Mon. June 28, 2004
Washington, DC -
The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, or GLSEN, today announced the release of the 2004 State of the States report. The report summarizes state laws that affect school environments and school safety for all students, particularly lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students. The report represents the first systematic measurement and comprehensive analysis of statewide policy to ensure the safety of all students, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Forty-two states received failing grades, or grades of "F", in the report. New Jersey was ranked first with a score of 95 and is one of only two "A"s on the list. Mississippi was at the bottom of the list, and the only state with less than zero points, with a score of -3. A complete breakdown of all grades, including a ranking of states, is attached and also available by visiting http://www.glsen.org.
All 50 states and the District of Columbia were given letter grades based on points granted in six categories, including existence of statewide safe schools laws, statewide non- discrimination laws, support for education on sexual health and sexuality, local safe schools policies, general education issues (e.g. student/teacher ratios, graduation rates) and existence of laws that stigmatize LGBT people.
"This report highlights what many safe schools advocates have feared -- that our nation's policymakers have failed to give schools the policies and programmatic support they need to change environments where bullying and harassment based on sexual orientation and gender identity are the rule and not the exception," notes GLSEN Executive Director Kevin Jennings. "In classrooms where 'faggot' is heard more often than the pledge of allegiance and 39 percent of LGBT students report being physically assaulted because of their sexual orientation, our schools and the state's that govern them are failing."
Key conclusions from the 2004 State of the States report include:
- The vast majority of students do not have legal protections against anti-LGBT bullying and harassment. Only 8 states and the District of Columbia currently have statewide legal protections for students based on sexual orientation. Only California, Minnesota and New Jersey include protections based on gender identity or expression. More than 75 percent of the approximately 47.7 million K-12 students in the U.S. go to schools that do not include sexual orientation and gender identity/expression as statewide protected classes alongside federally mandated protections based on religion, race, and national origin.
- GLSEN's 2003 National School Climate Survey finds a relationship between student safety, school attendance and safe schools laws. Among the several key findings is that LGBT students who did not have (or did not know of) a policy protecting them from violence and harassment were 40 percent more likely to report skipping school out of fear for their personal safety.
- 7 states had their scores reduced for their respective laws that stigmatize LGBT people by specifically prohibiting any positive portrayal of LGBT issues or people in schools. Alabama, Arizona, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas and Utah have these laws.
A growing number of states and school districts are making initial efforts to curtail harassment and discrimination in schools through legislative and policy change, but laws and policies have not been passed in numbers necessary to match the pervasive levels of harassment and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity/expression in America's schools. 4 out of 5 LGBT students report being verbally harassed because of their sexual orientation - while 83 percent of LGBT students note that faculty and staff never or only rarely intervene when they are present and homophobic remarks are made (Source: GLSEN 2003 National School Climate Survey, www.glsen.org).
"As the nation prepares for this fall's campaign season, it is time for local, state and national candidates -- incumbents and challengers alike -- to articulate their commitment and legislative plans to address the violence, bias and harassment so pervasive in America's schools," noted GLSEN Public Policy Director Neil Bomberg.
GLSEN's 2004 State of the States report summarizes the laws affecting students, particularly LGBT students in K-12 schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. GLSEN prepared the State of the States 2004 report to continue the comprehensive collection of data and information related to education issues impacting LGBT students, teachers and staff.
State of the States Alphabetical List
State........Score....Grade
Alabama.........3.......F
Alaska.........43.......F
Arizona.........2.......F
Arkansas.......10.......F
California.....80.5.....B
Colorado.......23.5.....F
Connecticut....75.......C
Delaware.......31.......F
D.C............89.......B
Florida........34.......F
Georgia........25.......F
Hawaii.........43.......F
Idaho...........8.......F
ILLINOIS.......34.......F
Indiana........19.......F
Iowa...........39.......F
Kansas.........27.......F
Kentucky.......23.......F
Louisiana.......9.......F
Maine..........35.......F
Maryland.......56.......F
Massachusetts..70.......C
Michigan.......20.......F
Minnesota......91.......A
Mississippi....-3.......F
Missouri.......29.......F
Montana........11.......F
Nebraska.......26.......F
Nevada.........52.5.....F
New Hampshire..45.......F
New Jersey.....95.......A
New Mexico.....40.......F
New York.......49.......F
North Carolina.26.......F
North Dakota...29.......F
Ohio...........19.......F
Oklahoma.......10.......F
Oregon.........28.......F
Pennsylvania...33.......F
Rhode Island...65.......D
South Carolina.14.......F
South Dakota...18.......F
Tennessee......31.......F
Texas..........12.......F
Utah...........13.......F
Vermont........82.......B
Virginia.......35.......F
Washington.....51.5.....F
West Virginia..29.......F
Wisconsin......73.......C
Wyoming........27.......F
State of the States Ranked List (States with matching scores have been given matching ranks)
Rank.....State 1 New Jersey 2 Minnesota 3 Washington, DC 4 Vermont 6 Connecticut 7 Wisconsin 8 Massachusetts 9 Rhode Island 10 Maryland 11 Nevada 12 Washington 13 New York 14 New Hampshire 15 Alaska 15 Hawaii 17 New Mexico 18 Iowa 19 Maine 19 Virginia 21 Florida 21 ILLINOIS 23 Pennsylvania 24 Delaware 24 Tennessee 26 Missouri 26 North Dakota 26 West Virginia 27 Michigan 29 Oregon 30 Kansas 30 Wyoming 32 Nebraska 32 North Carolina 34 Georgia 35 Colorado 36 Kentucky 38 Indiana 39 Ohio 40 South Dakota 41 South Carolina 42 Utah 43 Texas 44 Montana 45 Arkansas 45 Oklahoma 47 Louisiana 48 Idaho 49 Alabama 50 Arizona 51 Mississippi
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