What is Known About LGBTQ Youth and Exclusionary Discipline? A Scoping Review

Exclusionary discipline is a major contributor to school pushout and the school-to-prison pipeline, which criminalizes educational environments through processes and practices that often result in the incarceration of youth. While there is extensive evidence on the pathways and impacts of exclusionary discipline for students of color, its impacts on LGBTQ youth are understudied. This scoping review aims to identify and synthesize the existing empirical research concerning exclusionary school discipline of LGBTQ youth. Following the six-stage approach outlined by the Joanna Briggs Institute, an electronic search was conducted from a total of nine databases. Our search yielded a total of 740 results; of those, 10 met the inclusion criteria and were included in the final review. Findings indicate that LGBTQ youth, especially girls, experience exclusionary discipline at disproportionate rates. These youth are often disciplined as part of their own victimization, by both peers and adults in schools. While race and the need for intersectional understanding of LGBTQ exclusionary discipline were often touched on, most studies do not include race in their analysis. Future research that examines LGBTQ exclusionary discipline through an intersectional lens is needed.