bullying130323
What this is about
Anti gay bullying
The education system in the UK has been trying for some years to deal with the issue of bullying of pupils and students who are perceived to be gay or lesbian, by their peers and by staff. Teachers should also deal with language issues such as the use of “gay” as an insult. There has only been limited success so far.
55% of lesbian, gay and bisexual young people experience homophobic bullying at school; 96% say they hear words like “poof” or “lezza” in the classroom, according to “The School Report”, 2012, which is based on an online survey of more than 1,600 LGBT young people between the age of 11 and 18. It is the second in a long-term study commissioned by Stonewall and carried out by the Centre for Family Research at the University of Cambridge.
The big shock in the report is the numbers of our young citizens who are self-harming. Almost one in four of those surveyed said they had tried to take their own life at some point (compared to 7% of all young people) and 56% said they had self-harmed – deliberately cutting or burning themselves, for example.
The Lesbian and Gay Foundation has published some information about bullying on its website. There are some good points based on experience.
The Lesbian and Gay Foundation | Ladies Home Journal – bullying of gay teenagers | Irish Times – the conflicting issues of fighting bullying and “promoting homosexuality” in schools | BeLonG To Youth |
American Refugee; photographer uncredited
More information will be added to this page as it becomes available.
Page updated 23 March 2013
Proof read on 23 March 2013
SP
