LGBT Youth in America's Schools

Jason Cianciotto and Sean Cahill, experts on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender public policy advocacy, combine an accessible review of social science research with analyses of school practices and local, state, and federal laws that affect LGBT students. In addition, portraits of LGBT youth and their experiences with discrimination at school bring human faces to the issues the authors discuss.

This is an essential guide for teachers, school administrators, guidance counselors, and social workers interacting with students on a daily basis; school board members and officials determining school policy; nonprofit advocates and providers of social services to youth; and academic scholars, graduate students, and researchers training the next generation of school administrators and informing future policy and practice.

"LGBT Youth in America's Schools should jolt the conscience and imagination of every educational policymaker, school leader, teacher-educator, and teacher in the nation. It clearly outlines the risks faced by sexual minority students, cogently summarizes decades of research, and provides a compelling road map for both reform and further study. Read it and act!"
—Arthur Lipkin, Chair, Massachusetts Commission on GLBT Youth

"This study is the first systematic, research-based review that brings together a huge literature on the status of LGBT youth in U.S. schools. This contribution marks a milestone in the literature and represents an enormous amount of research, methodology, and policy review."
—Gilbert Herdt, San Francisco State University

"An excellent contribution to serious discussion of the issues of LGBT youth in schools. The authors have done a service in putting this together."
—Charlotte J. Patterson, University of Virginia

Jason Cianciotto is Director of Public Policy at GMHC.
 
Sean Cahill is Director of Health Policy Research at the Fenway Institute in Boston and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Public Administration at New York University.

Praise / Awards

• "Timely, comprehensive, and highly readable, this study warrants inclusion in any library serving school administrators, teachers, and other adults who work with and care for children and teens."
  —School Library Journal

• "For some of us, the days of high school may seem far removed, but LGBT Youth is truly a must-read for any educator and/or parent."
  —Instinct

• "While topics such as marriage equality, anti-LGBT hate crimes, and adoption by same-sex couples continue to grab news headlines, Jason Cianciotto and Sean Cahill remind readers to remember the youth affected by these human rights struggles in schools across the country. The educational foundation we offer these students today will impact the success of their, and our, tomorrow."
  —Gay Calgary Magazine

• "Cianciotto and Cahill's treatise is an informative and compelling basis for continuing the discussion (especially as regards LGBT students of color) of how best to protect the rights of a vulnerable and largely disenfranchised group."
  —Publishers Weekly

• "This book makes a pivotal and substantial contribution to the field that extends beyond the contributions of many other existing resources. ... [W]e recommend this book highly to researchers, school violence professionals, youth workers, educators, and policy makers in hopes that it will serve as a catalyst in our collective efforts to promote the overall health and well-being of LGBT youth."
  —Journal of School Violence
  
• "The authors do an exceptional job of providing a research-based background to contextualize the book around the need to support victims of homophobia in schools."
  —H.M. Miller, Mercy College, Choice - Highly Recommended
• Winner: American Library Association (ALA) Choice Outstanding Academic Title

Op-Ed | Rainbow Times 5/31/12

Op-Ed | Women's E-News 7/22/12

Listen: UMP Author Podcast Series: Jason Cianciotto and Sean Cahill | MP3 | 6/1/2012