LGBTQ+ Youth Experiences in Education

This chapter reviews contemporary research on how K-12 education shapes the lives of queer youth, using Queer Theory as a guiding framework to examine how schools reproduce and resist cis-heteronormativity. The review is organized around three major themes: school climate and queer identity, wellness and survival, and curriculum and classroom content. The chapter begins by outlining key theoretical lenses, including Foucault’s theory of power/knowledge, Butler’s concept of gender performativity, Warner’s critique of heteronormativity, and McPhee and Poole’s structuration theory, which together frame the analysis of school structures and student experiences. The first theme explores school climate, including the presence or absence of Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs), teacher-student relationships, and staff support. The literature demonstrates that affirming school environments can reduce victimization, foster belonging, and improve student outcomes, though mixed results appear in rural and under-resourced schools. The second theme addresses wellness, health, and survival, highlighting disparities in mental health, suicide risk, truancy, and school discipline that disproportionately affect queer youth. Studies indicate that heteronormative sexual education and a lack of trained staff exacerbate these challenges. The final theme considers curriculum, showing how both explicit and hidden curricula reinforce binary gender systems and heterosexual norms while also offering potential for resistance through inclusive content and pedagogy. Together, these studies underscore how queer youth navigate systems that can both harm and affirm them. The chapter calls for stronger school-wide policies, comprehensive professional development for educators, and intentional inclusion of queer perspectives in curricula to promote equity and foster resilience among LGBTQ+ students.