When title IX was passed 52 years ago in 1972, it was aimed at ensuring gender equality across educational programs that relied on funding from the government. However, despite having this title in place in order to avoid discrimination against anyone because of their gender, there have been concerns regarding queer youth within educational institutions, especially those with religious backgrounds.
While access to education has expanded more to the online world, many queer folks see sense in having acceptance from religious schools, especially when they can access education through them without ever having to go in person.
Unfortunately, though the title was aimed at preventing gender discrimination, worries about the freedoms of religion have allowed colleges to openly discriminate against LGBTQ+ youth while still having that legal authority.
Because of this, The Trevor Project’s survey in 2023 showed some concerning results regarding the mental health of queer folks. It showed that queer youth through the age of 24 reported that 41% of their demographic had considered committing suicide, while 14% have attempted it. These numbers are alarming due to the fact that almost half of the queer youth population have dealt with mental health issues because of constant discrimination. An overwhelming percentage of them have reported verbal abuse in educational settings.
Education has started to become a huge target for queer students amongst politicians, with many from conservative backgrounds passing laws that restrict them from having self expression in a setting that is meant to be a safe space for all students weather they are queer or not.
In attribution to this, one in three LGBTQ+ youth have had constant poor mental health following the hurtful amounts of anti-LGBTQ+ policies and legislation recently. A lot of these policies have extended to the everyday lives of those who happen to live in more conservative states, where their day-to-day life is constantly in limbo because of the limited liberty these laws have given them.
While some might assume that the LGBTQ+ community, especially those of younger ages, wouldn’t believe in or practice faith, data shows otherwise, as one in five say that faith is important to them.
While many Christian schools are known as conservative schools that trample the rights of LGBTQ+ students in their codes of conduct and handbooks, some have started to defy this norm and instead are starting to offer safe spaces and systems of support for the LGBTQ+ community. These schools have started to revisit their policies and have changed them offer support for the queer community, aiming for more inclusivity for all.
Emory University in Atlanta and Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, two United Methodist Church-affiliated organizations, earned median scores on support. Jesuit Catholic schools Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, and Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles; Southern Methodist University in Dallas and Lebanon Valley College, a Methodist school in central Pennsylvania, earned a 4 out of 5 on their marks.
Minneapolis’ Augsburg University, affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church; Guilford College, a Quaker school in Greensboro, North Carolina; and Virginia Wesleyan University, historically affiliated with the United Methodist Church, all earned perfect scores of 5.
Photo Courtesy of Facebook. This article has been amended for clarity.
