Education Speaker Series:The Importance of Schools as Protective Factors for LGBTQ Youth Mental Health - Visiting Speaker Myeshia Price, Ph.D.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning, (LGBTQ) adolescents report disproportionately worse mental health outcomes compared to their cisgender, straight peers. The minority stress model provides a framework through which we can better understand this mental health disparity, suggesting the impact of chronic stress stemming from their marginalized social status. That said, the minority stress model also highlights the important role that protective factors have in interrupting the connection between minority stress and negative outcomes. Therefore, schools, and the support given by the people who make them up, have the opportunity to be vital protective factors for LGBTQ adolescents as they navigate an otherwise hostile society. This talk will discuss LGBTQ youth mental health and well-being, the impact of LGBTQ-affirming schools, what middle and high school students are looking for in order to considering their schools affirming, and the future direction of my research in this area all with a specific call for more intersectionality in this work.

Dr. Price (she/they) is an Associate Professor in the Human Development program within the Department of Counseling & Educational Psychology at Indiana University Bloomington and an Associate Research Scientist with the Kinsey Institute. Their primary research interest areas include gender and sexual development. Her current area of research focuses on the rich experiences of LGBTQ youth in the U.S., including risk and protective factors for suicidality. Dr. Price’s research further explores experiences at the intersection of multiple marginalized identities, such as LGBTQ youth of color and the specific experiences of transgender and nonbinary young people. Their work and op-eds have been featured in popular press including Time magazine, Scientific American, The Grio, CNN, NBC, PopSugar, Forbes, Out, and Axios among others. She is currently an Associate Editor of the Journal of Sex Research and served as Treasurer for the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality from 2019-2022.