The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network announced the release of the 2004 State of the States report. The report summarizes state laws that affect school environments and school safety for all students, particularly lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students. The report represents the first systematic measurement and comprehensive analysis of statewide policy to ensure the safety of all students, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

Forty-two states, including Illinois, received failing grades, or grades of ‘F’, in the report. New Jersey was ranked first with a score of 95 and is one of only two ‘A’s on the list. Mississippi was at the bottom of the list, and the only state with less than zero points, with a score of -3. A breakdown of all grades is at www.glsen.org.

All 50 states and the District of Columbia were given letter grades based on points granted in six categories, including existence of statewide safe schools laws, statewide non-discrimination laws, support for education on sexual health and sexuality, local safe schools policies, general education issues (e.g. student/teacher ratios, graduation rates) and existence of laws that stigmatize LGBT people.

‘This report highlights what many safe schools advocates have feared—that our nation’s policymakers have failed to give schools the policies and programmatic support they need to change environments where bullying and harassment based on sexual orientation and gender identity are the rule and not the exception,’ notes GLSEN Executive Director Kevin Jennings. ‘In classrooms where ‘faggot’ is heard more often than the pledge of allegiance and 39 percent of LGBT students report being physically assaulted because of their sexual orientation, our schools and the state’s that govern them are failing.’

State of the States Ranked List

(States with matching scores have been given matching ranks)

Rank, State

1 New Jersey

2 Minnesota

3 Washington, DC

4 Vermont

6 Connecticut

7 Wisconsin

8 Massachusetts

9 Rhode Island

10 Maryland

11 Nevada

12 Washington

13 New York

14 New Hampshire

15 Alaska

15 Hawaii

17 New Mexico

18 Iowa

19 Maine

19 Virginia

21 Florida

21 Illinois

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