A report released this week by GLISTEN and the Trevor Project puts numbers behind something trans and nonbinary students have known for years: the adults in the building matter. Not the policies framed on the wall. Not the diversity statement on the website. The individual teachers who use a student’s name, who teach LGBTQ+ topics without treating them as controversial, and who show up when it counts.
The findings are specific enough to be useful. Students whose identities are affirmed at school report a greater sense of belonging and higher grades, and are more likely to participate fully in class. The report also found that connecting with LGBTQ+ peers, seeing positive representations in classroom materials, and attending schools with inclusive policies all contribute to better outcomes.
But here is the part that matters for students reading this: more than half of trans and nonbinary respondents said their school had implemented at least one policy or practice that was discriminatory toward LGBTQ+ students. Roughly 60 percent reported experiencing at least one negative event related to their gender identity at school. The support exists, but it is uneven, and finding it often requires knowing where to look.
What the data says about teacher support
Derrick Matthews, director of research science at the Trevor Project, put it directly: “School environments can play a powerful role in determining whether transgender and nonbinary students thrive or struggle at school.”
The report identifies three specific teacher behaviors that correlate with measurably better outcomes for trans students. First, asking about and affirming a student’s name and pronouns. This is not a symbolic gesture. Students who reported being addressed by their correct name and pronouns consistently by teachers showed higher grades and stronger sense of belonging than those who did not. Second, teaching and talking about LGBTQ+ topics in class. This does not mean every lesson centers on gender identity. It means that when LGBTQ+ history, literature, or current events come up, the teacher engages with them honestly rather than skipping the material or treating it as optional. Third, supporting student-led LGBTQ+ groups like Gender and Sexuality Alliances. Teachers who sponsor or actively support these clubs create visible signals that the school environment is safer than it might otherwise appear.
Shweta Moorthy, director of research and best practices at GLISTEN, noted that students want teachers to take greater action beyond these basics. The report suggests that students are looking for teachers who go beyond tolerance toward active advocacy — teachers who challenge discriminatory language when they hear it, who push back on policies that harm their students, and who make it clear through their actions, not just their words, that they are safe people.
Why individual teachers matter more than you might think
Policies help. Inclusive nondiscrimination statements, restrooms that accommodate gender identities, sports policies that do not require medical documentation. These create a baseline. But the report makes clear that policies alone do not determine a student’s day-to-day experience. A school can have a supportive nondiscrimination policy on paper while individual teachers misgender students in classrooms, refuse to use chosen names on attendance sheets, or avoid LGBTQ+ topics entirely.
For trans and nonbinary students, the gap between policy and practice is where the real damage happens. A student who is protected by policy but surrounded by teachers who will not use their name is still experiencing harm. A student whose school has a Gender and Sexuality Alliance but whose teachers discourage them from attending is still isolated.
The reverse is also true. A student in a school with hostile policies can find real support in a single teacher who creates a safe space in their classroom. The report does not measure this directly, but the qualitative data from student interviews points to it repeatedly: one caring adult can change a student’s entire experience of school.
This is not a new finding, but the GLISTEN/Trevor Project data puts it in sharper focus than previous research. The correlation between teacher affirmation and student outcomes is not marginal. Students who reported consistent teacher affirmation showed measurably higher grades, stronger attendance, and greater willingness to participate in class activities. These are not abstract wellbeing metrics. They are the academic outcomes that determine college admissions, scholarship eligibility, and long-term career trajectories. A teacher who uses a student’s correct name is not just being kind. They are removing a barrier that directly affects that student’s future.
The report also found that the impact compounds. A student with one affirming teacher is better off than a student with none. A student with three or four is better off still. The effect does not plateau in the way that some school interventions do. More support from more adults equals better outcomes, consistently.
What students can do with this information
If you are a trans or nonbinary student, the report’s findings suggest a few concrete steps.
Start by identifying which teachers are already doing the work. The ones who use correct pronouns without being asked. The ones who include LGBTQ+ perspectives in their teaching. The ones who sponsor or support student organizations. These teachers are your first line of support, and they can often connect you with others in the building who share their approach.
If you do not have a teacher like this, consider approaching one who seems open. You do not need to share everything about your identity. A simple conversation about how you would like to be addressed in class, or a question about whether the school has resources for LGBTQ+ students, can tell you a lot about where that teacher stands. Some will surprise you. Others will not be able to help, but most will at least point you toward someone who can.
Look into whether your school has a Gender and Sexuality Alliance or similar student group. If it does, attend a meeting. If it does not, consider starting one. The report found that students who connect with LGBTQ+ peers at school report better outcomes across the board. A student group is often the most accessible way to build that connection, especially in schools where individual support from adults is limited.
If you are dealing with discriminatory policies or treatment, document what is happening. Write down dates, names, and specific incidents. This information is useful if you decide to talk to an administrator, contact an organization like the ACLU or GLSEN, or pursue a formal complaint. California students have additional protections under state law, including Cal. Ed. Code Section 220.3, which prohibits schools from requiring staff to disclose a student’s gender identity or sexual orientation without consent. Other states have their own protections, and organizations like the ACLU maintain updated guides on what rights you have where you live.
The gap between research and reality
The GLISTEN/Trevor Project report is not the first to find that supportive school environments improve outcomes for LGBTQ+ students. What makes this one useful is its specificity. It does not just say “support matters.” It names the behaviors that constitute support, identifies which ones students say they want more of, and quantifies the gap between what schools provide and what students experience.
That gap is wide. More than half of respondents reported discriminatory policies or practices at their school. Sixty percent had experienced a negative event related to their gender identity. These numbers describe a landscape where supportive teachers are not just helpful but necessary, because the institutional infrastructure is often working against students rather than for them.
The report also highlights a disconnect between what students want and what schools think they need. Schools often invest in large-scale programs — assemblies, posters, awareness weeks — while students say they want consistent, daily behavior from the adults they interact with most. A poster in the hallway that says “All Are Welcome Here” does not help a student whose teacher refuses to use their pronouns in third period. The most effective interventions are not events. They are habits.
For teachers reading this, the report is a reminder that your daily interactions with students carry more weight than you might realize. Using a student’s correct name is not a political statement. Teaching LGBTQ+ history is not activism. Supporting a student club is not taking sides. These are baseline professional behaviors that have measurable effects on student outcomes. The data is clear on this point.
What comes next
The report notes that policies affecting trans students vary broadly across states and districts, and the federal landscape continues to shift. In this environment, the most reliable support for trans and nonbinary students comes from the people closest to them — teachers, counselors, peers, and family members who are willing to act.
Students cannot control whether their state passes hostile legislation or their school board revises its nondiscrimination policy. But they can control whether they seek out the support that exists, build connections with affirming adults and peers, and advocate for themselves when they have the energy to do so. The report’s data makes a strong case that these actions produce real, measurable benefits.
One thing worth noting: the report’s findings apply to college students too, not just K-12. The same dynamics play out on campus. A professor who uses your correct name in a lecture hall of 200 students is doing something meaningful. A resident advisor who creates space for trans students in a dorm is building the kind of environment the data says works. The scale is different, but the principle is the same. Affirmation from adults in positions of authority has a measurable impact on student outcomes, regardless of the educational setting.
If you are an educator, the report is a call to examine your own practice. Not whether you consider yourself an ally — most teachers who read a report like this already do — but whether your daily behavior reflects that. Are you using students’ correct names and pronouns consistently, even when it is inconvenient? Are you including LGBTQ+ perspectives in your curriculum, or treating them as optional add-ons? Are you supporting student organizations, or quietly hoping someone else will sponsor them? The data says these specific behaviors matter more than intentions.
The full report from GLISTEN and the Trevor Project is available through both organizations’ websites. Students looking for immediate support can reach the Trevor Project’s crisis line at 1-866-488-7386 or text START to 678-678.
