Amid increasing political efforts to expand or restrict LGBTQ+-affirming practices in K-12 schools, LGBTQ+ students’ access to safe schools varies across Wisconsin. In this talk, I draw on the geography of opportunity framework to consider LGBTQ+ students' (1) exposure to discrimination and (2) access to affirming resources in schools. I will present two studies that examine LGBTQ+ middle and high school students’ school safety and mental health first across city, suburban, town, and rural school districts in Dane County, Wisconsin, and then across schools in the state of Wisconsin. My research highlights LGBTQ+ students’ inequitable access to safe schools by locale in Wisconsin and considers where educational policymakers and practitioners should bolster LGBTQ+-affirming practices.

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