Gay Straight Alliances are Associated with Lower Levels of School Based Victimization of LGBTQ+ Youth: A Systematic Review and Meta analysis
Gay straight alliances (GSAs) are school based organizations for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+ youth and their allies that often attempt to improve school climate for sexual and gender minority youth. This meta analysis evaluates the association between school GSA presence and youth's self reports of school based victimization by quantitatively synthesizing 15 primary studies with 62,923 participants. Findings indicate GSA presence is associated with significantly lower levels of youth's self reports of homophobic victimization, fear for safety, and hearing homophobic remarks, and these results are robust, controlling for a variety of study level factors. The findings of this meta analysis provide evidence to support GSAs as a means of protecting LGTBQ+ youth from school based victimization.
Journal of youth and adolescence