Whereas, for every year since its initiation in 1996, LGBTQI+ students, teachers, and allies have recognized a National Day of Silence to bring attention to the silencing of LGBTQI+ students through harassment and bullying;

Whereas, for more than 2 decades, Congress has supported a resolution for a National Day of Silence, a resolution for No Name-Calling Week, and most recently, a Rise Up Resolution to demand equal educational opportunities, basic civil rights protections, and freedom from erasure for all students;

Whereas young people, teachers, school staff, families, and communities must be free from transphobia, homophobia, racism, sexism, and ableism in K–12 schools;

Whereas K–12 schools must be safe and inclusive learning environments that include and affirm LGBTQI+ young people, especially those who are transgender, nonbinary, intersex, Black, Indigenous, people of color, and people with disabilities and those who are from communities that experience marginalization;

Whereas LGBTQI+ young people frequently experience bias-based bullying and harassment, discrimination, and punitive discipline that increases the likelihood they will enter the school-to-prison pipeline, and Glisten’s 2025 National School Climate Survey showed that—

(1)

58 percent of LGBTQI+ students reported being verbally harassed by their peers at school because of their sexual orientation, and nearly 57 percent because of their gender identity;

(2)

nearly 23 percent of LGBTQI+ students reported being physically harassed by their peers at school because of their sexual orientation, and 23 percent because of their gender identity;

(3)

8 percent of LGBTQI+ students reported being physically assaulted by their peers at school because of their sexual orientation, and over 9 percent because of their gender identity; and

(4)

for Black, Indigenous, and students of color, these trends were exacerbated, with 75 percent of students reporting experiencing harassment or assault related to their sexual orientation and/or gender identity;

Whereas Glisten’s 2025 National School Climate Survey found that 67 percent of LGBTQI+ students reported that they felt unsafe in school because of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity in 2025, and nearly 30 percent reported missing at least one entire school day in the preceding month because of safety concerns;

Whereas over 200 anti-LGBTQI+ education bills have been introduced each year in State legislatures across the country, the majority of which specifically target transgender and nonbinary young people, including—

(1)

in the 27 States that have enacted policies between 2021 and 2025 that prohibit transgender students from playing alongside their peers on school sports teams; and

(2)

in the 20 States that have enacted laws between 2021 and 2025 that prevent transgender students from using the school bathroom or locker room that corresponds with their gender identity;

Whereas LGBTQI+ young people are more likely than their non-LGBTQI+ peers to experience mental health concerns, including stress, anxiety, and depression;

Whereas nearly half of LGBTQI+ young people seriously considered suicide in the last year, a trend that increases among Indigenous, Black, and multiracial LGBTQI+ young people;

Whereas Glisten’s 2025 National School Climate Survey found that 7 percent of LGBTQI+ youth surveyed had to change schools in the previous year because they felt uncomfortable and unsafe at school, and more than a quarter of LGBTQI+ students who did not see themselves graduating from high school said that anti-LGBTQI+ policies or practices at school were a contributing factor;

Whereas States have passed or attempted to pass legislation that erases or censors LGBTQI+ individuals, history, and contributions from classroom literature and curricula, including in 14 States that enacted laws censoring instruction related to LGBTQI+ people;

Whereas these laws harm students and force families to consider leaving their homes, as demonstrated by Williams Institute reporting which found that, in the year following the 2022 passage of the Parental Rights in Education Act by the Florida State legislature, 56 percent of LGBTQI+ parents of students in Florida considered moving out of Florida, and 16.5 percent have taken steps to move out of the State;

Whereas 90 percent of transgender and nonbinary young people say that recent debates prompted by State legislation restricting the rights of transgender individuals have negatively impacted their mental health;

Whereas data provided by the Department of Justice show that there were a reported 222 anti-LGBTQI+ hate crimes in schools in 2024;

Whereas every young person must have equal educational opportunity and freedom from the fear that their basic civil and educational rights will be taken away from them;

Whereas young people who develop in positive school climates, free from bullying, harassment, and discrimination, report greater physical and psychological safety, greater mental well-being, and improved educational and life outcomes;

Whereas positive school transformation must recognize that safety is too low of a bar and that all communities deserve to be acknowledged and affirmed in schools;

Whereas students and families, educators, and community members in every State and territory are advocating for safe and inclusive learning environments that affirm LGBTQI+ young people, particularly those who are transgender, nonbinary, intersex, Black, Indigenous, people of color, and people with disabilities;

Whereas affirming policies such as enumerated antibullying protections, gender neutral dress code guidelines, and inclusive learning practices are proven strategies to address hostile learning environments for all students; and

Whereas we must all demand the best possible future for all young people in schools, particularly those who identify as LGBTQI+, without exception: Now, therefore, be it