Do Today’s LGBTQ Kids Have It Any Easier?

Ten Years Later, Homophobic Bullying Slowly Decreasing but Still at Epidemic Levels, GLSEN Report Finds

Almost seventy-five percent of all middle and high school students have personally experienced some form of peer victimization in the past year, according to a new study released Wednesday by GLSEN. The study, “From Teasing to Torment: School Climate Revisited A Survey of U.S. Secondary School Students and Teachers,” examed school climate across middle and high schools in the United States and revisited many of the topics covered in GLSEN’s original 2005 survey of the same name.

More than one in five students reported being bullied because of their gender expression (21.9%). And nearly one in five (19.4%) reported being bullied because of their real or perceived sexual orientation. And while it comes as no shock that bullying is still at epidemic levels, what may be surprising to some is that while the majority of these incidents are bias-based bullying (bullying based on personal characteristics), more students reported being victims of bullying based on their looks or body size (50.9%) and actual or perceived race (30.3%). 

There are a number of findings that show the climate for LGBTQ students is slowly improving across the country. Less than a quarter (22%) of all students report hearing negative comments about gender expression, and while the most common insult is still “that’s so gay” (55%), only 14% report having heard negative remarks about transgender people. Still, “42.9% of students heard other homophobic remarks (e.g., ‘faggot,’ ‘dyke,’ ‘queer’) often or very often,” the report states.

LGBTQ students more likely to be bullied or harassed based on actual/perceived sexual orientation

Two-thirds of LGBTQ students were more likely to be bullied or harassed based on actual/perceived sexual orientation than their non-LGBTQ peers. LGBTQ students were also more likely to experience sexual harassment, having rumors/lies spread about them, property damage, and cyberbullying than their non-LGBTQ peers.

Sexist and racist remarks still run rampant; 56% of students say they “often/very often” hear sexist remarks in school and many even hear sexist comments from their teachers (20.6%) while one-third (36%) reported hearing racist remarks from students. 14.4% students report hearing their teachers make racist comments. 

 

According to the report, about 4 out of 5 students reported that a teacher was in hearing range when encountering these types of harassment. Unfortunately, the results of the survey show that even when given a clear opportunity to intervene and put a stop to certain types of bullying without much effort, over 70% of teachers chose not to. Students fared no better – only 20.1% of student respondents said other students jumped in to put an end to homophobic bullying. 

92% of all students experience some form of bullying

While the GLSEN report shows that school climate has certainly improved over the past decade, it’s still incredibly disheartening to know that an estimated 92% of all students experience some form of bullying based on personal characteristics such as actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, body size or appearance, or academic ability.

  

Geographic area and student age do have an impact on the type of bullying and harassment students will encounter. High school students are more likely to experience bullying based on race, and students in rural schools were more likely to experience bullying based on sexual orientation. Students in the West are the less likely to experience these types of bullying.  

LGBTQ Students, Female Students, and Black/African-American Students Report Not Feeling Safe at School

A large majority of students – almost 9 out of 10 students – reported feeling “safe” or “very safe” at school. Those who reported not feeling safe at school were, unsurprisingly, LGBTQ students, female students, and Black/African-American students. 

On a hopeful note, the survey found that many students were able to find safe spaces and like-minded friends and safety in extra-curricular activities, and club participation often followed the same demographic patterns. White, cisgender boys were more likely to participate in clubs such as ROTC or play on sports teams, while LGBTQ students gravitated towards gay-straight alliances (GSA), arts programs, or diversity clubs. 

The majority of GSAs can be found in schools in the West and the Northeast. Schools in the South are least likely to have a GSA, as are religious schools and middle schools. The need for a GSA in every school is clear, though. Schools with a GSA report far fewer negative, anti-LGBTQ remarks by students and teachers. Students don’t even need to participate in the GSA for it to have a positive impact on the school – that it simply exists is enough to change school climate for the better.

‘LGBTQ Students Still Face Rates of Violence Much Higher Relative to Their Peers’

In the preface of the report, Eliza Byard, GLSEN’s Executive Director, puts the report’s results into perspective;

Overall, bullying still persists at unacceptable levels, and the gains of the past ten years throw the more intractable aspects of the problem into higher relief. LGBTQ students still face rates of violence much higher relative to their peers. Teachers report that they are less comfortable and less prepared to address the harsh conditions faced by transgender and gender nonconforming students. And amidst progress in reducing the use of most types of biased language in schools, racist language remains as prevalent as it was a decade ago.

Above all, we must forcefully reject any efforts to turn back the clock in this urgent battle. Bullying must never again become societally acceptable. We must sustain our national commitment to ending discrimination in education, including having effective ways to require schools to address the bias that can poison students’ daily lives.

The Harris Poll, in partnership with GLSEN, conducted online surveys reaching 1,367 middle and high school students and 1015 secondary school teachers in the United States. The full report, “From Teasing to Torment: School Climate Revisited A Survey of U.S. Secondary School Students and Teachers,” can be downloaded here.

 

Image by Gordon Lew via Flickr and a CC license