Empowering LGBTQ Students with Love, Curriculum, & Acceptance

For the last eight years, Tom Boasberg has overseen Denver’s Public Schools as their superintendent. It’s the longest job he’s ever held, and there’s good reason for it—Boasberg is committed to every single student that walks through the front doors any of his schools.

Over the past eight years, the district has posted record enrollment increases, with a higher rate of enrollment growth than any other major urban school district in the country, and increased its four-year graduation rate by more than 25 percentage points. DPS has gone from being the district with the lowest rate of student academic growth among major Colorado districts to the district with the highest rate of academic achievement growth. The district has also more than tripled the number of its students taking and receiving college credit for Advanced Placement courses. And, it has cut its dropout rate by more than 60 percent.

“It’s about commitment to every student, and recognizing that every student has different needs to reach their goals,” Boasberg said. “A huge part of helping these students succeed is recognizing how diverse the student body is and giving them outlets to feel supported and recognized. That’s how you make them feel powerful.”

One of those outlets is the popular Gay-Straight Alliance, student-initiated and student-run clubs for LGBTQ students and their allies. These clubs provide a safe space for these students to meet, provide support, and educate their peers to combat bullying and harassment and end homophobia and transphobia in schools.

Colorado’s Gay-Straight Alliance Network has grown exponentially in the last five years. Denver, one of Colorado’s most liberal cities, has roughly 90 public schools that house students grades six through 12. These students, more than ever, are empowered to be authentically themselves. In order to do that, they need support.

“Our GSA groups are a huge hit, not only with our LGBTQ students, but with our straight students who want to show up and support their classmates,” Boasberg said. “I think a huge part of that support comes from the culture that we create in our schools. We want our curriculum to match the diversity of our students. For example, we make sure to educate our students on LGBTQ history, which makes them understand that community, and treat their peers with more respect and understanding.”

Although DPS is filled with progressive curriculum, staff, students, and clubs, bullying is still an issue.

According to the 2009 National Climate Survey conducted by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), 87 percent of Colorado’s LGBTQ students were verbally harassed in school because of their sexual orientation. Seventy-three percent were harassed based on their gender identity or expression— and nine out of 10 LGBTQ students felt deliberately excluded by their peers.

But research also shows that students in schools with GSAs are less likely to feel unsafe in their schools than those without such a support group. The positive and affirming environment of GSAs allows students to feel safe and respected in their schools.

“Bullying is more of an issue in middle school than it is high school,” Boasberg said. “It comes with maturity and knowledge. We push for not only our staff but our students to report these things. But, we don’t just punish the students—although that is part of it. We know that punishment doesn’t change people’s minds, but getting to know one another does. We try to mend these issues by sitting these students down and having them share their stories with one another.”

DPS does a number of things to make out LGBTQ youth feel included and supported. Alongside the GSA, the school system has implemented queer literature classes, enforced policies that make sure transgender and gender-nonconforming students are addressed with appropriate pronouns and can use facilities that match their gender identity, and empowered students to live outside of the closet.

“We make sure that we enforce a culture of love and respect. That’s what gives these kids power, and when they feel powerful they can take that into their adult lives and make some necessary changes to the world we live in.”