ADDRESSING THE NEEDS OF LESBIAN, GAY, AND BISEXUAL YOUTH - THE ORIGINS OF PROJECT-10 AND SCHOOL-BASED INTERVENTION

This research chronicles the formation and expansion of a counseling and educational program for gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth called PROJECT 10 at Fairfax High School. A model program was tested during the academic year 1985-1986, and is now being implemented throughout the Los Angeles Unified School District and in other schools across the nation. Fifty self-identified homosexual students were interviewed in order to clarify the needs of lesbian, gay, and bisexual teenagers in relation to their school experiences. Additionally, a questionnaire study of 342 respondents from the general student population was undertaken in order to chart the beliefs and attitudinal changes of those teenagers who experienced school-based educational programs that portrayed homosexuality and bisexuality as variations on a continuum of human sexual expression and emotional attachment. Suggestions for further research are discussed.