Over the past several years, the amount of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation appearing in state legislatures around the country has been on the rise. In 2024 alone the ACLU is tracking 463 anti-LGBTQ+ bills in the US, with 172 of those bills attempting to restrict the rights of students and educators, according to the organization’s legislation tracker. While currently, none of the bills come from Nevada’s state legislature, the absence of inclusive school policies makes it difficult for LGBTQ+ students to feel supported and valued.
As the State Director of the Nevada civil rights organization – Silver State Equality – GLAAD Media Institute alumnus André Wade works to uplift youth leaders in the LGBTQ+ community. In 2022, Wade created the LGBTQ+ Student Advisory Council to help identify and recommend changes that need to be made in order to increase acceptance of LGBTQ+ youth in Nevada schools. In pursuit of their goal, the council embarked on an online survey and listening campaign in which it conducted in-depth interviews with LGBTQ+ youth in Nevada to better understand the extent of the issue.
In a Las Vegas Sun op-ed, Wade writes, “The recommendations of the LGBTQ+ Student Advisory Council stand in stark contrast to some of the horrible commentary spewed by outside groups at Clark County School District (CCSD) board of trustee meetings.” While the council advocates for including LGBTQ+ history, stories, and authors in school curriculum, anti-LGBTQ groups such as Moms for Liberty are calling for book bans; often targeting the removal of LGBTQ+ themed books. This rhetoric has even seeped into the CCSD board of trustees with some attendees demanding a shift away from inclusive policies.
Thus, it comes as no surprise that one of the most unsettling findings of the Nevada Student Advisory Survey’s report is that 79% of respondents have “experienced discrimination from those in authority for their LGBTQ+ identity.” Moreover, almost 49% of LGBTQ+ students reported having been deliberately excluded by peers within the last 6 months; one Nevada 12th grader is quoted saying, “The [school] climate right now is very toxic and mentally taxing.”
As anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and bills continue to spread, queer youth around the country are becoming increasingly vulnerable to mental and physical harm. This is especially evident in Owasso, Oklahoma where 16-year-old nonbinary student, Nex Benedict (they/them), died on February 8, 2024 after being beaten in the school restroom the day prior. Of the 463 anti-LGBTQ bills that have been introduced into state legislatures this year, 54 of them are from Oklahoma – the most from any state.
To that effect, collaboration between local activists, advocacy groups, and organizations like the GLAAD Media Institute must continue. In September 2023, the GMI traveled to Las Vegas, Nevada for its event Telling Your Story: Messaging & Media Tools for Today’s Activist. During the workshop, the GMI focused on amplifying the voices of LGBTQ+ advocates and leaders in Southern Nevada while listening to them discuss how they work towards achieving full equality for the queer community. Recently, the GLAAD Media Institute traveled to Owasso, Oklahoma where it sought to elevate the voices of Nex Benedict’s family and local LGBTQ+ advocacy groups such as Freedom Oklahoma, and Black Queer Tulsa.
Even so, there is still more work to be done. As André Wade writes, “It’s important that we listen to the voices of our LGBTQ+ students who want lawmakers, decision makers, and community members to do their part to create a world and school environment that is healthy, just and fully equal, so they can better learn, grow and thrive in school.”