Orientation: Families Are Talking[PDF – 83 KB] from Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS.org)
- StopBullying.gov: Information for Parents
- Supportive Families, Healthy Children: Helping Families with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Children from San Francisco State University’s Family Acceptance Project
- The Trevor Project: Education and Resources for Adults
- Technology and Youth Violence: Electronic Aggression from CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control
- Understanding Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity from the American Psychological Association (APA)