Effects of identity disclosure on school victimization and long-term educational outcomes among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex students in China.

This study examined identity disclosure among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) students in China and investigated the effects of coming out on school victimization as well as current academic performance and long-term educational outcomes. The study drew on a national sample of 9260 Chinese LGBTI students (age range = 12-42 years) and 9668 LGBTI individuals who were not in education (age range = 14-85 years). The results showed that LGBTI students were more likely to come out to their fellow students (61.4%) than to their teachers (42.4%). Approximately 40.2% of LGBTI students reported having encountered victimization in school, and they also were more likely to report school dropout and lower levels of educational attainment than those who did not experience school victimization. Transgender and gender nonconforming students and intersex students were particularly vulnerable to the experiences and adverse effects of school victimization. In addition, the findings indicated that although students who came out in school were more likely to experience school victimization, identity disclosure was related to better long-term educational outcomes. This study is one of the first to document the identity disclosure, victimization experiences, and school outcomes of LGBTI students in China. The results show that identity concealment may bring short-term benefits by protecting LGBTI students from school victimization but may be harmful to them in the longer run. To foster a supportive climate and a safe school environment, it is important to enact sexual and gender diversity education, inclusive school policies, and teacher training programs at different levels of schooling.