Susan's Place Transgender Resources

LGBTQ+ students reported violent assaults. Records show that schools rarely did anything.

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2026/08/lgbtq-students-reported-assaults-records-show-that-schools-rarely-did-anything/

Sreejita Patra (30 Aug 2026)

The 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey also found that 24% of transgender Arizona respondents who attended K-12 schools said they had been physically attacked because of their gender identity, while 8% reported sexual assault motivated by their gender identity.

To understand the breadth of the problem, LOOKOUT spoke with advocates, researchers, teachers, parents, and students about discriminatory harassment and violence against LGBTQ+ students in Arizona's K-12 schools. We also requested records from four school districts — Scottsdale Unified, Peoria Unified, Tucson Unified, and Phoenix Union — showing how often physical and sexual violence incidents were reported in social worker logs.

The records do not identify whether the students involved in those incidents are LGBTQ+, as Arizona school districts do not consistently track victims' sexual orientation or gender identity in school safety incident logs. Instead, the records provide a broader picture of assault and bullying among students that coincides with LGBTQ+-specific victimization.

Studies show LGBTQ+ students can be reluctant to confide in authority figures about harassment or assault, and that adults often do not take action when students come forward. That can be especially difficult when the incident involves sexual violence, which children may already struggle to discuss or report.

"If your school counselor is somebody who is potentially anti-LGBTQ ... it's likely they're not going to be giving resources for LGBTQ+ organizations, and so even being able to reach students is an issue," said Carrie Eutizi, a sexual violence response coordinator with the Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence.

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@Sarah B

They didn't do anything in the 80s and 90s, either. The bullies were usually given a pass, and the victim was blamed for attempting to stick up for themselves. The entire educational system was and is an absolute joke. No wonder teachers are leaving the profession.

My little brother would try to pick fights with me but I was too fast for him and learned defense.
At school I learned I could surprise bullies with a right hook and the adults would look the other way, as I never got in trouble for fighting back as I was a really small kid.

Quote from: Maid Marion on Today at 02:12:52 PMMy little brother would try to pick fights with me but I was too fast for him and learned defense.
At school I learned I could surprise bullies with a right hook and the adults would look the other way, as I never got in trouble for fighting back as I was a really small kid.

I would completely freak out go totally feral. Once people saw how crazy I would get, they stopped attacking me on an individual basis. 3 on 1, 5 on 1, 10 on 1 at one point. But I was the wimp. Yeah, those days were horrible.

I was constantly bullied as a kid at school. The faculty did nothing, so my parents spoke with them. They still did nothing, as far as I could see.

However, the attacks suddenly moved off-campus, and I was routinely ambushed while walking home from school. Then it became 2-on-1. One would hold me down while the other attacked. I changed routes, walking far out of my way, but they knew where I lived and knew where to catch me.

My parents had a discussion with their parents. No help.

So my dad decided to teach us kids how to box. He bought gloves and a punching bag and taught us how to move our feet, hold our hands to protect our face, and weave our body to dodge incoming blows.

I am the oldest of four. That left me with very few sparring partners to practice with. One pop to the nose, and my younger brother went down with a bloody nose and screaming. My mom came out and began telling me how I should be protecting my little brother instead of bloodying his nose. The boxing gloves mysteriously disappeared after that.

That was when I discovered that I was a fast runner. Actually, very fast. I began practicing daily. With the bullies constantly chasing me, I got in a lot of practice. Not just quick sprints, but longer and longer distances.

My baseball coach noticed and invited me to join the track team. I found my niche.

My track coach asked where I learned to run that fast. He said it looks like everyone else needs to run twice as fast as me just to keep up with me.

I told him that my dad likes to eat rabbit, but won't let me have a gun. So I have to chase them down. The coach said he has heard that one before.

I said, "But you don't know my dad. He is very picky. So not only do I have to chase the rabbit, I have to run alongside it and feel if it has enough meat on it before I grab it."

He admitted that he hadn't heard that version before.

🤣