In November 2021, LGBTQ+ youth advocates reported a spike in bullying and censorship in Illinois schools related to lesbian, gay, bisexual, gender-expansive, and queer identities, and offered recourse for students and families who have been impacted, along with support and advocacy strategies for allies. Illinois Safe Schools Alliance, which made its home at PHIMC in 2019, joined forces with Equality Illinois, Youth Outlook, and Rainbow Cafe to hold a press conference.
Here are excerpts from some of the media coverage which followed:
‘Unprecedented’ number of reports of harassment, bullying of LGBTQ students, advocates say
by Clare Spaulding, Chicago Sun-Times, Nov 16, 2021
Advocacy organizations across the state have received an “unprecedented” number of reports of bullying, harassment and discrimination against LGBTQ students, a coalition of groups said at a virtual news conference Tuesday.
“LGBTQ students must be treated with dignity and respect and must be supported and loved so that they can show up authentically as they are at schools, where they can be safe and learn and thrive,” said Mony Ruiz-Velasco, deputy director of Equality Illinois, which hosted the meeting. “This is not acceptable.”
Groups across the state are working together to hold schools accountable, offer training resources and make sure no LGBTQ students “fall through any cracks,” Ruiz-Velasco said.
Name calling, destruction of property and assault are just some of the incidents reported recently to LGBTQ support organizations. Though anti-harassment provisions have existed in schools for decades, advocates attribute the increase at least partly due to the pandemic, said Grecia Magdaleno, policy and advocacy manager with the Illinois Safe Schools Alliance.
[read more]
National fight is creeping into Illinois schools over what is read, taught and who belongs
by Susie An, WBEZ Chicago, Nov. 17, 2021
With the return of in-person learning this fall, American culture wars are igniting in some Illinois schools . . .
Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, says public school libraries provide information to students who are coming from all backgrounds and experiences. She says they need to be able to find information about their identities and needs. For some students, the school library is their only access to a larger collection of books . . .
Grecia Magdaleno of Illinois Safe Schools Alliance says some students may have become more vocal about their identities since returning to in-person learning, which may result in an increase in discrimination.
“But there are many other factors for it as well,” Magdaleno said. “I think it’s because of the rise in anti-trans legislation that we’ve been seeing across the country.”
[read more]
LGBTQ+ youth advocates call for action after increased bullying reports
by Matt Simonette, Windy City Times, Nov. 24, 2021
Officials from LGBTQ+-advocacy organizations Equality Illinois, Illinois Safe Schools Alliance, Rainbow Cafe and Youth Outlook announced a sharp increase in the number of bullying incidents directed against LGBTQ+ students across Illinois at a press conference the afternoon of Nov. 16.
There is no uniform statewide mechanism for reporting and tracking incidents of school bullying, but each of the organizations engage the issue extensively and stress the importance of students and parents seeking out resources and assistance when their families are faced with the issue.
[read more]
