Advocates are calling for sexually diverse students to have stronger legal protections at schools, after findings from a youth suicide investigation identified key risk factors.
Research into nearly two dozen youth suicide-related deaths in the LGBTQI community between 2018 and 2023 was tabled in NSW's parliament on Tuesday.
The state's Child Death Review team identified mental health, family, education, self harm and suicidal ideation as key factors among the complex risks for queer teens.
The report noted the schoolyard is a crucial field for prevention.
But legal discrimination protections continued to dilute efforts to make the classroom safe for at-risk kids, Equality Australia's legal director Heather Corkhill warned.
NSW had the weakest protections in Australia, she said.
''This report makes clear this is more than a simple question of what's right and fair," Ms Corkhill told AAP.
"Creating school environments where LGBTQI+ students feel accepted and affirmed is one of our biggest opportunities to prevent suicidal thoughts, attempts and deaths."
Education carve-outs in the Anti-Discrimination Act must be closed, Ms Corkhill said, as she called on the government to reform the law.
''Every child deserves to learn in a school where they are safe, supported and accepted, regardless of who they are or what school they attend,'' she said.
Researchers similarly recommended the government consider law changes, including stripping private educational authorities' ability to discriminate on the grounds of sex or gender.
The report comes as the NSW Law Reform Commission reviews the state's Anti-Discrimination Act.
Researchers also suggested the federal government accept recommendations from the Australian Law Reform Commission, including preventing discrimination by all schools against attributes protected under the sex discrimination act.
Child Death Review researchers said there were currently relatively few counter measures aiming to influence school environments.
Supportive school environments, however, were highly related to improved wellbeing outcomes.
They "therefore represent one of the biggest opportunities to prevent suicidal thoughts, attempts and deaths," researchers noted.
Sexually and gender diverse youth also lacked dedicated mental health services, with researchers suggesting further investigations identify and address gaps.
Services that were lacking included aftercare services tailored to LGBTIQ+ youth.
The data cited in the report originated from the register of child deaths in NSW, with filters for deaths relating to suicide and LGBTIQ+ youth between the ages of 10 and 17 returning 22 results.
Researchers stressed sexuality and gender was not itself an inherent cause of suicidal behaviour.
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