Educators attend national conference focused on LGBT youth

Educators from around the country met last week in San Diego to focus on treatment of LGBT youth in schools.

The National Educator Conference, which ran Feb. 15-17, was organized by the Center for Excellence in School Counseling and Leadership and provided education leaders and LGBT experts opportunities to collaborate, said Michael Yudin, acting assistant secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services for the U.S. Department of Education, who was the keynote speaker at the conference.

“Additionally, the conference focused on providing educators with the tools and resources to prevent and respond to bullying of LGBT youth, as well as empowering them to make the changes in their schools to make sure all kids are safe and thriving,” he said in a personal blog post. “I met with so many amazing educators. It truly was empowering.”

Yudin said students who are bullied are more likely to succumb to poor performance in school work as well as depression.

LGBT youth make up about 15 percent of occupants in juvenile centers.

He urged teachers to help create optimistic environments in schools and let students know of safe places they can go if they feel threatened, such as a guidance counselor’s office.

“We need to ensure that educators have the tools and resources to not only protect LGBT students from harassment and discrimination, but to ensure that they thrive in schools, not drop out,” Yudin said in the blog.

— Sydney Murray