Edmonds Schools' LGBTQ+ Community Event Set For March

EDMONDS, WA - To provide more support for LGBTQ+ students and their families, the Edmonds School District in 2018 launched its inaugural LGBTQ+ Community Event, inviting speakers and experts to provide information on equity, diversity, and health through workshops and lectures.

Following the success of last year's event, the school district set its sights on improving and enhancing the experience for attendees in 2019.

Set for mid-March, the second annual LGBTQ+ Community Event will be longer, have more workshops and speakers, and ultimately provide more opportunities to connect youth, families, and community members with resources and support groups that can meet their needs, according to event organizer and ESD Family and Community Engagement Coordinator Sally Guzmán.

"Last year's event went so well," Guzmán said, explaining the district's justification for making this year's event bigger and better. "Offering this support is shown to help students both academically and socially."

Citing national statistics and a 2012 study on transgender youth, Guzmán said LGBTQ+ kids with supportive parents report much higher life satisfaction, in general, and significantly lower rates of social problems, such as depression or housing issues.

According to Trans Student Educational Resources (TSER), which surveyed 433 individuals across the nation for its study, 70 percent of trans youth with supportive families reported "very good" or "excellent" mental health, while only 15 precent of youth without supportive families said the same.

Further, and perhaps more disturbing, not one kid with supportive parents said they had issues with housing, while more than half the kids without supportive parents said they'd had issues finding and keeping places to live.

Nationally, Guzmán said, 40 percent of homeless youth identify as LGBTQ+; and TSER reports nearly one in three transgender folks have been turned away from shelters — with 15 percent of surveyed homeless shelters admitting that supporting homeless LGBTQ+ youth is "not central to their mission."

"With higher rates of depression, suicide, and housing issues, it's important to educate families and school staff to be better allies (for LGBTQ+ youth)," Guzmán said. "So to honor that community, the district brought in a variety of local experts to share information and provide that education."

School nurses and counselors, representatives from North Seattle's Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) group, local mental health specialists from Snohomish County, six LGBTQ+ high school students and four or five ESD staff members will inform 20 different 45-minute workshops and break-out sessions between 3 and 8 p.m. March 13 at Meadowdale Middle School, located at 6500 168th St. SW in Lynnwood.

Workshop, lecture, and panel topics will cover healthy relationships, LGBTQ+ advocacy, gender identity and diversity, as well as both high school and college students' experiences.

Childcare and a light dinner will be provided during the event, which is free thanks to a generous grant from the Verdant Health Commission.

According to The Verdant Health Commission, which supports the health of all youth within the agency's district, "Data from the 2016 Healthy Youth Survey shows that 27.2 percent of 10th-grade youth who identified as gay, lesbian, or bisexual attempted suicide, as compared to 8.1 percent of 10th-grade youth who identified as straight."

Noting that statistic specifically, Verdant Health spokeswoman Jennifer Piplic said the figures were seen as "alarming" and merited an investment to support the school district’s important work with students and families.

"The Verdant Health Commission has long understood the need to help our community’s youth especially those who have a higher need for support," Verdant Superintendent Robin Fenn in an email to Patch. "We appreciate the Edmonds School District for their continued willingness to promote programs that will help build the resilience of our younger residents."

Registration is not required unless you or your family needs an interpreter; in which case a three-day advance notice is requested so interpreter arrangements can be made. A Spanish language interpreter is already scheduled, Guzmán said.

For more information on this event, call Guzmán at 425-431-4267, or email guzmanreyess@edmonds.wednet.edu.

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