While the growing number of LGBTQ+ individuals prevalent in modern society reflects more acceptance of queer identities in today’s culture, the rates of suicide in LGBTQ+ youth have continued to rise in the past two decades. Purpose: Social support from family, peers, and schools can drastically reduce the rates of suicide, suicide ideation and suicide attempts in at-risk teens. Social rejection of LGBTQ+ teens creates an immediate demand for prevention and intervention procedures in public schools. With multiple factors contributing to the high rates of suicide in queer youth, it is important to consider the specific needs of LGBTQ+ students. Methods: Textual analysis of research done in the last two decades with particular focus on the experiences of transgender, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming identified students. Statistics from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS), and National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health 2021 were applied to theoretical explanations of suicide risk behavior. Results: Disparities between previous findings on queer teens suicide and student opinion surveys point to a lack of support for LGBTQ+ youth inside and outside the public school system. To gather a better understanding of current policies, theoretical analysis of experimental findings is applied to policies and programs already implemented in schools with consideration to the multiple factors influencing the increase of suicide rates. Conclusion: Results indicate a greater need for research in risk prevention and intervention procedures in educational institutions. Discovering gender stereotypes, supporting queer identities, and encouraging safe zones can aid in youth suicide risk reduction.

While there has been recent national coverage of the institutionalized transphobia in Idaho, less can be found on the individual and interpersonal realities of living in Idaho as a transgender individual and even fewer stories told by trans people themselves. As a form of oral storytelling, this research offers a space for 4 Idaho transgender, nonbinary, gender nonconforming, agender, genderqueer people to illustrate 4 stories — one of their future, one of their past, one of their present, and one of their dreams — through audio format. Grounding this research in transfeminism, standpoint epistemology, testimonio theory, podcasting, and poetic transcription, this project holds three intentions: oral history making, community engaging, and trans content creating. These 16 stories are encapsulated in a podcast called Gems, trans stories about us, by us, for us, where the oral storytelling of trans people in Idaho highlight the realities, complexities, and knowledge experienced through and within the intersections of their identities. Poetic transcriptions are then created from their interviews and given and read to them as a form of honor for their stories. This project provides a range of perspectives within the trans community in Idaho while encouraging the autonomy of trans people to share what they would like to share of their own lives and for a representation of trans people and Idaho within podcast platforms curated by a trans Idahoan individual.

A growing collection of research indicates that LGBTQ+ students are more likely to be bullied, teased, and/or victims of aggressive behavior at school. Limited research has considered institutional bullying as a fundamental factor, which simultaneously affects LGBTQ+ students on campus, through curriculum, and student socialization. This becomes alarming considering Catholic schools’ religious policy on LGBTQ+ topics. LGBTQ+ students attending Catholic schools express that they feel distressed about institutional silence and bullying, worry about not receiving support from individuals within the school, and fear expressing their LGBTQ+ identities while on campus. In the study, an online GLSEN survey (the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network) will be distributed to Southern Arizona's Catholic high schools that measure the comfortability and positive representation LGBTQ+ students (14-18 years old) feel in class, campus, between students, and faculty/teachers. The curriculum will be measured based on student satisfaction, giving emphasis to sexual education whether it is offered at the school or not. In addition, heat maps will be used to show where LGBTQ+ students feel most enjoyable while on campus. The anticipated findings will demonstrate the importance of educational leadership, policy, and practices in shaping positive experiences for LGBTQ+ students attending Catholic schools.