LGBTQ+ students in one of 28 states that have recently enacted restrictive education-related laws are significantly more likely to experience a hate crime at school.
That’s according to a new analysis of FBI data from The Washington Post suggesting that the number of hate crimes on K12 campuses has more than quadrupled nationwide between 2015-19 and 2021-22 since divisive concepts first entered the forefront of education policy-making.
“LGBTQ+ students have long dealt with bullying and harassment at school, but some students are feeling particularly vulnerable due to the wave of legislation,” The Washington Post writes.
For example, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin in 2022 signed into law a measure that requires school districts to notify parents whenever materials used for classroom instruction contain explicit content. Parents can then request alternative, non-explicit resources instead.
“For the last year, I have advocated to give parents a voice and a say in whether their children can receive alternative reading materials because parents matter,” Youngkin said in a statement after the law was enacted. “Notifying parents is common sense.”
Virginia is one of the 28 states the analysis labeled for having restrictive laws, in addition to New Hampshire, North Carolina, Florida, South Carolina, Georgia, Ohio, West Virginia, Tennessee, Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas, Louisiana, Texas, Montana, Wyoming, Oklahoma, Idaho, Utah, Arizona and Alaska.
About the data
According to The Post‘s report, there were 251 school hate crimes reported to the FBI in 2022, 215 in 2021 and 76 in 2020 when many schools were closed due to COVID-19.
Across the board, there were an average of 108 hate crimes targeting LGBTQ+ students on both college and K12 grounds from 2015-19. Between 2021 and 2022, however, that average more than doubled to 232.
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These figures rise even further when taking into consideration states that have implemented laws restricting students’ education or rights at school, averaging about 90 hate crimes per year between 2021 and 2022. States without restrictive policies, too, have seen an uptick from nearly 79 reports to 140 hate crimes per year.
“Policy sets the tone for real-world experience [and] discriminatory policy just creates a hostile environment,” Amy McGehee, a doctoral student at Oklahoma State University who researches LGBTQ+ health and well-being, told The Post.
These crimes most commonly include assault, intimidation and vandalism, the report declares.
Here’s a closer look at the data:
Hate crimes on K12 grounds, yearly average
States without laws:
- 2015-19: 42
- 2021-22: 86
- % increase: 104.5%
States with restrictive laws (sports, curriculum or facilities):
- 2015-19: 13
- 2021-22: 61
- % increase: 351.5%
All states:
- 2015-19: 55
- 2021-22: 147
- % increase: 166.4%
