Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, and questioning (LGBTQ) students are likely to be in every classroom in every secondary school in the United States; yet, their needs are often overlooked.LGBTQ students are at risk for developing academic, social, and emotional problems due to harassment and bullying experienced at school. Although schools have an ethical and legal duty to provide a safe educational experience for all students, few schools implement policies and programs to support LGBTQ students. School psychologists, with training in adolescent development, counseling, consultation, and systems change, are in a unique position to help schools be more responsive to the needs of LGBTQ students. By adopting a public health framework that focuses on primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of prevention and intervention for LGBTQ students, school psychologists can implement strategies and make recommendations for school-wide changes to promote positive development for all students. This article highlights challenges faced by LGBTQ students and presents methods for responding to the needs of this minority group using the public health framework.KEYWORDS: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, Questioning, Students, Prevention, Intervention, School, Counseling On February 12, 2008, Lawrence King, a 15 year-old student, was shot in the head at his junior high school in Oxnard, CA (Saillant & Covarrubias, 2008). Lawrence openly identified as gay and reportedly had begun wearing make-up and clothing considered feminine. He allegedly had altercations about his sexuality with Brandon McInerney, the 14-year-old boy who was arrested for shooting Lawrence during class. Two days after the shooting, Lawrence was declared brain dead and was removed from life support machines. Brandon is currently being charged as an adult with first-degree murder with the special allegation of a hate crime.Students who identify or are identified by others as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, and questioning (LGBTQ) often face challenges in school due to longstanding social prejudices and discrimination. These students are at greater risk for harassment, victimization, and potential development of a number of emotional and behavioral problems (Savin-Williams, 1994;Savin-Williams, 2001). School psychologists, along with teachers, administrators, and counselors, can play a key role in promoting positive emotional development and academic success for LGBTQ students.Please send correspondence to: Dr. Emily S. Fisher, School of Education, Loyola Marymount University, 1 LMU Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90045 or e-mail efisher4@lmu.edu
80The California School Psychologist, 2008, Vol. 13 Merrell, Ervin, and Gimpel (2006) suggest that programming to support and promote social/emotional wellbeing and resiliency should follow a public health framework, which includes providing three levels of services simultaneously. Primary prevention efforts are those that reach all students in school in order to create an environment that promotes safety, respect...