High School Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs) and Young Adult Well-Being: An Examination of GSA Presence, Participation, and Perceived Effectiveness
/Yet one more study outlining the importance of LGBTQ+ youth having the opportunity to associate with each other. Rather than making youth LGBTQ+ through ‘social contagion’, contact with other LGBTQ+ youth is protective and aids with development and health.
Published in: Applied Developmental Science. 2011. Authors: Russell B. Toomey, Caitlin Ryan, Rafael M. Diaz & Stephen T. Russell.
“… there appear to be positive associations between GSAs and well-being and educational attainment. Our finding that students who were in schools with GSAs were more likely to obtain a college education underscores the potential impact on educational achievement and socioeconomic and occupational status as an adult. In addition, given the heightened attention to suicides of young males who were known or perceived to be gay and bisexual that have been linked to anti-gay harassment at school (e.g., Katz, 2010), our findings point to GSAs as a potential context for reducing this risk – at least at low levels of LGBT school victimization - given the significant interaction between GSA participation and LGBT school victimization on lifetime suicide attempts.”
“In sum, our findings suggest that school administrators and personnel should be supportive in helping students to form and facilitate GSAs in schools as a potential source of promoting positive development for this underserved population. “