A new study of pride groups in Tasmanian public schools has found the groups play a critical role in student wellbeing and attendance. They frequently fall apart once the staff member running them leaves or falls ill.
Researchers from the University of Tasmania and Swinburne University interviewed 30 students and 16 staff across five high schools and senior secondary colleges in Tasmania. It was published in The Australian Educational Researcher and commissioned by Working It Out, Tasmania-based LGBTQIA+ education and advocacy service.
Students describe safety and belonging
Students told researchers that pride groups – school-based spaces for LGBTQIA+ students, usually run with staff guidance – gave them somewhere to feel understood among peers with similar experiences. One student, given the pseudonym Sky, said “I know that I can be myself more” around other queer students. Another, Gastro, said it helped “to have people you can relate to.”
Several students said the groups directly affected whether they turned up to school. Willow said that after joining, “I actually want to come to school now.” Kayla said she began attending more regularly because she “felt safe in here and got away from all of the rumours.”
The researchers said students overwhelmingly described the groups as safe spaces where they could learn about queer history and gender. It was also a space where they could picture their own futures as LGBTQIA+ adults.
Groups collapse without structural backing
The study’s authors said pride groups across Australia are typically informal and locally run. Little is known nationally about how many schools have one or how effective they are. Separate research released by youth organisation Minus18 in 2025 drew on responses from more than 2,700 LGBTQIA+ young people nationwide. It found fewer than half of students said their school had a pride group.
Staff interviewed for the study said keeping groups running was difficult. High staff turnover, absences and reliance on one or two individuals were the main obstacles.
One teacher, given the pseudonym Sandy, described a steep drop in numbers after taking sick leave: “We started the year with a massive turnout, 25–30 kids each time.” Attendance fell to around five students once weekly meetings lapsed for several weeks.
The researchers said this pattern reflects a wider problem: students and staff are often left to sustain pride groups without reliable institutional support.
What researchers are recommending
The study's authors, Kim Beasy of the University of Tasmania and Sherridan Emery of Swinburne University, argue that schools need to build structural support around pride groups. Leaving them dependent on individual staff members is not sustainable.
The authors’ recommendations include maintaining consistent meeting schedules, allocating dedicated staff workload time, and creating handover documents so groups survive staff transitions. Without that backing, the researchers concluded, the continuity of pride groups will remain precarious.