The Influence of Anti-LGBT Discrimination Laws on SchoolClimate and Outcomes for LGBT Youth

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender high school students face challenges that impede their
academic, social, and emotional wellbeing. School policies that provide resources and
protections for LGBT students mitigate these challenges, and lead to better outcomes for LGBT
students. LGBT adults face challenges in sectors like employment protection and hate crime
prevalence, and many states have passed laws that expand protections for these adults. This
thesis aims to investigate the relationship between state-level, anti-LGBT discrimination policies
and high-school student wellbeing by analyzing patterns of policy diffusion and the policies’
effects on schools. Using a mixed methods approach that combines linear regression analysis
with qualitative social research of two school district case studies, this analysis will provide
evidence on the social benefit of expansive civil rights legislation for LGBT individuals and the
spread of its externalities to schools.