Everyone should feel safe attending school. But in the Philippines, bullying, discrimination, a lack of education about LGBT issues, and occasionally physical or sexual assault, affect students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT).

These wrongdoings have the potential to seriously affect students' ability to pursue an education, which is guaranteed by both Philippine and International law. In recent years, lawmakers and school administrators in the Philippines have recognized that bullying of LGBT youth is a serious problem, and designed interventions to address it.

In the Philippines, lawmakers and school administrators have developed initiatives to deal with the major issueof bullying of LGBT adolescents in recent years. The Anti Bullying Law of 2013 was passed by the Congress, its implementing rules and regulations list sexual orientation and gender identity as illegal justifications for bullying and harassment. By adopting these regulations, educational institutions are sending a clear message that bullying and discrimination are abhorrent and should not be condoned.

But these policies, while strong on paper, have not been adequately enforced. In the absence of effective implementation and monitoring, many LGBT youth continue to experience bullying and harassment in school. The effects of this bullying were devastating to the youth who were targeted.

One way that schools can address bullying and discrimination and ameliorate their effects is by providing educational resources to students, teachers, and staff to familiarize them with LGBT people and issues. For the right to education to have meaning for all students—including LGBT students—teachers, administrators, and lawmakers need to work together with LGBT advocates to ensure that schools become safer and more inclusive places for LGBT children to learn.