Transgender and gender-nonconforming (TGNC) young people are beat up or intimidated with alarming frequency in schools and in out-of-home care settings (group or foster care). Publicity about recenthigh-profile bullying incidents—some ending in murder—has attracted public concern, but government and private policies are woefully behind.

The school bullying statistics are frightening: 78% of respondents to the National Transgender Discrimination Survey (NTDS) who had expressed a transgender identity or gender-nonconformity while in grades K-12 reported being harassed, 35% attacked, and 12% sexually assaulted.

Instituting clear school policies against bullying and discrimination helps ensure TGNC students are respected and have equal access to education. Forty-nine states now require that schools adopt such policies, but only a third of those explicitly mention gender identity and/or expression.The proposed Student Non-Discrimination Act (SNDA) and the Safe Schools Improvement Act (SSIA) would put some federal muscle into the fight against bullying.

If you are bullied at school, check out “What to Do if You’re Bullied”.

If you are bulled in out-of-home care, check out this fact sheet about your rights: Info for LGBTQ Youth in Out-of-Home Care

Also see Lambda Legal’s Bending the Mold and Survival Tips for Trans Youth. And see the Model District Policy for Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Students created in 2011 by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN).

If you need more information about transgender youth and their legal rights, contact Lambda Legal at 866-542-8336 or visit www.lambdalegal.org/help.