Production and Maintenance of the Institutional In/Visibility of Sexual and Gender Minority Students in Schools

This research investigates how school professionals, as institutional actors, influence school climates experienced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) youth. Although research links institutional characteristics to outcomes for LGBTQ youth, scholars do not yet fully understand the mechanisms. We address this gap through a mesolevel analysis of staff perspectives on schools' responsibilities to LGBTQ students. Using data from 96 semistructured interviews with high school staff during the 2016-2017 school year, we found that participants used three main cues to assess visibility of the school's LGBTQ population: (a) student self-advocacy; (b) students' enactment of LGBTQ stereotypes; and (c) same-sex relationships. Reliance on these cues led staff to underestimate the LGBTQ population and employ narrative frames to rationalize the status quo: small LGBTQ population did not merit allocating resources; all students were treated equally; LGBTQ-inclusive policies further marginalized LGBTQ students; and student issues were addressed through individualized interventions. Our research shows how staff's biases collide with institutional inertia to influence school climate, one crucial facet of the ecological contexts of LGBTQ youth. We conclude with discussion of implications and recommendations. Public Policy Relevance Statement Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning/queer (LGBTQ) youth who experience hostile and anti-LGBTQ school climates exhibit more severe behavioral health difficulties compared to those LGBTQ youth who go to schools with more inclusive environments. This study examines how school climates that do not affirm LGBTQ students are constituted at the mesolevel and proposes changes to school policies around school professional education to promote LGBTQ-inclusive schools.