As the new school year starts, Nebraska teachers will again be focusing on their students' emotional well-being and safety as well as academic success.

For some students who identify as LGBTQ+, it will be especially important. On the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's's 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, the highest incidence of bullying, both at school and online, was reported by LGBTQ+ students.

Isabella Manhart, a member of the LGBTQ+ community and a teacher education student at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, who is researching the school experiences of transgender and nonbinary students, stressed the important role the classroom environment plays.

"Are there 'safe space' stickers? Are there ways for students to recognize that this is a place where they can feel safe and included?" Manhart asked. "Those things we can often overlook, because they feel very small, but they are really important for students to feel like they are safe in the classroom space."

Manhart emphasized schools also need to ensure mental health resources are available and accessible to students. Beginning last school year, Legislative Bill 852 requires every Nebraska school to have one or more "behavioral points of contact" familiar with community behavioral health resources available for students and families.

Manhart urged Nebraska teachers to be sensitive to the way state, local and district policies may be affecting their LGBTQ+ students and knowledgeable about the students' rights.

"Regarding privacy, regarding using their preferred name and pronouns, accessing bathrooms, dress codes, all those things," Manhart outlined. "Students have rights at schools that sometimes principals and district officials don't know."

The National Education Association encourages using correct names and pronouns, saying it increases trust and feelings of belonging.

Grant Friedman, legal fellow at the ACLU of Nebraska, agreed. He said schools should use a student's chosen name and pronouns wherever possible, such as on student IDs, class attendance rosters and yearbooks.

"A person's legal name should really only appear in their official file, and schools should be doing everything they can to support students," Friedman urged. "That includes using their chosen name and pronouns. But there is no law that requires a school to use a student's legal name."

By Andrew Tobias for Signal Cleveland.
Broadcast version by Shanteya Hudson for Ohio News Connection reporting for the Signal Ohio-Public News Service Collaboration

State Sen. Nickie Antonio of Lakewood and other Democrats in the Ohio Senate gave a forceful defense of their party’s stance on transgender rights this week after majority Republicans approved a bathroom bill for state schools and universities.

The bill would require K-12 schools and colleges to designate bathrooms and locker rooms for single-sex use based on students’ sex assigned at birth. The bill passed 23-7, with all Republicans voting “yes” and Democrats voting “no.” It now heads to Gov. Mike DeWine, who soon will decide whether or not to sign it into law.

The vote offered an early example in Ohio of how Democrats may approach LGBTQ issues following the Nov. 5 election. Before the election, Republicans hammered Sen. Sherrod Brown and other vulnerable Democrats on transgender issues.

Since then, some Democrats have suggested backing off of defending transgender rights to try to broaden the party’s appeal, particularly among minority and working-class voters who tend to be more socially conservative. Polling commissioned by Ideastream Public Media, WKYC and Signal Ohio found a majority of Northeast Ohio voters surveyed, including a significant number of Democrats, support the Republican position. LGBTQ advocates have said transgender-related issues are misunderstood by the public unless they have a personal connection. 

But Antonio, who in 2010 became the first openly gay person elected to the state legislature, said Senate Democrats didn’t privately debate the bill’s political merits ahead of the vote. Rather, their discussion focused on how they viewed it as morally wrong.

“We are not going to kick transgender people to the curb and say, well, you’re just dragging us down,” Antonio told Signal Statewide.

During the debate on the floor of the Ohio Senate on Thursday before the vote on the transgender bathroom bill, Republican senators said the election results reinforce that public opinion is on their side.

“Ohioans and Americans … don’t want boys in girls’ sports, they don’t want boys in girls’ locker rooms. They don’t want girls in boys’ bathrooms. It’s for the safety of the kids. And this message was sent loud and clear last week during the national election,” said state Sen. Kristina Roegner, a Hudson Republican.

But Democrats said they view the matter as a civil rights issue.

Antonio said she’s previously resisted private calls to remove the “T” from an LGBTQ nondiscrimination bill that a coalition of gay-rights groups and businesses have tried to pass unsuccessfully for years.

“There has been an effort to segment them off because they are the most marginalized, the most vulnerable, the most misunderstood,” Antonio said of transgender people. “That doesn’t mean we should do it. That means a lot more work has to happen for people to understand rather than malign them.”


Andrew Tobias wrote this article for Signal Cleveland. This story was produced in association with Media in the Public Interest and funded in part by the George Gund Foundation.


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The U.S. Supreme Court is deciding whether to review a Wisconsin case over the issue of gender identity at school.

The case Parents Protecting Our Children v. Eau Claire Area School District asks to strike down a school policy some parents believe infringes upon their right to make major health-related decisions with their children.

The district said its policy was created to provide direction and resources for transgender students and those with questions about their gender identity, including when they do not feel safe or accepted at home.

Hayley Archer, staff attorney at the ACLU of Wisconsin, said the focus should remain on the children.

"I believe one of the reasons that this question is debated is because it is complex," Archer observed. "We're balancing the rights of parents, we're balancing the rights of schools, we're balancing the rights of students. And ultimately, the safety of the student, in my opinion, the most important of these rights."

The parent group argued the school policy encourages kids to hide important aspects of their health, like changing pronouns at school. Lower courts have dismissed the case because none of the group's children are involved. So, it is now asking the U.S. Supreme Court, which hears about 1% of requested cases, to review it.

Luke Berg, deputy counsel at the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, who represents Parents Protecting Our Children, said usurping parental rights can be harmful to kids with questions about their gender identity.

"Children who have struggled with this and later come out of it have said, 'It was not actually helpful for me to have adults around me affirming that I was really the opposite sex; it actually confused me further.'" Berg asserted. "This can do harm to children and in our view, that's why parents need to be involved."

The Wisconsin Office of Children's Mental Health reports nearly half of LGBTQ+ youth in the state seriously consider suicide. Nationwide, the rates drop significantly for transgender and nonbinary youth who feel accepted at home, according to the Trevor Project. It noted, however, fewer than 40% of LGBTQ+ youth feel accepted at home.


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Members of the LGBTQ+ community in Nevada and around the country are concerned about what a second Trump presidency could mean for their safety, rights and protections.

The Trevor Project's Director of Communications Zach Eisenstein said following Election Day, his organization saw a 700% increase in calls, texts and chats compared to weeks prior.

That's the biggest daily surge since they started offering 24-7 services in 2019.

For years, the organization has provided LGBTQ+ youths help and support for health challenges like depression, anxiety and suicide.

Eisenstein said despite the real fear, he knows the LGBTQ+ community will be resilient.

"We have to acknowledge this is a difficult time and there are many challenges that lie ahead, but this is not new for the LGBTQ+ community," said Eisenstein. "Throughout our history, our community has had to fight for our rights and we will continue to do so just as we always have."

Eisenstein said The Trevor Project's mission will remain the same in 2025 and for years to come no matter who is in the White House.

He added that they've developed a new guide to help folks navigate these challenging times.

It encompasses taking time to disconnect and prioritize mental health to finding community and getting involved with local LGBTQ+ organizations.

Eisenstein said he wants to remind folks that laws and policies don't change overnight.

He added there were some notable wins at the state level with various LGBTQ+ candidates winning state offices.

States also passed ballot measures that'll add protections for marriage equality in Colorado, Hawaii, and California.

"So we are really encouraging folks to just give themselves the permission," said Eisenstein, "to take things one step at a time, and really take care of themselves and their mental health right now."

Nevada's 83rd legislative session begins in February. Eisenstein said his organization will be keeping a close eye and continue to advocate for LGBTQ+ young people.

If you or someone you know needs support, you can reach The Trevor Project by calling 1-866-488-7386 or by texting START to 678-678.