LGBTQ

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

Explainer

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.
President Donald Trump introduces guests as he speaks before signing an executive order barring transgender female athletes from competing in women's or girls' sporting events, in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, in Washington.
President Donald Trump introduces guests as he speaks before signing an executive order barring transgender female athletes from competing in women's or girls' sporting events, in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, in Washington.
Evan Vucci/AP
Law & Courts What Trump’s Trans Athlete Ban Means for Schools and States
Some athletic groups responded quickly to the executive order on transgender participation in athletics, while lawsuits are expected.
Mark Walsh, February 11, 2025
6 min read
The exterior of the Department of Education Building in Washington, DC on Thursday, December 14, 2017.
The exterior of the Department of Education Building in Washington, DC on Thursday, Dec. 14, 2017. President Donald Trump is reportedly weighing an executive order that would lay the groundwork to eliminate the department.
Swikar Patel/Education Week
Federal Trump's 3rd Week: Restrictions on Trans Athletes and Moves to Gut the Ed. Dept.
In his third week, the president continued his foray into education, gearing up to shrink the U.S. Department of Education.
Brooke Schultz, February 7, 2025
7 min read
President Donald Trump speaks before signing an executive order barring transgender female athletes from competing in women's or girls' sporting events, in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, in Washington.
President Donald Trump speaks before signing an executive order barring transgender female athletes from competing in women's or girls' sporting events, in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, in Washington.
Alex Brandon/AP
Federal Trump Threatens Funds to Schools That Let Trans Athletes Compete on Girls' Teams
The sweeping order is a reversal from the Biden administration, and continues efforts from Trump to roll back protections for transgender youth and adults.
Brooke Schultz, February 5, 2025
4 min read
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives at an election night watch party at the Palm Beach Convention Center on Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Donald Trump arrives at an election night watch party at the Palm Beach Convention Center on Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. Trump's second week in the White House featured his first direct foray into policymaking aimed directly at schools.
Evan Vucci/AP
Federal Title IX, School Choice, ‘Indoctrination’—How Trump Took on Schools in Week 2
It was a week in which the newly inaugurated president began wholeheartedly to act on his agenda for schools.
Brooke Schultz, January 31, 2025
8 min read
President-elect Donald Trump speaks at meeting of the House GOP conference, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Washington.
Donald Trump speaks at meeting of the House GOP conference, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Washington. He returned to the White House this week, taking a flurry of executive actions, some of which could affect schools.
Alex Brandon/AP
Federal Here Are Trump's First-Week Actions That Could Affect Schools
There's been a lot to keep track of during Trump's first week back in the White House. Here's how it all could affect schools.
Brooke Schultz, January 24, 2025
8 min read
A person in the shadows stands at a bright window, a symbol of the search for the meaning of life, hope for the future in difficult times.
iStock/Getty
Student Well-Being & Movement Opinion Trump Is Rolling Back Protections for Transgender Students. What Educators Can Do
Two educators offer ideas and resources for teachers and education leaders so they can support their LGBTQ+ students.
Vanessa Ford & Rebecca Kling, January 24, 2025
5 min read
John Kluge, a former Indiana teacher, pictured in an undated photo.
John M. Kluge is an Indiana teacher who was dismissed for refusing to use transgender students' chosen names and pronouns.
Courtesy of Alliance Defending Freedom
Law & Courts Legal Fights Highlight Clashes Over Transgender Students’ Pronouns in Schools
A federal court weighs the case of a teacher who refused to use students' chosen names and pronouns, as similar questions arise elsewhere.
Mark Walsh, January 23, 2025
9 min read
President Donald Trump holds up an executive order commuting sentences for people convicted of Jan. 6 offenses in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington.
President Donald Trump signs a series of executive orders in the Oval Office on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, the first day of his second term in office. Trump was expected to sign dozens of executive actions, some of them affecting schools, on his first day.
Evan Vucci/AP
Federal President Trump's Early Actions Undo Biden Efforts to Protect LGBTQ+ Students
The promised action comes as Republicans have increasingly focused on limiting transgender rights.
Brooke Schultz, January 20, 2025
6 min read
The Supreme Court on Wednesday afternoon, April 19, 2023, in Washington.
A view of the Supreme Court in the afternoon on April 19, 2023, in Washington.
Jacquelyn Martin/AP
Law & Courts Can Parents Opt Kids Out of Reading LGBTQ+ Books? The Supreme Court Will Decide
The U.S. Supreme Court will take up a school district's policy of refusing to let parents opt out their children from LGBTQ+ storybooks.
Mark Walsh, January 17, 2025
3 min read
The Supreme Court is pictured, June 30, 2024, in Washington.
The Supreme Court is pictured, June 30, 2024, in Washington. The court on Monday declined to hear a case about a school district’s policy to support students undergoing gender transitions.
Susan Walsh/AP
Law & Courts Supreme Court Won't Take Up Case on District's Gender Transition Policy
The U.S. Supreme Court declined an appeal from a parents' group contending that a district's policy on gender support plans excludes them.
Mark Walsh, December 9, 2024
4 min read
President-elect Donald Trump takes the stage before speaking at the FOX Nation Patriot Awards on Dec. 5, 2024, in Greenvale, N.Y.
President-elect Donald Trump takes the stage before speaking at the FOX Nation Patriot Awards on Dec. 5, 2024, in Greenvale, N.Y. With the frameworks now in place, Trump has laid priorities for education.
Heather Khalifa/AP
Federal 5 Trump Education Priorities for a Second Term
With key players appointed to their cabinet positions, the scaffolding for President-elect Donald Trump's second term is taking shape.
Brooke Schultz, December 6, 2024
7 min read
Transgenders rights supporters rally outside of the Supreme Court, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, in Washington.
Transgender rights supporters rally outside of the U.S. Supreme Court on Dec. 4 as the court weighed a Tennessee law that restricts certain medical treatments for transgender minors.
Jose Luis Magana/AP
Law & Courts Supreme Court Case on Medical Care for Trans Youth Could Impact School Sports
The justices weigh a Tennessee law that bars certain medical treatments for transgender minors, with school issues bubbling around the case.
Mark Walsh, December 4, 2024
8 min read
Marshall University students hold a protest to voice concerns over the handling of Title IX-related issues at the university on Nov. 18, 2022, in Huntington, W.Va.
Marshall University students hold a protest to voice concerns over the handling of Title IX-related issues at the university on Nov. 18, 2022, in Huntington, W.Va.
Sholten Singer/The Herald-Dispatch via AP
Law & Courts The Uncertainty Ahead for Title IX and Transgender Students in Trump's New Term
Trump may not be able to withdraw the Title IX rule on "Day 1," but advocates on both sides expect it to go away.
Mark Walsh, November 21, 2024
7 min read
A photograph of Nex Benedict, a nonbinary teenager who died a day after a fight in a high school bathroom, is projected during a candlelight service at Point A Gallery, on Feb. 24, 2024, in Oklahoma City. Federal officials will investigate the Oklahoma school district where Benedict died, according to a letter sent by the U.S. Department of Education on March 1, 2024.
A photograph of Nex Benedict, a nonbinary teenager who died a day after a fight in a high school restroom, is projected during a candlelight service at Point A Gallery, on Feb. 24, in Oklahoma City. Federal officials determined the district was "deliberately indifferent to students' civil rights" based on its responses to reports of sexual harassment.
Nate Billings/The Oklahoman via AP
Federal Nex Benedict's District Was 'Indifferent to Students' Civil Rights,' Feds Find
Federal officials found an Oklahoma district responded inconsistently to sexual-harassment claims.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, November 13, 2024
5 min read