A few weeks ago, I was walking into the school cafeteria to eat lunch. As I walked around a group of students, I heard one student yell, “Fuck!” over and over again to one of his friends as some sort of joke or playful insult. How do I know it was a joke? Because I’ve seen people call each other this slur and other homophobic terms countless times while teasing with their friends at my school. The prevalence of homophobia at my school is alarming, even if it’s not directed at queer people.
As an openly queer student, I have experienced homophobia at school since middle school. When I was in middle school, I was teased, bullied, and left out for just trying to be myself. My classmates deliberately asked me uncomfortable and invasive questions about my sexuality, and I was called all sorts of dehumanizing names. The bullying was so bad that I often isolated myself throughout school to escape all the harassment I received. I always hid behind books and computers because I felt like an outcast. I became depressed and suicidal, and every day I had to go to school was a nightmare for me.
When I eventually graduated from middle school and entered high school, I was overjoyed to learn that there were many more queer students at my school, some of whom I would eventually meet and become friends with. However, the homophobia I encountered did not disappear, but rather took on new forms. Instead of hearing homophobic slurs directed at me, they are now used as if they were just another insult like “stupid” or “stupid,” despite the fact that they mean much more. I still have to face the effects of normalizing homophobia and homophobic language in schools, and my school is not alone in this problem.
According to the District of Columbia Public Schools Panorama Survey, only 45 percent of gay and lesbian students, 37 percent of bisexual students, and 39 percent of transgender or nonbinary students in DCPS schools say students at their schools show them respect. Across the district, more than half of LGBTQ students feel that they are not respected in school, which is heartbreaking but not surprising as I am a queer student myself. And this is a consistent trend across America. According to Glisten’s 2025 National School Climate Survey, which surveyed LGBTQ youth about school climate, two-thirds of LGBTQ students said they felt unsafe at school because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Additionally, 63% of students reported hearing homophobic remarks from a colleague, and 62% and 68% of participants reported experiencing harassment or assault based on sexual orientation or gender identity, respectively.
Schools should be places where gay students feel comfortable and safe, where they can learn and grow. On the contrary, so many people are abused and mistreated that they feel as if they are outsiders in their own communities. Teachers and administrators should strive to create LGBTQ+-friendly spaces where students of all kinds can work towards their goals in an environment where they feel accepted and loved.
(This research is part of a partnership between the Washington Blade Foundation and Youthcast Media Group, and is funded through a 26th Community Development Grant from Muriel Bowser’s Office in the Washington, D.C., Mayor’s Office. Quinn McPherson is a rising sophomore at Benjamin Banaker Academic High School, one of Youthcast Media Group’s journalism class partners. YMG founder and former USA Today health policy reporter Jane O’Donnell contributed to this report.)
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