The FREE Project: Relatório preliminar sobre jovens LGBTQ+ e clima escolar em Portugal

Discrimination and bullying based on biological sexual characteristics, sexual orientation, and gender expression and identity have been identified as a global problem that violates the human rights of LGBTQ+ youth, undermining their biopsychosocial well-being and educational success. At the same time, the way schools seek to integrate LGBTQ+ themes into their curriculum and deal with this problem is still far from being sufficient and is not always perceived by this population as effective.

The present report presents data from a study focusing on the school experiences of youths carried out in Portugal, as part of the European Research Project FREE (Fostering the Right to Education in Europe), coordinated by the University of Ghent with the support of FWO - Research Foundation Flanders and with the Portuguese partnership of Centro de Psicologia Diferencial /Centro de Psicologia da Universidade do Porto from Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences of the University of Porto (FPCEUP).

The study aimed, on the one hand, to investigate the experiences and perceptions of students from elementary and high schools about issues related to sexual and gender diversity and, on the other hand, to understand how schools have developed responses against prejudice and discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and expression and in promoting the well-being and inclusion of its student population.

This report presents data collected on the experiences of LGBTQ+ youth in the portuguese school context. The LGBTQ+ students surveyed report being bullied more often, and do not always rate their school's intervention as attentive or effective. As a result, they often choose to remain invisible, both at school and in the family context. It is hoped that the results presented will allow a better understanding of this phenomenon and contribute to the development of more effective prevention and intervention strategies, in order to guarantee the safety and well-being of the entire school community in portuguese territory.