1 | Page School Librarians’ Comfort and Values in Supporting LGBTQ-Inclusive Literature in Rural Schools Michelle L. Page University of Minnesota-Morris Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association Washington, D.C. April 9, 2016 Purpose and Perspective Principles of multicultural education embrace curriculum transformation, increasing educational equity, and preparing students to live in a diverse society (Banks, 2008). However, these principles are not being implemented well where students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer/questioning (LGBTQ) are concerned. Such students feel less safe, less engaged, less respected, and less valued in our schools than do their heterosexual peers (Kosciw et al, 2012; Lecesne, 2012; Robinson and Espelage, 2011). The National School Climate Survey (NSCS) conducted by the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) (Kosciw et al, 2012) reports that LGBTQ students still commonly experience a negative school environment. A negative school environment affects students’ academic achievement and goals. According to the NSCS report, “Students who were more frequently harassed because of their sexual orientation or gender expression had lower grade point averages than students who were less often harassed (2.9 vs. 3.2)” and “Students who experienced higher levels of victimization in school because of their sexual orientation or gender expression were more than twice as likely to report that they did not plan to pursue any post-secondary education (e.g., college or trade school) than those who experienced lower levels (10.7% vs. 5.1%)” (Kosciw et al, 2012, p. xv). Negative school climate is even more pronounced for LGBT students in rural schools (Palmer et al, 2012). Recently, fueled in part by these findings as well as publicized youth suicides, bullying has been in the national spotlight. While victimization of youth is an important issue, there is evidence to suggest