Homophobia is a pervasive issue in schools across the nation. America, the country where all men are equal, is quite the opposite when it comes to one’s sexual orientation. Every day, both men and women across the country are denied simple, civil rights, because of their sexual orientation. Gaining gay rights, in general, has been a long, ugly fight over the past decade. The LGBTQ community has been ridiculed and persecuted for how they live their lives, yet they are human beings filled with love and compassion just like every one else. The LGBTQ community has previously been denied marriage rights, jobs, and even killed because of who they love. This negative attention begins in the school systems. In a 2012 study, fifty-five percent of lesbian, gay, and bisexual students in secondary schooling experienced …show more content…
This paper will discuss the LGBTQ youth community among schools across the country and will focus on the types of discrimination and its effects. Homophobic discrimination is a widespread issue in schools today. Many are guilty of discriminating against LGBTQ youth, whether consciously or unconsciously. LGBTQ youth are faced with daily discrimination from society, peers, family, and even school faculty members. Ninety-Two percent of LGBTQ youth said they have heard negative messages about being LGBTQ. The top sources were their school, the Internet, and their peers (Human Rights Campaign). Bullying is a form of discrimination. Bullying directed at an individual can take on many forms including psychical, verbal, social, emotional, and cyber (Olweus). Acts of bullying can be distinguished in two ways: harassment and overt offenses. Harassment is the more common type of bullying. It inmost frequently committed as verbal slurs whether indirectly or directly aimed at individuals. Overt offenses are more serious and involve continual mental anguish against someone who is gay or appears to be gay
Within America’s society today, 3.8 percent of the population is gay, lesbian, or bisexual. With only 17 of the 50 states legalizing and recognizing this type of relationship (“History…”), it puts a stronghold on same-sex couples to publicly declare their love with the promise of marriage. Same-sex marriages should be legalized because everyone has equal rights of freedom and liberty.
This article highlights the ways our school and district are failing these students. We proclaim to be an inclusive “place”, but truth be told we are only comfortable if you conform to our definition of “normal”. The article suggests that, at the elementary level, we can include literature that features different family structures as an introduction to acceptance of differences. Last year, our library had a picture book, And Tango Makes Three, about two male penguins that were in a relationship and wanted to start a family like the other penguin couples. The minute the “content” was brought to our librarian’s attention, the book magically disappeared from the shelf. The issue was brought up before a faculty meeting, and the majority of the faculty agreed with the book being pulled from the shelf. The sad part is that we do have a couple of children within the school who have a family structure that resembles the characters in the book. I was lucky to grow up in a household that did not discriminate based on color, religion, socioeconomics, gender, or sexual orientation, but I learned quickly that my views are not similar to those of my peers. Here in South Mississippi, we are “behind the times” and not aligned with the rest of the nation when it comes to meeting the needs of LGBT students. How do we even attempt to close that gap when so many of the teachers and administrators do not agree with or believe in the “life style and choices of” LGBT
Currently, only 13 countries offer rights for members of the LGBT community. Within those countries, few offer equal rights such as health care, marriage rights, and adoption to LGBT members. Many people around the globe would agree that these rights, along with all other rights granted to heterosexuals, should not be granted to these members of the LGBT community. One prevalent notion is that being gay, or being included in the LGBT community, is unnatural. This notion is simply incorrect; everyone, no matter their gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation does, in fact, deserve the same liberties as their heterosexual counterparts. Being a member of the LGBT community has no negative effect on the lives of others unless those people view heterosexuality in a negative light, allowing it to bedevil them, and ultimately change the way they live their life. Being gay is completely natural. Though some would argue that homosexuality is unnatural, others would disagree, being that research has been conducted. The conclusion was that the way people think and feel towards others is s...
Homosexuality has existed since the beginning of recorded human history and yet, attitudes towards gay and lesbian individuals vary extensively. Some societies tolerate them; others openly welcome and encourage them; and most blatantly condemn them (Bates, 46). Throughout our country’s history, homosexuals have been misunderstood and discriminated against, leading many to acquire an irrational fear of gays and lesbians. Known as homophobia, this fear has prompted heterosexual individuals with a feeling a superiority and authority when using the word “homosexual” interchangeably with the words pervert, faggot, sodomite, and so on. Homophobes typically perceive homosexuality as a threat to society. Nonetheless, the Gay Rights Movement has achieved impressive progress since 1973 when the American Psychological Association (APA) eradi...
According to a study done by National Youth Association in 2010, 9 out of 10 students in the LGBT community have experienced harassment in school, and over ⅓ of LGBT youth have attempted suicide. More recently, statistics by the Human Rights Campaign (hrc.org) claim that 4 in 10 LGBT youth say that their community is not accepting of LGBT people. In 1998 the Westboro Baptist Church was brought into America’s spotlight when they picketed the funeral of Matthew Shepard, a young man in the LGBT community who had been beaten to death because of his sexuality. Since then, the cruelty of WBC hasn’t ceased to leave many in sickening shock. Bullying, throughout time, has evolved. It’s not just Little Timmy being beaten up for his lunch money anymore. Now, parents are involved. Many religious households raise their children on the beliefs that bullying is A-OK if Little Timmy is a homosexual. Parents ar...
A social problem, according to Thomas Sullivan (2012), is “when an influential group defines it as threating its values, when the condition affects a large number of people, and when it can be remedied by collective action”. Homophobia is indeed a social problem because negative stereotypes are prohibiting gay males and lesbians from living an equal, free life like their heterosexual counterparts. Whether the homophobic acts are minor or major, all homosexuals are discriminated, ostracized, beaten, or murdered every day. Further discussion of how homophobic stereotypes affect homosexuals, who is considered to be homophobic, and potential solutions to stop homophobia will be described below through peer reviewed literature.
Kolbert, Crothers, Bundick, Wells, Buzgon, Berbary and Senko (2015) explore bullying of LBGTQ youth from teachers' perspectives. It is acknowledged that bullying is a concern for many children and teens, but as an LBGTQ youth, the odds increase dramatically. It is crucial to get educators' perspectives according to Kolbert et al. (2015) because school environments are shaped by adults. A multitude of LBGTQ students report bullying to educators and do not see action, which creates a fear of confiding. A shocking fact in the article is how uncomfortable most teachers are dealing with LBGTQ based bullying, due to the fear of losing their jobs or reactions of the parents. Teachers also feel unequipped to deal with LBGTQ subjects and lack training. This article will provide evidence for LBGTQ bullying in school systems within the theme of LBGTQ youth being viewed as other. It examines how teachers see conflict and how students feel approaching authority with
“What’s the big whoop?” asks a cute, blonde, elementary school aged boy when his teacher discusses homosexuality. He didn’t understand why people cared who other people loved. Little kids are perfect examples of how society’s negativity towards homosexuality creates homophobia. Children don’t understand why it matters who you love because they don’t see it as a problem and their opinions aren’t clouded by stereotypes. If LGBT issues were taught to these innocent, uninvolved children in elementary school, it would be more likely they would be accepting as they grew up. It is important to present LGBT in a positive light before parents, classmates, and media influence their perceptions.
Homosexual adolescents learn from an early age that “survival depends on self-concealment (Sullivan, 2008).” Sullivan illustrates the internal struggle of the homosexual adolescent with a powerful statement, stating “...that which would give him the most meaning is most likely to destroy him in the eyes of others; that the condition of his friendships is the subjugation of himself (Sullivan, 2008).” The use of the word destroy is a haunting acknowledgement to the bullying that occurs throughout our schools and social media sites. The notion that homosexual adolescents don’t simply keep his or her sexual orientation private, but suppress this aspect of his or her being is detrimental to developing a strong sense of self. Sullivan’s description of the experience of growing up as someone “profoundly different in emotional and psychological makeup” reiterates how challenging it is for...
D’Augelli, A.R. (1998). Developmental implications of victimization of lesbian, gay, and bisexual youths. In G.M. Herek (Ed.), Stigma and sexual orientation: Understanding prejudice against lesbians, gay men and bisexuals (pp.187-210). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
A major problem is discrimination against LGBT youth (Cray, 3 Barriers) . They are constantly harassed both verbally - as shown by Tony Perkins, president of Family Research Council claiming it’s appalling to tell LGBT youths that they’re not shameful (as done by the “It Gets Better” project) and comparing homosexuality to drug abuse (Hooper, The War) , by the president of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni calling gays “disgusting” after signing a strict anti-gay law and telling CNN reporters that he does, in fact, have prejudice against homosexuals (LGBTQnation, Uganda President) , by my own father comparing homosexuality as a whole to beastiality, and by both parents refusing to use a transgendered friend’s PGPs (Prefered Gender Pronouns) - and physically, shown in many public places: Schools, by 15 year old freshman Zach King’s beating (Ludlow, Gay Student’s Beating) , parties, by the assault and murder of Dwayne Jones, 16, of Ja...
Williams, T., Connolly, J., Pepler, D., & Craig, W. (2003). Questioning and sexual minority adolescents: High school experiences of bullying, sexual harassment and physical abuse. Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health. Special Issue: Disrupting Normalcy: Lesbian, Gay, Queer Issues and Mental Health, 22 (2), 47-58.
Baker, Jean M. How Homophobia Hurts Children: Nurturing Diversity at Home, at School, and in the Community. New York: Harrington Park, 2002. Print.
Children are bullied for thousands of reasons, none of them are valid (Hile [pg. 26]). There aren’t any causes that puts a child at risk of being a bully or being bullied by others. It can happen anywhere in any city, town, or suburb. It also can depend on the environment, such as upon groups of gays, ...
When one hears the words “LGBT” and “Homosexuality” it often conjures up a mental picture of people fighting for their rights, which were unjustly taken away or even the social emergence of gay culture in the world in the1980s and the discovery of AIDS. However, many people do not know that the history of LGBT people stretches as far back in humanity’s history, and continues in this day and age. Nevertheless, the LGBT community today faces much discrimination and adversity. Many think the problem lies within society itself, and often enough that may be the case. Society holds preconceptions and prejudice of the LGBT community, though not always due to actual hatred of the LGBT community, but rather through lack of knowledge and poor media portrayal.