This study explored sexual orientation and gender identity as predictors of health literacy among adolescents attending New York City (NYC) public high schools. Many studies have demonstrated disparities in sexual health among sexual and gender minority (SGM) adolescents. However, little is known about their health literacy. Health literacy,…

Iowa's Senate File 496 requires parent permission to formally survey students about their mental health, bans the discussion of gender identity and sexual orientation in schools before 7th grade, mandates schools obtain parental permission to use a nick name, and bans any books that depict or describe sex acts in schools. This exploratory case…

The purpose of this study was to examine whether resilience would predict the frequency of non-medicinal use of prescription drugs [NMUPD] among college students. A further objective of this study was to explore differences in the frequency of NMUPD by groups based on gender identity, race, and sexual identity. A total of 1,950 undergraduate…

Public education reflects the ideas that various stakeholders hold about relationships between schooling and society and the forms of knowledge that are deemed most socially valuable (Kliebard, 2004; Spring, 2016). Public education can be used to support human flourishing and the cultivation of skills needed for civic participation in democratic…

The aim of inclusive education is to provide a supportive space for students from every background. The theory of intersectionality suggests that multiple identities intersect within social spaces to construct specific positionalities. To support the heterogeneity of all students, there is a need to understand who is in our Science, Technology,…

Although the body of research about LGBTQ+ students in higher education is growing, little is known about the experiences, success rates, persistence, and graduation rates of sexual minority community college students. Researchers studying this population frequently cite a lack of available data that would assist in exploring the experiences of…

Dominant systems of White masculinity--or attitudes, behaviors, and ideologies rooted in White masculine dominance alongside homophobia, misogyny, and racism--within higher education impact how students frame and understand their identities and experiences during their undergraduate careers. For sexual-minority men and transmasculine individuals,…

The benefits of physical activity to individual physical and mental health, as well as wider society, are well established. Yet, the physical activity participation levels of many remain insufficient, and considerable disparities (inequities) exist. Physical activity inequities tend to mirror those in associated health outcomes. Thus, identifying…

US elementary schools and classrooms are settings for gender socialization. Whether intentional or not, teachers communicate expectations for students' gender identity/expression in their classrooms and beyond; however, teachers' influences on gender identity/expression remain underexamined. The current study aims to fill gaps in the literature by…

This dissertation is a constructivist grounded theory study of queer fans and their overlapping interactions with fanfiction texts, online platforms, and each other. Informed by queer theory, assemblage theory, and other perspectives from Library and Information Science (LIS), Media Studies, Fan Studies, Science and Technology Studies, and Gender…

Nine million Americans identify as LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex, agender/asexual, and other umbrella gender and sexual identity minorities), with an additional 187,000 expressing intersex anatomical variations. LGBTQIA+ populations experience disproportionate amounts of discrimination and…