LGBTQ

Education news, analysis, and opinion about lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer students or teachers and their experiences in school

See also: Transgender Students

Explainer

Hands holding different colored placards with the letters LGBTQ+
These LGBTQ+ Terms Can Help Create A Safe School for Students
To create a safe environment for LGBTQ+ students in schools, here are some terms that educators should know.
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Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for Education Week
Equity & Diversity Opinion Scrubbing Critical Conversations About Racism Isn't Helping Your Students
Five ways to create "brave spaces" for your classroom while also embracing humanity.
Larry Ferlazzo, December 1, 2025
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4 min read
Right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones speaks to the media after arriving at the federal courthouse for a hearing in front of a bankruptcy judge on June 14, 2024, in Houston.
Right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones speaks to the media outside a federal courthouse on June 14, 2024, in Houston. The U.S. Supreme Court this week declined to hear his appeal of a $1.4 billion judgment over his allegations that the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Conn., was staged.
David J. Phillip/AP
Law & Courts Supreme Court Again Declines a Case on School Gender Identity Policies
The U.S. Supreme Court refused to review a case on purported school gender-identity policies, as well as two other education-related appeals
Mark Walsh, October 14, 2025
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5 min read
AB Hernandez, a transgender student at Jurupa Valley High School, competes in the high jump at the California high school track-and-field championships in Clovis, Calif., May 31, 2025.
AB Hernandez, a transgender female student at Jurupa Valley High School, competes in the high jump at the California high school track and field championships in Clovis, Calif., on May 31. The U.S. Supreme Court in its new term will consider state laws that prohibit transgender girls and women from competing in female athletics.
Jae C. Hong/AP
Law & Courts New Supreme Court Term Puts Transgender Student Rights in the Spotlight
The justices will weigh state laws that bar transgender girls from female athletics, amid other issues of interest to educators in new term
Mark Walsh, October 2, 2025
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8 min read
The Supreme Court building is seen on April 30, 2025, in Washington.
The U.S. Supreme Court building is seen on April 30, 2025, in Washington. The high court recently declined to pause a ruling allowing a South Carolina transgender student to use restrooms consistent with his gender identity.
Mark Schiefelbein/AP
Law & Courts Supreme Court Rejects Bid to Block Transgender Boy From Male Restrooms at School
A divided Supreme Court declined to pause an injunction blocking a South Carolina law as it applied to a transgender male student.
Mark Walsh, September 10, 2025
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2 min read
A sign for a newly-constructed gender neutral bathroom is seen at Shawnee Mission East High School on June 16, 2023, in Prairie Village, Kan.
A sign for a newly-constructed gender neutral bathroom is seen at Shawnee Mission East High School on June 16, 2023, in Prairie Village, Kan. The Trump administration's finding that a northern Virginia school district violated Title IX by allowing students to use restrooms consistent with their gender identity is the subject of a new lawsuit.
Charlie Riedel/AP
Law & Courts School Board Sues Trump Admin. to Defend Transgender Student Policy
The lawsuit challenges the Ed. Dept.'s finding that the district violated Title IX.
Brooke Schultz, August 29, 2025
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3 min read
A newly-constructed gender neutral bathroom is seen at Shawnee Mission East High School, Friday, June 16, 2023, in Prairie Village, Kan.
A newly-constructed gender-neutral bathroom is seen at Shawnee Mission East High School, Friday, June 16, 2023, in Prairie Village, Kan. The Shawnee Mission school district is one of four in Kansas that the Trump administration has started investigating at the urging of the state's Republican attorney general, Kris Kobach.
Charlie Riedel/AP
States Some State Leaders Cheer as Trump's Ed. Dept. Investigates Their Schools
The use of the office for civil rights for political purposes has been dialed up in the second Trump administration, experts say.
Brooke Schultz, August 25, 2025
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6 min read
A commuter walks past the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Eduction, which were ordered closed for the day for what officials described as security reasons amid large-scale layoffs, Wednesday, March 12, 2025, in Washington.
A commuter walks past the Washington headquarters of the U.S. Department of Education on March 12, 2025. The department has imposed financial restrictions on five Virginia school districts for policies allowing transgender students to use bathrooms consistent with their gender identity.
Mark Schiefelbein/AP
Federal Ed. Dept. Imposes Funding Restrictions for 5 Districts Over Transgender Policies
The districts will have to jump through extra hoops to claim their federal funds.
Brooke Schultz, August 19, 2025
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6 min read
Illustration of two people arguing and teenager plugging his ears.
Education Week + Getty
Student Well-Being & Movement Opinion My Generation Is Sick of Your Culture Wars. Here's What Students Really Need
Both liberals and conservatives have disappointed me with their alienating rhetoric and failure to listen, writes a high school graduate.
Joshua Cheng, July 18, 2025
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5 min read
Demonstrators are seen outside the Supreme Court as oral arguments are heard in the case of Mahmoud v. Taylor on April 22, 2025. The case contends that forcing students to participate in LGBTQ+ learning material violates First Amendment rights to exercise religious beliefs.
Demonstrators are seen outside the Supreme Court as oral arguments are heard in the case of <i>Mahmoud</i> v. <i>Taylor</i> on April 22, 2025. The justices ruled that parents can exercise their religious right to have their children excused from LGBTQ-themed lessons, which has prompted new logistical and practical concerns among teachers.
Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP
Teaching Profession Teachers Face New Burdens After Supreme Court LGBTQ+ Opt-Out Ruling
A Supreme Court ruling allowing parents to opt their children out of certain lessons could add new challenges for teachers.
Elizabeth Heubeck, July 8, 2025
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6 min read
This artist sketch depicts Justice Amy Coney Barrett, from left, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Justice Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Samuel Alito, Justice Elena Kagan, Justice Brett Kavanaugh and Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson as the Justices announce opinions at the Supreme Court in Washington, on June 27, 2025.
An artist sketch depicting Justice Amy Coney Barrett, from left, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Justice Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., Justice Elena Kagan, Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh and Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson as the Justices announce opinions at the Supreme Court in Washington, on June 27, 2025. The Supreme Court on July 3, 2025, announced it will hear cases challenging Idaho and West Virginia laws that bar transgender students from participating in girls’ or women’s school sports, stepping into a high-profile legal battle over transgender rights in schools.
Dana Verkouteren via AP
Law & Courts Supreme Court to Weigh State Laws Barring Transgender Athletes in Girls' Sports
The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to take up transgender sports laws from Idaho and West Virginia, among the 27 states that have such laws.
Mark Walsh, July 3, 2025
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5 min read
A new billboard welcoming visitors to "Florida: The Sunshine 'Don't Say Gay or Trans' State," is seen on April 21, 2022, in Orlando, Fla. Florida's state government and LGBTQ+ advocates have settled a lawsuit challenging a law that bars teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity in public schools.
A billboard welcoming visitors to "Florida: The Sunshine 'Don't Say Gay or Trans' State," is seen on April 21, 2022, in Orlando. The billboard was a commentary by an LGBTQ+ rights group on a controversial law backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis regarding the teaching of certain topics. A federal appeals court on July 2 refused to block a related law, one barring teachers from using pronouns or titles that don't match their sex assigned at birth.
John Raoux/AP
Law & Courts Appeals Court Backs Fla. Law Barring Transgender Teacher's Use of Her Pronouns
A federal court upheld Florida’s ban on K-12 teachers using pronouns that differ from their sex assigned at birth when speaking to students.
Mark Walsh, July 2, 2025
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4 min read
Demonstrators are seen outside the Supreme Court as oral arguments were heard in Mahmoud v. Taylor on April 22, 2025, in Washington, D.C. The case contends that forcing students to participate in LGBTQ+ learning material violates First Amendment rights to exercise religious beliefs.
Demonstrators stand outside the Supreme Court as oral arguments are heard in <i>Mahmoud</i> v. <i>Taylor</i> on April 22, 2025, in Washington. The case contends that forcing students to be exposed to LGBTQ+ curricular material violates parents' First Amendment rights to exercise their religious beliefs.
Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP Images
Law & Courts Supreme Court Sides With Parents in LGBTQ+ Curriculum Opt-Out Case
The justices ruled in a case on whether parents with religious objections may excuse their children from some curriculum materials.
Mark Walsh, June 27, 2025
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7 min read
People walk past the Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C., on June 25, 2025.
People walk past the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C., on June 25. The court on June 27 is expected to issue the last merits rulings of the term, including in several pending education cases.
Aaron Schwartz/Sipa via AP Images
Law & Courts Supreme Court to Rule on Major K-12 Education Cases Friday
The U.S. Supreme Court will issue its last opinions of the term, including on religious parents opting their children out of the curriculum
Mark Walsh, June 26, 2025
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4 min read
Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for Education Week
Equity & Diversity Opinion How to Keep Supporting Students in a Hostile Political Environment
Protecting kids outside of school may be beyond educators' means, but here are ways we can help them.
Larry Ferlazzo, June 26, 2025
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10 min read
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