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Sexual minority adolescent sexual risk behavior studies often overlook young women, do not consider behavior- and identity-based sexual orientation indicators in combination, and focus mainly on condomless sex. We examined multiple risk behaviors in a large sample of adolescent young men and women using combined behavior- and identity-based indices. The 2015 Dane County Youth Assessment data included 4734 students in 22 high schools who had ever voluntarily engaged in sexual contact (51.7% male; 76.0% White, non-Hispanic). Items assessed having sex with unfamiliar partners, sex while using substances, using protection, and STI testing. Logistic regressions tested for disparities based on combined identity- and behavior-based sexual orientation indicators. For both young men and women, youth who reported heterosexual or questioning identities—but who had sex with same-sex partners—were at consistently greater risk than heterosexual youth with only different-sex partners. Also, for both young men and women, bisexuals with partners of both sexes more consistently reported higher risk than heterosexual youth than did bisexuals with only different-sex partners. Risk behavior for gay young men who had sex only with men mirrored those in extant literature. Risk levels differed for specific groups of sexual minority young women, thus deserving further attention. Findings underscore the need for sexual health research to consider sexual orientation in a more multidimensional manner.

A social developmental framework was applied to test for the socialization of homophobic attitudes and behavior within adolescent peer groups (Grades 7-11; aged 12-17 years). Substantial similarity within and differences across groups were documented. Multilevel models identified a group socializing contextual effect, predicting homophobic attitudes and behavior of individuals within the group 8 months later, even after controlling for the predictive effect of individuals' own previously reported attitudes and behavior. Several group characteristics moderated the extent to which individuals' previously reported attitudes predicted later attitudes. Findings indicate the need to integrate the concurrent assessment of individual and social factors to inform the construction of more comprehensive models of how prejudiced attitudes and behaviors develop and are perpetuated.

As a form of bias-based harassment, homophobic behavior remains prominent in schools. Yet, little attention has been given to factors that underlie it, aside from bullying and sexual prejudice. Thus, we examined multiple domain general (empathy, perspective-taking, classroom respect norms) and sexual orientation-specific factors (sexual orientation identity importance, number of sexual minority friends, parents’ sexual minority attitudes, media messages). We documented support for a model in which these sets of factors converged to predict homophobic behavior, mediated through bullying and prejudice, among 581 students in grades 9–12 (55 % female). The structural equation model indicated that, with the exception of media messages, these additional factors predicted levels of prejudice and bullying, which in turn predicted the likelihood of students to engage in homophobic behavior. These findings highlight the importance of addressing multiple interrelated factors in efforts to reduce bullying, prejudice, and discrimination among youth.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, and youth with other minority sexual orientations (LGBQ+) who are more out to others about their sexual orientation identity may experience greater victimization at school based on sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, with negative implications for academic performance. Teacher support, however, may buffer these associations. Among a national US sample of cisgender and trans/non-binary LGBQ+ youth (n = 11,268; 66.1% White, 66.8% cisgender, Mage = 15.5 years, SDage = 1.3), latent moderated-mediation models were tested in which perceived teacher support and affirmation moderated the extent to which sexual orientation identity outness was associated with poorer reported academic performance in part through its association with greater victimization. As hypothesized, greater perceived teacher support and affirmation buffered (a) the association between sexual orientation identity outness and victimization, (b) the association between victimization and reported academic performance, and (c) the indirect association between sexual orientation identity outness and reported academic performance through victimization. These findings underscore the important protective role of supportive teachers for LGBQ+ youth in schools.

Schools can be a setting to address mental health needs of sexual and gender minority (SGM) youth. Gender-Sexuality Alliances (GSAs), as extracurricular support groups, provide an existing structure that could be leveraged to reach SGM youth and deliver services. Nevertheless, limited data indicate the prevalence of depression and anxiety among GSA members, how often GSAs discuss mental health, or their receptivity to resources. Participants in the current study were 580 youth (Mage = 15.59; 79% sexual minority, 57% cisgender female; 68% White) and 58 advisors in 38 GSAs purposively sampled across Massachusetts. Youth completed established measures of depression and anxiety; advisors reported how frequently their GSAs discussed mental health; and both reported their interest in mental health materials. Among youth, 70.1% scored above the threshold indicating probable mild depression, and 34.4% scored above the threshold suggesting concerning anxiety. Adjusted odds ratios indicated that the odds of depression and anxiety were higher for SGM members relative to heterosexual and cisgender members, particularly among youth reporting SGM identities that have been underrepresented. GSAs discussed mental health with some frequency over the school year. Youth and advisors expressed strong interest in resources. Findings support the case for developing selective and indicated school-based prevention programming for youth in GSAs to address their mental health needs.

Although scholarship continues to document higher rates of alcohol use for sexual and gender minority (SGM) youth compared with heterosexual and cisgender youth, research identifying factors that mitigate SGM youths’ risk is nascent. Youth spend substantial time in schools; therefore, teachers could play significant roles in attenuating these health concerns. We used data from a nationwide survey of 11,189 SGM youth (Mage = 15.52; 67.7% White) to explore whether perceived teacher social-emotional support attenuated the association between victimization and alcohol use, further conditioned by youths’ specific ethnoracial identity. As expected, victimization was associated with more frequent alcohol use; however, greater perceived teacher support attenuated this association. The attenuating effect of perceived teacher support was significantly stronger for Hispanic/Latinx youth than White youth. Our findings have implications for alcohol use prevention among SGM youth, who face significant marginalization in schools and society. If we are to prevent alcohol use disparities among SGM youth, scholars and stakeholders (e.g., school administrators, teachers) should invest in building teacher efficacy to intervene in SGM-specific victimization.

School-based extracurricular settings could promote dialogue on sociopolitical crises. We considered immigration discussions within gender-sexuality alliances (GSAs), which address multiple systems of oppression. Among 361 youth and 58 advisors in 38 GSAs (19 in 2016-2017/Year 1; 19 in 2017-2018/Year 2), youth in Year 1 reported increased discussions from baseline throughout the remaining school year; differences were nonsignificant in Year 2. In both years, youth reporting greater self-efficacy to promot social justice, and GSAs with advisors reporting greater self-efficacy to address culture, race, and immigration discussed immigration more over the year (adjusting for baseline). In interviews, 38 youth described circumstances promoting or inhibiting discussions: demographic representation, open climates, cntical reflection, fear or consequences of misspeaking, discomfort, agenda restrictions, and advisor roles.

This study tested the effects of multiple ideologies on support for restrictive policies against gay and lesbian individuals and organizations and if these effects were mediated by sexual prejudice. Social dominance orientation (SDO), conservatism, and right-wing authoritarianism (RWA) each had significant direct and indirect effects. SDO had the most consistent direct effects in addition to its effects through sexual prejudice. The direct effects of conservatism were smaller and similar in size to its indirect effects through prejudice. Although the direct effect of RWA was significant for policy attitudes, its effect was entirely mediated through sexual prejudice for organization opposition. Results suggest that high-RWA individuals adopt their positions largely because of prejudice toward sexual minorities, while high-SDO individuals adopt their positions partly out of prejudice and partly because these positions perpetuate hierarchies between heterosexuals and sexual minorities. Results also diminish the principled conservatism argument that conservative positions on these policies and organizations are absent of prejudice. As policies continue to be enacted that affect the sexual minority community, research is needed to identify the underlying motivations for individuals' positions toward these policies.

In this study, heterosexual students' willingness to remain friends with peers who disclose that they are gay or lesbian and their willingness to attend schools that include gay and lesbian students were examined among two large middle school and high school samples (Sample 1: n = 20,509; 50.7% girls; Sample 2: n = 16,917; 50.2% girls). Boys were less willing than girls to remain friends or attend schools with gay and lesbian peers, as were students in earlier grades than were students in later grades. Further, there was small, yet significant, variability in these scores across schools. Greater racial diversity within the school partially accounted for this school-level variability; students in more racially diverse schools reported greater willingness to remain friends and attend school with gay and lesbian peers. Findings suggest that while intervention programs must continue to address blatant and overt physical aggression against sexual minority youth, there is also a significant need for programming to address the more subtle expressions of sexual prejudice that contribute to unwelcoming and unsafe school climates.