LGBT youth suffer disproportionately and their educational performance and life trajectories are adversely affected by the unsafe and negative environments in which too many find themselves. Worst of all, our legal system allows LGBT youth to remain vulnerable to harassment, bullying, and violence in schools. In Florida alone, same-sex couples are denied access to well over 1,000 rights and responsibilities that come with civil marriage. Same-sex couples that choose to live in committed, long-term relationships have no access to the legal privileges and protections that married people enjoy. In Florida, gay, lesbian and transgender people still can still lose their homes and their jobs simply because of their gender identity or expression. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in America still do not enjoy the same civil rights as heterosexual Americans.
