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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Sociol.
Sec. Gender, Sex and Sexualities
Volume 9 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fsoc.2024.1356007

Frontiers in Sociology, Special issue on Gender, Sex and Sexualities Perspective article A Needs-assessment Survey of the High School LGBTQ+ Environment by a Health Science Center Interprofessional Team

Provisionally accepted
Andrew D. HOLLENBACH Andrew D. HOLLENBACH 1*Ayesha P. Umrigar Ayesha P. Umrigar 2Mary E. Moore Mary E. Moore 3Rafael Velasquez Rafael Velasquez 4Sonya Van Nuland Sonya Van Nuland 1Martha Cuccia Martha Cuccia 5Fern Tsien Fern Tsien 6
  • 1 LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, Louisiana State University, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
  • 2 Louisiana State Department of Health and Hospitals, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States
  • 3 Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States
  • 4 Ochsner Medical Center, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
  • 5 School of Public Health, LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
  • 6 Department of Pediatrics, LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Despite improvements in the awareness and acceptance of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other sexual and gender diverse (LGBTQ+) individuals, the LGBTQ+ community continues to experience discrimination, which can result in adverse health outcomes. In particular, LGBTQ+ youth have an increased risk of experiencing depression, substance abuse, and suicide. Societal stigma and rejection, bullying, and familial disapproval all contribute to these health disparities. In recognition of these inequities, an interprofessional team of biomedical faculty members, staff, and trainees from the Louisiana State University Health Science Center (LSUHSC) in New Orleans developed the needs-assessment evaluation, the Gender and Sexual Minority Youth Outreach Survey (GSMYO) for high school students. Health science centers have access to resources and experienced personnel who can provide support and education to high school students, teachers, and administrative staff. However, it is important to first determine the high schools' specific needs, attitudes towards LGBTQ+ acceptance, and their current resources. Faculty, staff, and trainees from the LSUHSC Science Youth Initiative (SYI) and the LSUHSC LGBTQ+ Organization, Tiger Pride, administered the short, anonymous survey to adolescents attending Southeast Louisiana high schools. English Language Learner (ELL) students received the survey in Spanish. Results from the GSMYO needs-assessment survey are presented, along with suggested curricula for implementation. Other health science centers may adapt the presented survey to develop needs-based LGBTQ+ high school programs and the proposed curriculum to address the educational and health inequities in their own communities, regardless of location or demographic region.

    Keywords: LGBTQ+, LGBTQ+ advocacy, LGBTQ+ school environment, high school, outreach, LGBTQ+ mental health

    Received: 14 Dec 2023; Accepted: 01 Aug 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 HOLLENBACH, Umrigar, Moore, Velasquez, Van Nuland, Cuccia and Tsien. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Andrew D. HOLLENBACH, LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, Louisiana State University, New Orleans, 70112-2223, Louisiana, United States

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.