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2023 Survey for LGBTQ Youth in West Virginia

You are invited to participate in a survey about the experiences of LGBTQ youth who live in West Virginia. The goal of this research study is to collect and publish data about what LGBTQ youth experience at home and at school. This study is being conducted by Fairness West Virginia, a statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to fair treatment and civil rights for LGBTQ West Virginians. 

There are three qualifications to participate in this study: (1) You must identify as a member of the LGBTQ community; (2) You must live in West Virginia; (3) You must be a current WV student in Middle or High School, between Grade 6 and Grade 12.

Participation in this study is voluntary. If you agree to participate in this study, you will be presented with survey questions that should take 30-45 minutes to complete. The survey includes questions about your identity, your school experiences, your mental health and your future plans. Participating in this study may not benefit you directly, but it will help us learn how West Virginia schools can better support LGBTQ students. Trigger Warning: there are personal questions including on abuse, neglect and suicide. 

You may find answering some of the questions upsetting, but we expect that this would not be different from the kinds of things you discuss with family or friends. You may skip any questions you don’t want to answer and you may end the survey at any time. The information you will share with us will be kept completely confidential. When the survey is completed, Fairness WV will publish the results but no personally identifying information will be released.

If you have any questions about this survey, please contact Fairness WV at info@fairnesswv.org or by phone at 681-265-9062

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* 1. Do you agree to participate in this survey?

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* 2. What grade are you in?

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* 3. If you have already graduated, what year did you graduate?

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* 4. What is your zip code?

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* 5. What type of school do you attend?

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* 6. Sexual orientation is a person’s emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions to another.  Sometimes we have to create categories to make it easier to understand our findings, and we want to make sure you are represented in the best category. Please pick the term that best describes your sexual orientation.

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* 7. Gender identity is how someone feels about their own gender. Sometimes we have to create categories to make it easier to present our findings and we want to make sure you are represented in the best category. Please pick the term that best describes your current gender identity.

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* 8. What sex were you assigned at birth, on your original birth certificate?

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* 9. Some people describe themselves as transgender and/or nonbinary when the way they think or feel about their gender is different from their sex assigned at birth. Do you identify as transgender and/or nonbinary?

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* 10. During the past 30 days, where did you usually sleep?

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* 11. Do your parents or guardian know that you identify as a member of the LGBTQ community?

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* 12. Do other members of your family know that you identify as a member of the LGBTQ community?

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* 13. If you answered NO to Question 11 or Question 12, use the space below to elaborate on your answers. What made you decide not to tell members of your family about your identity?

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* 14. Do you feel that your family supports your identity? Use the space below to describe what they do to support or not support you.

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* 15. During your life, how often has a parent or other adult in your home insulted you or put you down?

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* 16. During your life, how often has a parent or other adult in your home hit, beat, kicked, or physically hurt you in any way?

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* 17. During your life, how often have your parents or other adults in your home slapped, hit, kicked, punched, or beat each other up?

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* 18. Has your guardian intervened on your behalf when there was an issue at school or in public in which you were not treated fairly? If so, use the space below to tell us about that experience and what came of it.

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* 19. During the past 12 months, how would you describe your grades in school?

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* 20. Do you agree or disagree that you feel close to people at your school?

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* 21. How many friends do you feel close to at school?

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* 22. Does your school have a GSA or similar club for LGBTQ students? A GSA is sometimes called a Gay-Straight Alliance or Gender-Sexuality Alliance.

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* 23. If your school does have a GSA or similar club, do you participate in the group’s activities?

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* 24. During the past 12 months, have you participated in any lessons or activities at school about how to recognize and respond to warning signs of suicide in yourself or your friends?

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* 25. During the past 12 months, do you feel that you have been unfairly disciplined at school?

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* 26. If you answered YES to Question 25, use the space below to tell us more about what happened. How were you disciplined and why?

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* 27. During your time a school, how often have you felt that you were treated badly or unfairly in school because of your sexual orientation?

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* 28. During your time at school, how often have you felt that you were treated badly or unfairly in school because of your gender identity?

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* 29. What good things has your school done to support LGBTQ students?

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* 30. What could your school do to be more supportive to LGBTQ students?

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* 31. For Question 31 through Question 41, indicate on a scale of 1 to 5 whether or not you agree with the statement. 
The culture and climate of my school is welcoming and supportive of LGBTQ students.

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* 32. My teachers seem trained on supporting LGBTQ students.

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* 33. My school creates a safe environment for LGBTQ students

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* 34. I understand my rights as an LGBTQ student in West Virginia schools.

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* 35. Teachers at my school respect the privacy of their students and do not discuss private student matters in front of others.

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* 36. The adults in my school use the correct names and pronouns of transgender students.

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* 37. Students at my school are allowed to express themselves through their hairstyle, clothing, makeup and other attire.

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* 38. I feel proud of my school and its accomplishments. 

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* 39. I know who to go to at school when I need academic assistance.

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* 40. I know who to go to at school when I need mental health assistance.

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* 41. I know who to go to at school when I have an issue with harassment, intimidation or bullying.

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* 42. During the past 30 days, on how many days did you not go to school because you felt you would be unsafe at school or on your way to or from school?

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* 43. During the past 30 days, how often was your mental health not good? (Poor mental health includes stress, anxiety, and depression.)

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* 44. During the past 12 months, did you ever feel so sad or hopeless almost every day for two weeks or more in a row that you stopped doing some usual activities?

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* 45. During the past 12 months, have you ever been harassed or intimidated on school property?

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* 46. If you answered yes to Question 45, did you report the incident to any school staff members?

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* 47. If you answered yes Question 46, use the space below to elaborate on what happened when you reported the incident. How did school staff respond? Did the harassment and intimidation stop?

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* 48. During the past 12 months, have you ever been electronically targeted? (Count being bullied through texting, Instagram, Facebook, or other social media.)

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* 49. During the past 12 months, have you seriously considered suicide?

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* 50. During the past 12 months, did you make a plan about how you would attempt suicide?

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* 51. During the past 12 months, have you attempted suicide?

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* 52. Conversion therapy is a pseudoscientific practice where a medical provider attempts to change someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Throughout your entire life, have you ever experienced conversion therapy?

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* 53. If you answered YES to Question 52, use the space below to tell us more about your experience. Where did you experience conversion therapy? Did you willingly participate, or were you forced to by a parent or guardian?

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* 54. Questions 54-58 are for transgender students ONLY: During your life, how often have you felt that you were treated badly or unfairly in school because of your status as a transgender student?

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* 55. Questions 54-58 are for transgender students ONLY: Have you asked school staff members to use a name for you that is different from the legal name you were given?

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* 56. Questions 54-58 are for transgender students ONLY: If you selected yes to Question 55, how often do school staff members respect and use your chosen name?

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* 57. Questions 54-58 are for transgender students ONLY: How often do school staff members use the correct pronouns that align with your gender identity?

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* 58. Questions 54-58 are for transgender students ONLY: Have you ever been prevented from using the restroom or locker room that aligns with your gender identity at school?

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* 59. How often do you observe bullying, intimidation or harassment at your school?

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* 60. Check the type of bullying you have observed in the past 12 months. Check all that apply.

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* 61. Do you feel that West Virginia is a welcoming place where LGBTQ people can live happy, fulfilling lives?

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* 62. Do you feel that West Virginia is on the right track?

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* 63. Use the space below to explain your answer to Question 62. Why do you feel or why do you not feel that West Virginia is on the right track?

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* 64. When you imagine your future life as an adult, where do you imagine building a future for yourself?

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* 65. West Virginia legislators considered a variety of new anti-LGBTQ laws in the past six months, including a proposal to ban rainbow flags in classrooms. These proposals were talked about on the news and on social media. Did you hear about any of these proposals?

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* 66. If you answer YES to Question 65, how much of an impact did this news have on your mental health?

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* 67. If you answered YES to Question 65, did hearing that news make you more or less likely to consider living in West Virginia after school or as an adult?

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* 68. The Fairness Act is a piece of legislation that has been proposed by some WV legislators. This proposal would ban anti-LGBTQ discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations. If the Fairness Act were adopted by WV legislators, would you be more or less likely to stay in West Virginia after school or as an adult?

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* 69. We’ve asked you a lot of questions about your experiences at home and at school, and now we’d like to hear about any experience you have not yet shared. Please use the space below to tell us anything you’d like us to know about what it’s like to be a young LGBTQ person in West Virginia.

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* 70. We may need to reach out to some people who take this survey to ask some follow-up questions. Can we contact you at a later date to discuss this survey with you?

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* 71. If you answer YES to Question 69, how can we contact you? Please list your email, phone number or any other contact information we may need to reach out.

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* 72. What help, services, or programs would you like to see created to help you be academically, socially or emotionally successful? Include anything to support schools, personal life, etc.

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