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Educational Equity Established (Constitutional Law)
The fourteenth amendment established the foundation for educational equity. It exclaims, "No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law, nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws" (U.S. Const. Amend. XIV). This includes denying education to a student based on sexual orientation. -
Title IX of the Education Amendments is Created (Statutory Law)
Title IX protects students from discrimination based on sex in education (20 USC § 1681). Although when this statute was created, it was referring to allowing women equal education, Title IX's interpretation of sex changed when the nation's interpretation of sex changed. -
The Equal Access Act Passes (Statutory Law)
The Equal Access Act prohibits schools from denying students from creating clubs on the basis of the religious, political, philosophical, or other content of the speech at such meetings (20 USC § 4071). Although this Act does not specifically mention clubs like the Gay-Straight Alliance, it set the precedent for students to create the GSA. -
The Trevor Project is Founded
The Trevor Project is the leading national organization for providing suicide prevention tactics for the LGBTQ community (The Trevor Project, 2019). This community is prone to suicidal tendencies because of bullying, harassment, and uncertainty. The Trevor Project works to provide services to halt these behaviors. -
Gay-Straight Alliance of Yulee High Sch. v. Sch. Bd. of Nassau County (Judicial Law)
This is Supreme Court Case allowed students to create a Gay-Straight Alliance club in any school (GSA of Yulee HS v. Sch. Bd. of Nassau County, 2009). The Gay-Straight Alliance club sets the foundation for creating a space for healthy conversations and ways to advocate for the homosexual community. -
Dear Colleague Letter is Written ( Administrative Law)
The Dear Colleague Letter written by Russlyn Ali, expresses the need for school districts to stop creating an environment where bullying based on sexual orientation is acceptable (Dear Colleague Letter, 2010). Schools are in the process of changing policies on bullying based on sexual orientation. -
Gay Marriage is Legalized in the United States (Judicial Law, but not for education)
The legalization of Gay Marriage removed the stigma of homosexuality (Obergefell v. Hodges, 2015). This Supreme Court Case made homosexuality acceptable on a federal level. After the decision was made, students felt more comfortable coming out to their peers. School personnel became more cognizant of making all students, regardless of sexual orientation, have educational equity. -
The First Gender Neutral Bathroom Opens in a School
Although this is not a law, this is a monumental event for those questioning their gender identity. The first school to open a gender-neutral bathroom was featured in the Los Angeles Times and spurred the conversation for creating uni-sex bathrooms. It is a symbol for students that do not see gender as binary. It allows them to feel comfortable and their voices matter (Kohli, 2016). -
Student Non-Discrimination Act- Currently in Committee (Statutory law)
This act would prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation (Student Non-Discrimination Act, 2018). There is currently no law in Texas prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation. If this Federal Act passes, it would mean all students would be protected regardless of sexual orientation. This would help those individuals struggling with their identity to feel that the school is a safe space.
