Long-term impacts for rainbow learners in education
LGBTQ+ ākonga
What challenges have you faced as a rainbow student/whānau?
Ākonga:
So the challenges I faced was my friends called me gay or calls me gay because my parents are gay. Back then, it was really mean and I didn't want to hang out with them. But now I'm kind of used to them calling me gay.
Ākonga:
I kind of want to do the cross country. But the bad thing is, like, I'm scared that people will bully me because they separate and take out a boy’s group. Some people might keep on saying, “You’re a boy, get out of here”. And some people saying, “You’re not a girl”.
Ākonga:
People are still using my deadname for emails, like, and it's still getting sent to me. This shouldn't be happening. They came back trying to justify it, not saying, what can we do?
Ākonga:
Sometimes I feel like there should be, like, a unisex bathroom, instead of just boys and girls.
Ākonga:
Well, I faced a lot of bullying and it made me feel bad and out of place here. A lot of the classes, like sexuality education stuff, I didn't know a lot about my future because it was only about boys and girls.
What has the school done to make life easier for you as a rainbow student/whānau?
Ākonga:
So there was a really nice teacher I had back in 2019. She just asked me, “how are your pronouns going?” And I explained to her that we were trialling using different pronouns for different people, and that actually was probably the main reason, apart from the dysphoria, that I actually changed my pronouns at school. This was really impressive. I was very amazed when this happened.
Ākonga:
We had a Pink Shirt Day, which is like anti-bullying.
Ākonga:
They sort of just accepted me no matter what, I guess, like they didn't exclude me from anything. And they had lots of teachers that were kind of there for me.
What more could the school do to make life easier for you as a rainbow student/whānau?
Ākonga:
I'd say, put more about gender diverse and LGBTQI+ into sexual education classes.
Ākonga:
I think the school should have like a rainbow group, a club or something, because that will make more people feel like they are with people like them, I guess.
Ākonga:
I think they should have, like, a workshop where like anyone can come and they can talk to people about, like, gay families and like gay people. And so people can understand that being gay is okay.
What would the dream school look like for rainbow students/whānau?
Ākonga:
The dream school for rainbow students would be lots and lots of Pride flags everywhere. Everybody is like nice to each other. There aren't anybody looking around like judging each other.
Ākonga:
There would be no boys and girls toilets, but there would be toilets. And then there would be an absolutely enormous Pink Day.
Ākonga:
The dream school would be where everyone's welcome and no bullying; everyone is taken care of equally.
Why is it important for schools to be more rainbow inclusive?
Ākonga:
Well, I think it really depends on the goal of the school. I'm hoping that all schools want to make it for them, if not, I question your school, your schooling philosophy.
If students are more happy, then they perform better in their learning, and your goal is more easily achieved.
Ākonga:
If they're more rainbow inclusive, then more people will sort of come out as gay or trans or bi or something, and then more people will find people that are like them and get more friends.
Ākonga:
If they're more aware of it, then when a student comes to their school, they kind of know what to do, and they can suggest things to that student and ask if they need help.
What do you find really exciting about being a rainbow student/whānau?
Ākonga:
I'm a role model. And I think, hey, you can be this as well. You can be who you are, and you have no limitation to whatever you are.
Ākonga:
Well, I felt a little joy when I went up to the principal and I asked that I wanted to start a rainbow diversity group, and someone already suggested that.
Ākonga:
Definitely when my school did the speech competition and I won because I came out to my entire school as trans, and lots of people were happy for me. And all the teachers are really supporting. Like when they get my pronouns right it makes me feel happy. I feel like people are just starting to catch on and be like, “oh, yeah, this person's cool”.
What’s a takeaway you want those watching this to have?
Ākonga:
Just like, gay people are cool and they're no different to anyone else in the world. Yeah, our family's no different; it's just like a regular family, except I've got two dads. That's all.
Ākonga:
An insult to a gender-diverse student about them being a boy or girl or gay or lesbian, it actually cuts a lot deeper into them than just a normal insult on the playground.
Ākonga:
That being part of the rainbow community is like a good thing. Like, people shouldn't just think of it as being, “oh yeah, this person is different”. Like, they should think of it… they should walk away thinking, “this is actually like, actually cooler than I thought”.
Ākonga:
Overall, we're just here to have a nicer time at your school. So we want you to listen, and that will also make you have a nicer time with us as well. So really, thank you, my main message.
Listen to the voices of rainbow tamariki and whānau at primary and intermediate schools in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Rainbow youth experience abuse, violence, neglect, and trauma at higher rates than non-rainbow youth, and are often taken into foster care. They can end up homeless, increasing their mental distress and vulnerability (Oranga Tamariki Evidence Centre, 2023, p.38). Rainbow youth have higher rates of depression, self-harm, and suicide attempts (Meyer, 2003, cited in Fenaughty, et.al, 2023, p.3).
In the 2022 Identify Survey, 75% of the ākonga had poor levels of wellbeing: more than half of them had engaged in self-harm; almost two thirds had thought about killing themselves; almost one third had made a plan to kill themselves; and one in ten participants had attempted suicide in the last year. These rates were much higher for trans and non-binary young people (Fenaughty, et. al., 2022, p.15).
The wider inequities that rainbow ākonga endure can impact on their education, just as experiencing inequities in education can affect their lives beyond school.
When thinking about the long-term impacts of inequity for LGBTQ+ ākonga, the following themes emerged from the findings of the report:
Access and participation
- Increased material hardship, violence at home, lacking a sense of belonging at school, bullying and stress all impact rainbow ākonga attendance, participation, and their ability to thrive or achieve academically.
Outcomes
- LGBTQ+ ākonga wellbeing is significantly impacted by inequity; they have a much higher likelihood of experiencing self-harm, mental distress, suicidality, involvement with Oranga Tamariki, and homelessness.
How safe do you feel at your current school as a rainbow person?
Ka hiahiatia pea ēnei
You may also be interested in
- Your words have the power to end suffering of LGBTQ youth
Kat Clark is a gay woman living in Tauranga, who has experienced confusion, fear and depression as an LGBTQ youth on her path to finding acceptance. - Ending rainbow-focused bullying and discrimination
A workbook for schools to help create inclusive and caring learning environments
for all ākonga. - Understand the key concerns of students
Young people share their experiences of school and outline why we need to work together to make safer and more inclusive places to learn.
Hei whakaaro ake
Food for thought
- What kind of successful initiatives to reduce harm to LGBTQ+ have you seen that could work in your community?
- How could you help raise youth voices to the people who need to listen?
- What actions could be taken to lessen the long-term impacts suffered by LGBTQ+ youth?
