In an effort to better serve the LGBTQ+ youth community in San Diego County, a new guide was released in May of 2021 for school staff, educators, and administrators surrounding LGBTQ+ issues and school safety. The “LGBTQ+ Youth Standards of Care” from the San Diego LGBT Community Leadership Council: Youth Services & Advocacy Committee includes guidance, standards, and provides resources that can help lead to safe, inclusive schools and communities. This care guide contains many great resources such as foundational information, as well as a set of Standards that includes research-based explanations, current laws, and information and resources on how to implement them. There are currently 11 Standards in this newly published guide.

This guide was a collective effort with many notable authors/organizations that helped contribute to its creation. The authors include TransFamily Support Services, San Diego Pride, the San Diego LGBT Community Center, North County LGBTQ Resource Center, GLSEN San Diego, PFLAG San Diego County, Mental Health America of San Diego County, and Our Safe Place (San Diego Youth Services, YMCA, South Bay Community Services). Live Well San Diego has many established partnerships with these authors, and we are proud of what they have created for schools!

If you’d like to read more about the LGBTQ+ Youth Standards of Care Guide, The City News Service has also released an awesome article discussing the guide. You can read it online on this website: https://patch.com/california/san-diego/san-diego-lgbtq-groups-release-guide-youth-standards-care