New Study on Inclusion of LGBT Parents

In February, GLSEN published the first comprehensive report on the school experiences of LGBT-headed families. Released in partnership with the Family Equality Council and COLAGE, Involved, Invisible, Ignored: The Experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Parents and Their Children in Our Nation's K-12 Schools, found that LGBT parents are more likely to be involved in their children's education than the general parent population, but many LGBT parents and their children also report harassment because of their family structure. Current estimates indicate there are more than seven million LGBT parents with school-age children in the United States. More than half (53%) of parents described various forms of exclusion from their school communities, and 42% of students said they had been verbally harassed at school in the past year because their parents were LGBT. "This report casts doubt on schools' inclusion of different kinds of families in our education system," said GLSEN Executive Director, Kevin Jennings. "LGBT parents are actively engaged in their children's education yet are often not accepted by school communities. Further, their children are often harassed in school simply because of the makeup of their families."

Visit the GLSEN website to read more highlights and access the full report.