School-based gay-affirmative interventions: first amendment and ethical concerns.
Public health professionals and educators have developed effective school-based interventions to reduce prejudice and stigma against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students. Such interventions can reduce the harm caused to sexual minority youths by stigma and can improve health outcomes. However, critics have warned that these interventions attempt to control speech and religious beliefs protected by the First Amendment. We review this critique and assess the legal and ethical arguments. We conclude that, both legally and ethically, there is great leeway for schools to implement LGBT-affirmative interventions. Still, we recommend that interventionists attend critics' concerns using principles of community-based participatory research (CBPR). Using CBPR approaches, interventionists can achieve better community acceptance and cooperation and more successful interventions.
Ilan H. Meyer is with the Williams Institute, School of Law, University of California, Los Angeles. Ronald Bayer is with the Center for the History and Ethics of Public Health, Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY.
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D026688:Bioethical Issues; D002961:Civil Rights / Q000193:education*; D055812:Community-Based Participatory Research; D003249:Constitution and Bylaws; D003479:Curriculum; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012067:Religion; D012574:Schools; D019529:Sexuality / Q000941:ethics*