LGBT bullying explained

Bullying of lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) people, particularly LGBT youth, involves intentional actions toward the victim, repeated negative actions by one or more people against another person, and an imbalance of physical or psychological power.[1]

LGBT youth are more likely to report bullying than non-LGBT youth.[2] In one study, boys who were bullied with taunts of being gay suffered more bullying and more negative effects compared with boys who were bullied with other categories of taunting.[3] Some researchers suggest including youth questioning their sexuality in any research on LGBT bullying because they may be as susceptible to its effects as LGBT students.[4] [5] [6]

LGBT youth are more likely to report bullying than non-LGBT youth, particularly in schools. Victims of LGBT bullying may feel unsafe, resulting in depression and anxiety, including increased rates of suicide and attempted suicide. LGBT students may try to pass as heterosexual and/or cisgender to escape the bullying, leading to further stress and isolation from available supports. Support organizations exist in many countries to prevent LGBT bullying and support victims. Some jurisdictions have passed legislation against LGBT bullying and harassment.

Schools

Homophobic and transphobic violence in schools can be categorized as explicit and implicit. Explicit homophobic and transphobic violence consists of overt acts that make subjects feel uncomfortable, hurt, humiliated or intimidated. Peers and educational staff are unlikely to intervene when witnessing these incidents. This contributes to normalizing such acts that become accepted as either a routine disciplinary measure or a means to resolve conflicts among students. Homophobic and transphobic violence – as with all school-related gender-based violence – is acutely underreported due to subjects' fear of retribution, combined with inadequate or non-existent reporting, support and redress systems.[7] [8] [9] [10] The absence of effective policies, protection or remedies contributes to a vicious cycle where incidents become increasingly normal.[11]

Implicit homophobic and transphobic violence, sometimes called 'symbolic violence' or 'institutional' violence, is subtler than explicit violence. It consists of pervasive representations or attitudes that sometimes feel harmless or natural to the school community, but that allow or encourage homophobia and transphobia, including perpetuating harmful stereotypes. Policies and guidelines can reinforce or embed these representations or attitudes, whether in an individual institution or across an entire education sector. This way, they can become part of everyday practices and rules guiding school behaviour.[12] [13] Examples of implicit homophobic and transphobic violence include:

Egale Canada, along with previous research, has found teachers and school administration may be complicit in LGBT bullying through their silence and/or inaction.[14] [15] [16]

Graffiti found on school grounds and property, and its "relative permanence", is another form of LGBT bullying.

American sociologist Michael Kimmel and American psychologist Gregory Herek write that masculinity is a renunciation of the feminine and that males shore up their sense of their masculinity by denigrating the feminine and ultimately the homosexual.[17] [18] Building on the notion of masculinity defining itself by what it is not, some researchers suggest that in fact the renunciation of the feminine may be misogyny. These intertwining issues were examined in 2007, when American sociologist CJ Pascoe described what she calls the "fag discourse" at an American high school in her book, Dude, You're a Fag.

Effects

Victims of LGBT bullying may feel chronically depressed, anxious, and unsafe in the world.[19] [20] Bullying will affect a student's experience of school. Some victims might feel paralyzed and withdraw socially as a coping mechanism. Others may begin to live the effects of learned helplessness.

LGBT and questioning youth who experience bullying have a higher incidence of substance abuse and sexually transmitted infections.[21] [22] LGBT bullying may also be seen as a manifestation of what American academic Ilan Meyer calls minority stress, which may affect sexual and ethno-racial minorities attempting to exist within a challenging broader society.[23]

Gay and lesbian youth can develop severe forms of depression and anxiety as they grow up. Around 70% of LGBT people experience major depressive disorder (MDD) sometime in their lives.[24] For LGBT individuals, MDD can be caused by any of the following: self-esteem, pressure to conform, minority stress, coming out, family rejection, parenting, relationship formation, and violence.[25] A person can be harassed to the point where their depression becomes too much and they no longer experience any happiness. These factors all work together and make it extremely hard to avoid MDD.

The rate of suicide is higher among LGBT people:

LGBT or questioning students may try to pass as heterosexual in order to avoid LGBT bullying. Passing isolates the student from other LGBT or questioning students, potential allies, and support. Adults who try to pass also may feel the effects emotionally and psychologically, of this effort to conceal their true identities.

Statistics

Canada

Egale Canada conducted a survey of more than 3,700 high school students in Canada between December 2007 and June 2009. The final report of the survey, "Every Class in Every School",[30] published in 2011, found that 70% of all students participating heard "that's so gay" daily at school, and 48% of respondents heard "faggot", "lezbo" and "dyke" daily. 58% or about 1,400 of the 2,400 heterosexual students participating in EGALE's survey found homophobic comments upsetting. Further, EGALE found that students not directly affected by homophobia, biphobia or transphobia were less aware of it. This finding relates to research done in the area of empathy gaps for social pain which suggests that those not directly experiencing social pain (in this case, bullying) consistently underestimate its effects and thus may not adequately respond to the needs of one experiencing social pain.[31]

United Kingdom

About two-thirds of gay and lesbian students in British schools have suffered from gay bullying in 2007, according to a study done by the Schools Education Unit for LGBT activist group Stonewall. Almost all that had been bullied had experienced verbal attacks, 41 percent had been physically attacked, and 17 percent had received death threats. It also showed that over 50% of teachers did not respond to homophobic language which they had explicitly heard in the classroom, and only 25% of schools had told their students that homophobic bullying was wrong, showing "a shocking picture of the extent of homophobic bullying undertaken by fellow pupils and, alarmingly, school staff",[32] with further studies conducted by the same charity in 2012 stated that 90% of teachers had had no training on the prevention of homophobic bullying. However, Ofsted's new 2012 framework did ask schools what they would be doing in order to combat the issue.[33]

A research study of 78 eleven to fourteen-year-old boys conducted in twelve schools in London, England between 1998 and 1999 revealed that respondents who used the word "gay" to label another boy in a derogatory manner intended the word as "just a joke", "just a cuss" and not as a statement of one's perceived sexual orientation.[34]

United States

A 1998 study in the US by Mental Health America found that students heard anti-gay slurs such as "homo", "faggot" and "sissy" about 26 times a day on average, or once every 14 minutes.[35] In a study conducted by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, a union for UK professionals, the word "gay" was reported to be the most popular term of abuse heard by teachers on a regular basis.[36]

Cases

United Kingdom

United States

Support organizations

Anti-LGBT bullying legislation

In 2000, the state of California enacted the California Student Safety and Violence Prevention Act (AB 537), a bill that prohibits harassment and discrimination on the basis of perceived or actual gender identity or sexual orientation.[55]

The state of Illinois passed a law (SB3266) in June 2010 that prohibits gay bullying and other forms of bullying in schools.[56]

In the Philippines, legislators implemented Republic Act No. 10627, otherwise known as the Anti-Bullying Act of 2013, in schools. According to the said law, gender-based bullying is defined as ˮany act that humiliates or excludes a person on the basis of perceived or actual sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI)ˮ.[57]

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Web site: US Dept of Education . Bullying Myths and Facts . October 2, 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100325204905/http://www2.ed.gov/admins/lead/safety/training/bullying/bullying_pg3.html . March 25, 2010 . mdy-all .
  2. Berlan, ED . Corliss, HL . Field, AE . Sexual Orientation and Bullying Among Adolescents in the Growing Up Today Study . Journal of Adolescent Health . April 2010 . 46 . 366–71 . 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2009.10.015 . 20307826 . 2844864 . 4. etal.
  3. Swearer, SM . Turner, RT . Givens, JE . "You're so gay!": Do different forms of bullying matter for adolescent males? . School Psychology Review . 2008 . 37. 2 . 160–173 . 10.1080/02796015.2008.12087891 . 6456413 .
  4. Swearer . S. M. . Turner . R. K. . Givens . J. E. . Pollack . W. S. . 2008 . You're So Gay!": Do Different Forms of Bullying Matter for Adolescent Males?. . School Psychology Review . 37 . 2 . 160–173 . 10.1080/02796015.2008.12087891 . 6456413.
  5. Russell . S. T. . Joyner . K. . 2001 . Adolescent Sexual Orientation and Suicide Risk: Evidence From a National Study . American Journal of Public Health . 91 . 8. 1276–1281 . 10.2105/ajph.91.8.1276 . 11499118 . 1446760.
  6. Williams . T. . Connolly . J. . Pepler . D. . Craig . W. . 2005 . Peer Victimization, Social Support, and Psychosocial Adjustment of Sexual Minority Adolescents . Journal of Youth and Adolescence . 34 . 5 . 471–482 . 10.1007/s10964-005-7264-x . 10.1.1.459.218 . 56253666 . November 1, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170808104155/http://www.bullylab.com/Portals/0/Peer%20Victimization,%20Social%20Support,%20and%20Psychosocial%20adjustment%20of%20sexual%20minority%20adolescents.pdf . August 8, 2017 . dead .
  7. GMR, UNESCO, and UNGEI, 'School-related gender-based violence is preventing the achievement of quality education for all: Policy Paper 17 at 59th session of the Commission on the Status of Women in New York City', 59th session of the Commission on the Status of Women in New York City. UNESCO, p. 16, 2015.
  8. Plan International, 'A Girl's Right to Learn Without Fear: Working to end gender-based violence at school', Plan Limited, Surrey, 2013.
  9. S. Bloom, J. Levy, N. Karim, L. Stefanik, M. Kincaid, D. Bartel, and K. Grimes, 'Guidance for Gender Based Violence (GBV) Monitoring and Mitigation within Non-GBV Focused Sectoral Programming', CARE USA, 2014.
  10. Plan UK, 'Ending school-related gender-based violence: Brie ng paper', London, 2013.
  11. Book: UNESCO . Out in the Open: Education sector responses to violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity/expression . Paris, UNESCO . 2016 . 978-92-3-100150-5 . 26.
  12. ICGBV, 'Addressing School Related Gender Based Violence: Learning from Practice: Learning Brief No. 10', Irish Consortium on Gender Based Violence, Dublin, 2013.
  13. F. Leach, M. Dunne, and F. Salvi, 'School-Related Gender based Violence: A global review of current issues and approaches in policy, programming and implementation responses to School-Related Gender-Based Violence (SRGBV) for the Education Sector', UNESCO, 2014.
  14. Crozier . W. R. . Skliopidou . E. . 2002 . Adult Recollections of Name-calling at School . Educational Psychology . 22 . 1 . 113–124 . 10.1080/01443410120101288 . 144840572.
  15. Phoenix . A. . Frosh . S. . Pattman . R. . 2003 . Producing Contradictory Masculine Subject Positions: Narratives of Threat, Homophobia and Bullying in 11-14 Year Old Boys . Journal of Social Issues . 59 . 1 . 179–195 . 10.1111/1540-4560.t01-1-00011.
  16. Smith . G. W. . 1998 . The Ideology of "Fag": The School Experience of Gay Students . The Sociological Quarterly . 39 . 2 . 309–335 . 10.1111/j.1533-8525.1998.tb00506.x.
  17. Kimmel, M. (2010). Masculinity as Homophobia, Fear, Shame and Silence in the Construction of Gender Identity. In M. S. Kimmel & A. L. Ferber (Eds.), Privilege, A Reader (pp.107-131). Boulder: Westview Press
  18. Herek . G. M. . 1986 . On Heterosexual Masculinity, Some Psychical Consequences of the Social Construction of Gender and Sexuality . American Behavioral Scientist . 29 . 5 . 563–577 . 10.1177/000276486029005005 . 143684814.
  19. Glew . G. M. . Fan . M. . Katon . W. . Rivara . F. P. . Kernic . M. A. . 2005 . Bullying, Psychosocial Adjustment, and Academic Performance in Elementary School . Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine . 159 . 11. 1026–1031 . 10.1001/archpedi.159.11.1026. 16275791 . free .
  20. Roth . D. A. . Coles . M. E. . Heimberg . R. G. . 2002 . The relationship between memories for childhood teasing and anxiety and depression in adulthood . Journal of Anxiety Disorders . 16 . 2. 149–164 . 10.1016/s0887-6185(01)00096-2. 12194541 .
  21. Russell . S. T. . Ryan . C. . Toomey . R. B. . Diaz . R. M. . Sanchez . J. . 2011 . Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Adolescent School Victimization: Implications for Young Adult Health and Adjustment . Journal of School Health . 81 . 5. 223–230 . 10.1111/j.1746-1561.2011.00583.x. 21517860 .
  22. Rivers . I . 32996444 . 2004 . Recollections of Bullying at School and Their Long-Term Implications for Lesbians, Gay Men and Bisexuals . Crisis . 25 . 4. 169–175 . 10.1027/0227-5910.25.4.169. 15580852 .
  23. Meyer . I. H. . 1995 . Minority Stress and Mental Health in Gay Men . Journal of Health and Social Behavior . 36 . 1 . 38–56 . 10.2307/2137286 . 2137286 . 7738327.
  24. Web site: Sweet. Matt. Depression and Anxiety in LGBT People: What You Need to Know. July 18, 2017. November 7, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201107032414/http://www.mattsweet.com/lgbt-anxiety-depression-guide.pdf. dead.
  25. Web site: Sweet. Matt. Depression and Anxiety in the LGBT People: What You Need to Know. 2023-03-11. 2020-11-07. https://web.archive.org/web/20201107032414/http://www.mattsweet.com/lgbt-anxiety-depression-guide.pdf. dead.
  26. Web site: The School Report . Stonewall . 2023-03-11 . 2019-01-22 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190122204849/https://www.stonewall.org.uk/sites/default/files/The_School_Report__2012_.pdf . dead .
  27. Web site: Gay Male and Lesbian Youth Suicide . 1989 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110714161413/http://www.ncmhjj.com/resource_kit/pdfs/Special%20Issues/References/GayMaleLesSuic.pdf . July 14, 2011.
  28. Web site: Statistics . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20101206160614/http://www.afsp.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewPage&page_id=CF7F9E5B-BF4B-52F3-4D4079E9991163DC . December 6, 2010 . October 2, 2010 . American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
  29. Web site: Suicide Prevention. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20170504155435/https://www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/suicide/youth_suicide.html. May 4, 2017. mdy-all. 2019-02-05.
  30. http://egale.ca/youth-and-safer-schools/every-class/ Every Class in Every School
  31. Nordgren . L. F. . Banas . K. . MacDonald . G. . 2011 . Empathy Gaps for Social Pain: Why People Underestimate the Pain of Social Suffering . Journal of Personality and Social Psychology . 100 . 1 . 120–128 . 10.1037/a0020938 . 21219077.
  32. News: June 26, 2007 . Gay Bullying in Schools Common . BBC News .
  33. Web site: Homophobic bullying . December 25, 2014 . stonewall.org.uk . Stonewall . October 23, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141023070701/http://www.stonewall.org.uk/at_school/education_for_all/secondary_schools/homophobic_bullying/default.asp . dead .
  34. Pascoe, C. J. (2007). Dude You're a Fag, Masculinity and Sexuality in High School. Berkeley & Los Angeles, CA: University of California Press
  35. Web site: Mental Health American, Bullying and Gay Youth . National Mental Health Association . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120414144851/http://www.nmha.org/go/information/get-info/children-s-mental-health/bullying-and-gay-youth . April 14, 2012.
  36. News: How 'gay' Became Children's Insult of Choice. BBC News. 2008-03-18.
  37. News: Damilola's grieving father speaks out. BBC News. November 30, 2000.
  38. News: Hopkins . Nick . November 29, 2000 . Death of a schoolboy . The Guardian .
  39. News: Bennetto. Jason. His mother told teachers he was being bullied. Now she must bury him. Independent. November 29, 2000.
  40. News: Steele. John. Damilola's father attacks loss of values. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1377304/Damilolas-father-attacks-loss-of-values.html . January 12, 2022 . subscription . live. The Telegraph. June 19, 2001.
  41. Tatchell. Peter. A victim of homophobia?. New Statesman. January 13, 2003.
  42. Web site: Lambda Legal. Nabozny v. Podlesny. December 12, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20120725165752/http://www.lambdalegal.org/in-court/cases/nabozny-v-podlesny?qt-related_conent_for_cases=2#qt-related_conent_for_cases. July 25, 2012.
  43. Merjian. Armen H.. Henkle v. Gregory: A Landmark Struggle against Student Gay Bashing. Cardozo Journal of Law & Gender. Fall 2009. 16. 1. 41–64. September 4, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20140329023433/http://www.cardozolawandgender.com/uploads/2/7/7/6/2776881/16-1_merjian.pdf. March 29, 2014. dead.
  44. News: The Story of a Suicide. Parker. Ian. The New Yorker. February 6, 2012. February 5, 2012.
  45. News: Kenneth Weishuhn, Gay Iowa Teen, Commits Suicide After Allegedly Receiving Death Threats. Huffington Post. March 21, 2014. 2012-04-17.
  46. Web site: Mulvihill. Evan. Heartbreaking Details Emerge In Suicide Of Out Iowa Teen Kenneth Weishuhn. Queerty. March 21, 2014. 2012-04-18.
  47. News: Nichols. James. Jadin Bell's Father, Joe Bell, Killed While Walking Cross Country For Tribute To Dead Gay Teen. Huffington Post. March 20, 2014. 2013-10-10.
  48. News: Jadin Bell's father Joe Bell of La Grande killed by truck while walking in memory of son. March 20, 2014. Oregon Live. October 10, 2013.
  49. Web site: CBS employees join the It Gets Better Project . August 21, 2011 . CNET.
  50. Web site: Adam Lambert Revamps 'Aftermath' for The Trevor Project . August 21, 2011 . MTV . April 13, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110413014013/http://act.mtv.com/posts/adam-lambert-revamps-aftermath-for-the-trevor-project . dead .
  51. News: Dan Savage: For Gay Teens, Life 'Gets Better' . NPR.org . NPR . August 21, 2011.
  52. Web site: Grupo Gay da Bahia - GGB . www.ggb.org.br. 23 August 2023 .
  53. Web site: March 9, 2012 . Grupo Gay da Bahia "premia" Dilma como inimiga número 1 dos homossexuais . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130516065359/http://reporteralagoas.com.br/novo/?p=7184 . May 16, 2013 . July 25, 2017 . Repórter Alagoas . pt.
  54. Web site: October 3, 2012 . kit anti-homofobia: grupo Gay da Bahia dá troféu de "inimiga da causa" a presidente Dilma Rousseff . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130404121501/http://www.infosaj.com.br/ver/noticia/kit_anti_homofobia_grupo_gay_da_bahia_da_trofeu_de_inimiga_da_causa_a_presidente_dilma_rousseff.html . April 4, 2013 . July 25, 2017 . TV Recôncavo . pt.
  55. Web site: Bill Text - AB-537 Discrimination. . 2022-03-07 . leginfo.legislature.ca.gov.
  56. Web site: SB3266 Text . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110311201259/http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/fulltext.asp?DocName=&SessionId=76&GA=96&DocTypeId=SB&DocNum=3266&GAID=10&LegID=51081&SpecSess=&Session= . March 11, 2011 . mdy-all.
  57. Web site: Implementing Rules and Regulations of Republic Act No. 10627 . November 10, 2014 . Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines . 13 December 2013 . Government of the Philippines.