After last year’s mix of virtual and hybrid learning, students are likely looking forward to a more normal school year. That’s why the OutCenter of Southwest Michigan has a slate of programs to support LGBTQ+ students, who, like other marginalized student groups, have been especially challenged by last year’s unprecedented school year.
According to a June report from the federal Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights, the COVID-19 pandemic has had significant impacts on students and has widened pre-existing disparities.
“During the pandemic, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) students in elementary and secondary schools have faced particularly heightened risks for anxiety and stress and have lost regular access to affirming student organizations and supportive peers, teachers, and school staff,” the report stated. “These students also are at an increased risk of isolation and abuse from unsupportive or actively hostile family members.”
MaryJo Schnell, the OutCenter’s Executive Director, said local school climate surveys have echoed national trends showing that more students identify as LGBTQ+.
“This has increased the demand from school leadership: More schools need to be equitably responsive to these at-risk students,” Schnell said.
The OutCenter offers two programs that foster safe spaces within schools: the Teen Pride Summit Series, which helps students develop the skills, confidence, and tools to create and sustain a Gender and Sexualities Alliance in their local school; and the Brave School Collaborative (funded in part by the United Way of Southwest Michigan) which provides workshops and assistance to school staff, youth, and families to provide more robust knowledge and best practices to increase school safety for LGBTQ+ students. Links to sign up for both programs can be found here.
“Organizations like the OutCenter of Southwest Michigan are increasingly called upon to provide guidance and support to school districts across this great state to help save lives, relationships and better prepare LGTQ+ youth for success now and into the future,” Schnell said.
The OutCenter also offers the Inclusive Sex Education series on their website. The four-part video series offers a comprehensive perspective on sex education that’s inclusive to the LGBTQ+ community and helps parents advocate for better sex education for their children.
A fourth program helps LGBTQ+ youth find stable housing, which impacts every area of their life, including their education. The Host Homes program helps prevent LGBTQ+ youth homelessness by connecting LGBTQ+ youth who have been ostracized from their homes with pro-LGBTQ+ host families, providing young people with a safe place to live while the OutCenter, OutFront Kalamazoo, and local faith leaders work toward reconciliation between the young person and their family of origin.
