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December 21, 2011 New Research Affirms GLSEN’s Findings on Benefits of Gay-Straight-Alliances
GLSEN would like to highlight an important addition to researchon LGBT youth, the new article “High School Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs) and Young Adult Well-Being”in the November Applied DevelopmentalScience, which examines the long-term, positive impact of GSAs.
The study titled, “High School Gay-Straight-Alliances (GSAs) and Young Adult Well-Being,” was co-authored by Russell Toomey and Stephen T. Russel and based on data by the Family Acceptance Project. It confirms what GLSEN research has found about the positive effects of GSAs forcurrent students, and sheds light on the ways GSAs may affect LGBT youth intoadulthood.
Over a decade ago, GLSEN conducted the first national survey of LGBT students because not much otherresearch documented the lives of LGBT youth. Although the volume of research onLGBT youth has increased since then, studies have more often examined negativefactors and risks rather than the impact ofsupportive resources.
To fill this void,our biennial National School Climate Survey has continually examined the effects ofschool resources and supports, such as Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs).
In our research brief Gay-Straight Alliances: Creating Safer Schools for LGBT Students and their Allies,we reported that GSAs can impact school experiences for LGBT youth in manyways. We found that LGBT students at schools with GSAs were less likely than students without a GSA to hear homophobicremarks, feel unsafe at school, miss school, and experience physical violence.They were also more likely to havesupportive school staff and feel connected to their school communities.
GSAs seem to make a positive difference in the lives of LGBTyouth, but does that impact continue as they grow into adulthood?
The new study, authored by Dr. Russell Toomey and colleagues, asked LGBT young adults innorthern California to look back on their high school experiences, and foundthat:
LGBT young adults who went to a high school with a GSA were…
Those who participated in their school’s GSA were…
All studies have limitations, so it is important to note thatthis research was limited to a relatively small number of participants from afairly small geographic area. The research relied on participants’ memories oftheir high school experiences, instead of following LGBT youth as they aged. Still, our colleagues’ study is an exciting step forward in learning about the lastingpotential benefits of supportive school resources for LGBT youth. In the future, we hope to see national andlongitudinal research on positive LGBT youth development.
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