Understanding the Role of School Policies in Sexual Orientation- and Gender Modality-Based Disparities in Victimization and School Unsafety

Sexually and gender-diverse youth still experience higher victimization rates and feelings of unsafety compared to their heterosexual, cisgender peers. Whilst it is known that individual policies might attenuate these disparities, policies do not exist in a vacuum. It remains unclear which role combinations of school policies plays in this. This research aims at bridging this gap in two studies. In Study 1, combinations of school policies were explored. Latent Class Analyses on school policy implementation identified four distinct profiles among 28 Dutch secondary schools (N = 9,483 students). In Study 2, mixed-effects regression analyses examined whether these policy classes predicted victimization and social unsafety and whether they moderated sexual orientation- and gender modality-based disparities. Although policy class alone did not predict outcomes, interaction effects showed that victimization disparities based on gender modality were significantly lower in more inclusive schools. This demonstrates the importance of targeted policies for gender-diverse youth. No moderation effects were found for sexual orientation, or social unsafety as an outcome. Results suggest that inclusive schools may indeed buffer victimization risks for gender-diverse youth, though not for all marginalized groups or outcomes. The results underscore the importance of holistic school climate interventions beyond policy presence alone. Future research should examine implementation effectiveness, adapt policy combinations accordingly, and consider broader environmental and psychosocial factors at schools.