By Laurel White
A new UW–Madison study sheds light on how state and local government laws, policies, and proposals limiting LGBTQ+ students’ rights have proliferated in recent years, how those policies harm students, and how states and school boards have failed to respond to federal court rulings related to LGBTQ+ inclusivity.
The study, published in a recent issue of Educational Policy, used traditional and critical policy analysis to examine laws, policies, and proposals related LGBTQ+ people’s educational experiences in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana between 2017 and 2023.
In their analysis, researchers found an increase in proposals that would limit LGBTQ+ students’ rights and visibility in schools, along with a widespread refusal by policymakers to take up trans-affirming policies. Researchers noted those trends occurred despite a 2017 federal court ruling that affirmed some rights of transgender students in all three states. They also showed the anti-LGBTQ+ proposals were often accompanied by proposals barring or limiting critical race theory (CRT) curriculum in schools.
Mollie McQuillan, assistant professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis, co-authored the study with doctoral students Benjamin Lebovitz and LaShanda Harbin. Lebovitz is a doctoral student in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis and Harbin is a doctoral student in the Department of Educational Policy Studies.
The authors argue the recent influx in state government policy proposals related to LGBTQ+ students amount to state-sanctioned erasure of transgender people in particular.
“In the last 5 years, anti-LGBTQ+ state bills have expanded in their number and reach to erase lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other gender-expansive (LGBTQ+) people — and especially transgender (trans) students — from participation in critical aspects of school life,” they wrote.
The authors noted previous research has shown anti-LGBTQ+ proposals have been associated with poor student-peer relationships, compromised child-parent relationships, diminished student health, and decreased student safety.
While the study primarily focused on anti-LGBTQ+ policies, the researchers also examined proposals related to CRT curriculum bans. They found that if anti-LGBTQ+ proposals were advanced by policymakers, it was likely that CRT bans were put forward as well.
“State policymakers have inextricably linked the policy erasure of LGBTQ+ students with the erasure of students of color,” the authors wrote.
They argue this connection is related to systemic white supremacy culture in many educational institutions.
“White supremacy establishes a very narrow ideal of what it means to be a ‘normative’ member of society (i.e., white, cisgender, heterosexual) and positions people of color and LGBTQ+ people as ‘non-normative’ compared to cisgender, heterosexual, white people,” they wrote. “Policymakers maintain the status quo— in this case, a curriculum that enshrines white, cisheterosexist beliefs and people—by banning even discussions of race, gender, and sexuality.”
The researchers contend recognizing the link between these movements is necessary to effectively push back against them.
Broadly, McQuillan’s research examines the intersection of educational policy, social relationships, and health of gender-expansive students and educators. Another recent study published by McQuillan outlined the harmful ways school administrators enable bullying of transgender students.
Read the full article, “The Disruptive Power of Policy Erasure: How State Legislators and School Boards Fail to Take up Trans-affirming Policies While Leaning into Anti-LGBTQ+ Policies,” here.