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As the world makes strides toward building an inclusive environment for LGBTQ+ students to feel safe, it’s important to remember how much further certain environments still have to go.
GLSEN’s research brief, Laws that Prohibit the “Promotion of Homosexuality” Impacts and Implications discusses how LGBTQ+ students are affected by laws that prohibit the positive portrayal of homosexuality in schools, known as “no promo homo” laws. These laws, which are actively upheld in seven states across the nation, affect nearly 10 million public schools students.
Utah still upheld these laws when it was repealed, but information from the state is still included in the study. Texas, Arizona, Alabama, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Mississippi still uphold these laws. While these laws are supposed to only apply to health class, they usually spill over to other subjects at the school.
“So-called ‘No Promo Homo’ laws have a deeply disturbing chilling effect,” GLSEN Executive Director Eliza Byard said in a news release. “However narrow the actual scope of the laws, teachers in states that have them are less likely to allow vital LGBTQ-related content in their classrooms, no matter the topic.”
Students in these states reported higher rates of bullying and less peer acceptance in comparison to other states. They were also more likely to hear homophobic remarks, more likely to face harassment and assault at school based on their sexual orientation and gender expression. LGBTQ+ students in these states also reported having less supportive teachers, less access to Gay-Straight Alliance clubs and less comprehensive anti-bullying school policies.
It’s not surprising that these stigmas are limiting not only in school environments but in daily life. Thirty-five percent of the LGBTQ+ population lives in the U.S. south (where many of the “No Promo Homo” laws are enforced) and are more likely to lack employment protection, earn less than $24,000 a year, and report that they cannot afford food or healthcare. HIV infections among men who have sex with men come from the south more than any other region in the country. “No Promo Homo” laws serve to keep southern culture stagnant in their understanding and acceptance of queerness. Without proper education or exposure to these issues, there is no way to ensure the protection these populations deserve.
