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ETR Associates' Report Estimates Population Size and Demographics of LGBT Youth in San Francisco Middle Schools

ETR Associates today announced the online release of a research study examining the size and characteristics of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth population in San Francisco's public middle schools. Results show that 3.8% of middle school students identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual and 1.3% identify as transgender. The study also found that although lesbian, gay or bisexual (LGB) students were represented in each race/ethnicity group, Chinese students, who comprised 38.3% of the survey sample, reported a significantly smaller LGB population than African American, Hispanic/Latino, White or Multiple-Race students.

The study, which will appear in the February issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health, is based on results of the 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) administered by ETR in the San Francisco Unified School District's 22 middle schools.

According to lead author Dr. John P. Shields, senior research associate at ETR, "To our knowledge, this is the first published study using a randomized survey to assess the size and demographic characteristics of the LGBT population at the middle school level. The results show that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students are in fact a significant part of the middle school community."

The article was co-authored by ETR Associates staff researchers Rebekah Cohen, Dr. Jill Glassman, Kelly Whitaker and Heather Franks, in collaboration with the school district's Ilsa Bertolini, School Climate Coordinator with the Student, Family and Community Support Services Department's School Health Programs Office. In 2011, the district continued its exemplary leadership by becoming the first public school system in the nation to include items on both sexual orientation and gender identity on their middle school YRBS.

Study authors advocate that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which oversees the YRBS across the nation, require the inclusion of sexual orientation and gender identity questions on the YRBS. Dr. Shields said, "It is imperative that all middle school and high school YRBS administration sites include items on sexual orientation and gender identity as they would any other demographic item, such as race/ethnicity, sex or age. In our view, the current lack of reliable data on the size and characteristics of the LGBT youth population severely limits the capacity of policy makers, administrators and practitioners to address these young people's health and wellness needs."

To review the research abstract, please visit: http://www.jahonline.org/article/S1054-139X(12)00258-3/abstract. For more information regarding this study, please contact Dr. John P. Shields at johns@etr.org. For more information about ETR Associates, please visit: www.etr.org.

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