THAT’S SO GAY: EXPLORING THE SENSE OF BELONGINGNESS

OF LGBTQIA+ STUDENTS WITHIN

THE SCHOOL CLIMATE

A Research Paper

Presented to the Faculty of

Lower Bala National High School
Magsaysay, Davao del Sur

In Partial Fulfillment of the

Requirements for the Subject
Practical Research I

Samme Kirvy V. Dolendo

Jade Vincent A. Natad
Nelio M. Cayacap
Jannyser Sintillas
Hazel Mae A. Gilaga
Charlo Atao
Reshell Attic
Fritz Alcansado

April 2023
 INTRODUCTION

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) youth don’t belong
anywhere-at least, this is how it feels for many who don’t have support from their
communities and don’t see themselves reflected in society. To say that there is a
need for social justice is to assume that there is inequitable access to resources and
unequal distribution of power Golightly et al., (2017). Many students who identify
themselves as a member of LGBTQ tend to question their belonging because in
many cases, they can only have access to fewer resources or information. Some are
even discriminated against by their family, in their own community and even their
own classmates because of their homosexuality. The effects of minority stress and a
thwarted sense of belonging on the mental health of the students who identify as
LGBTQ have received considerable attention. Less attention has been given to a
variety of methods to counteract minority stress and foster belonging as a route to
improve mental health of LGBTQ students.
In recent years, there have been several studies which is tackling or discussing the
lived experiences of the youth of this marginalized community. It is common for
young LGBTQ student’s or individuals to experience bullying and ostracization within
many social settings including with their own families, schools, local neighbourhoods,
and broader society through media and institutional Norms. Youth who experience
minority stressors such as interpersonal prejudice and discrimination are at greater
risk for mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and Suicide. Baams et al.
(2015) defined more specifically the stressors experienced by LGBTQ youth as
experiences of prejudice events, expectations, rejection of and discrimination
towards one based on their identity, concealment of one’s identity, and internalized
homophobia. Dealing with minority stress, LGBTQ youth coincidentally face barriers
to a sense of Belongingness, the experience of personal involvement and integration
within a system or environment to the extent that the person feels they play a simple
role in that system or environment (McLaren et al.2015). Many studies support and
reiterate the connection between thwarted Belongingness and negative, stressful
experiences lived by LGBTQ youth and higher levels of mental health issues that’s
been experienced by LGBTQ students.
This study is essential because this research will provide a better understanding
about the belongingness of LGBTQ students in school and this research will be
conducted on the intersection of high ability and sexual orientation or gender identity
and gender expression, particularly as it pertains to school belonging and life
satisfaction. The evaluation of these data provides educators insight into the
educational and life experiences of high ability non-normative students, the factors
that influence their sense of school belonging and connectedness, as well as their
overall life satisfaction, and provide a broad-base understanding including potential
areas for school improvement in order to create a safe and inclusive environment.
This study will use a qualitative interview design to collect data from LGBTQ
students of Lower Bala National High School. The researchers of this study will
gather some LGBTQ students at Lower Bala National High School as participants
and the researchers will ask some questions regarding the belongingness of LGBTQ
students and the climate within the school to better understand their experiences and
belongingness. The researchers of this study made three particular questions for the
respondents that agreed to participate in this study.
To sum up everything that has been stated so far this study aims to better know the
belongingness and the experiences of LGBTQ students within Lower Bala National
High School. The study will provide valuable insights on LGBTQ students lives and
how or what they feel inside the school and what do LGBTQ students go through
their daily lives, what challenges and discomfort they’ve experience in Lower Bala
National High School. And to create a way to put a stop to endless discrimination in
Lower Bala National High School.
Problem Statement
The main thrust of the study is to know the sense of belongingness of LGBTQIA+
students and school climate within the school. This also seeks to determine how
LGBTQIA+ students of Lower Bala National High School deal with their situation in
relation to their peers in school. And to better know their experiences and what
they’ve been through particularly in school whether they get bullied, discriminated,
treated differently by their peers in school.
Research Questions
1.What are the life experiences of LGBTQIA+ students in Lower Bala National High
School regarding their sense of belongingness?
2.How do the LGBTQIA+ students of Lower Bala National High School face or deal
with their situation in relation to their peers in school?
3.What are the actions taken or made by the teachers to put an end to the lack of
belongingness of the LGBTQIA+ students in Lower Bala National High School?

Significance of the Study

This study will be conducted on behalf of the LGBTQIA+ students in Lower Bala
National High School and to find out the experiences and their sense of
belongingness in Lower Bala National High School and why some of them gets
discriminated against, got bullied and get outed by their peers, family members and
why some of them isn’t accepted in their community and to better understand what
they feel about these circumstances and to find ways to put a stop to the endless
discrimination.
This study is beneficial to the following:
LGBTQIA+ Students:
This study will benefit the LGBTQIA+ students in Lower Bala National High School
because this study will tackle about the sense of belongingness of the LGBTQIA+
students and so that they would have the privilege or the right to be free and feel
belong, have confidence in themselves, have the right to live a happy life and treated
equally by their peers in school, so that they will be accepted in the community.
Family Members:
This study will benefit the family members of the LGBTQIA+ students who are
participating in this study because they will know why the LGBTQIA+ students lack
the belongingness and what are the consequences that were faced by their children
in regards to being a member of the LGBTQIA+ community or according to the
gender that they chose whether lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer.
School Community:
This study will benefit the school community because this study will tackle or explore
why the LGBTQIA+ students in Lower Bala National High School lack the
belongingness and so that the school will be safe for everyone including the students
who identify themselves as an LGBTQIA+ will be free of bullying, discrimination and
so that every student will be treated equally without any biases.
Community:
This study will benefit the community because it will tackle about the belongingness
of the LGBTQIA+ students and how the endless discrimination will be put to stop and
to better know the experiences of the LGBTQIA+ students and so that they will be
accepted and to have a safe community for the members of the LGBTQIA+
community to live on and spend their time with their family and friends.
Future Research:
This study will benefit the future researches because it will determine why the
LGBTQIA+ students in Lower Bala National High School lack the belongingness to
feel belong with their peers and to know the ways how to handle the endless
discrimination and how it will be stopped this study will have some useful information
for the future researchers so that they won’t have to struggle in regards this topic.
This will be the basis for future researches.

Scope and Delimitation

The focus of this research is to determine the sense of Belongingness of the
LGBTQIA+ students of Lower Bala National High School. It includes the experiences
of the participants of this study as well as their perspectives on their daily lives in
regards to the gender that they chose.
This study includes five LGBTQIA+ student participants in Lower Bala National High
School who will participate in this study in an In-depth interview (IDI), this study will
take place particularly in Lower Bala National High School, Philippines from April to
May (2023).
Definition of terms
For the sake of clarity and to avoid any possible misunderstandings the concepts
below have been operationally defined. The terms that follow are:
LGBTQ
These are the people who identity themselves as Lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender and queer they are the people who are sometimes being bullied and
discriminated against because they are different from others because of their chosen
gender and they behave not based on their birth gender.
Belongingness
Belongingness is also known as close or intimate relationship meaning if an
LGBTQIA+ student feels belong in a community or if he/she is accepted in their
community, family, peers in school and if they aren’t differentiated from others that’s
when they will feel belong.
Discrimination
A prejudiced or prejudicial outlook, action or treatment it is the act of discriminating
categorically rather than individually. Or treated differently because of their actions
and because of the gender they chose.
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is a sexual or romantic attraction to others of one’s same sex or the
ability to be attracted to same gender basically a man to man or girl to girl
relationship or between same sex.
Outed
To identify or to call someone publicly for example in occasions, in school, family
gatherings at work and many more as being a member of the LGBTQIA+ community
without the permission of the one who is being outed or the member of the
LGBTQIA+ community.
Peers
An acquaintance or someone who you are with in terms of doing activities doing
work. Like your classmates, co-workers and any person who engage in many
physical contact with you.
Privilege
To have the special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a
particular person or group to have a right to be respected, treated equally, not
discriminated against, to live a happy life as an LGBTQIA+ student.

References:
(USE APA FORMAT)