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Loading ...New reports shows most of Illinois LGBT youth are harassed
06.18.2009 3:30pm EDT
The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) released a report Wednesday showing that LGBT students in Illinois face an alarming level of harassment, both physical and verbal, at school.
Inside Illinois Schools: The Experiences of LGBT Students surveyed 206 Illinois students about the level of harassment they receive in school, how much they skip school for being harassed, and how their grades are affected by this harassment.The report showed that 89 percent of Illinois LGBT students experienced verbal harassment based on sexual orientation in the past year, 43 percent said they had been physically harassed and 21 percent said they had been physically assaulted.
“While we applaud Illinois for being one of only 11 states to pass a law that explicitly protects students from bullying and harassment on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity/expression, Inside Illinois Schools shows just how much work still needs to be done to make sure LGBT students in Illinois are safe in school,” GLSEN Executive Director Eliza Byard said. “GLSEN is hopeful Illinois will continue to address this pervasive problem.”
Read the rest of the GLSEN report here.
Subt my guess is you are a bigot as well. I attended a top highschool in Chicago from 1998-2001. I had the choice of any school because I was the 8th grade Val. When I told my family that I chose this particular school they laughed and said “don’t turn gay”.I had no idea that I was attending a so called gay school. There were a lot of GLB but I never witnessed one person getting teased by the certain minority group that I’m sure Subt was referring to in fact they were embraced. A few people laughed because the guys were over the top and the most girls came in “straight” and were recruited by the second semester of 9th grade but they were NEVER bullied. Needless to say I transferred to a school where my uncle was a principle and there was a transgendered girl named “Thomasina” who I had formerly known as Thomas. Again another predominantly minority school and she was embraced as well. The teachers respected her and never called her sir, he, or Thomas. She was even allowed to use the girls bathroom with us. While I am sure that gay rights are far from where they should be Illinois is making a huge effort. We have to remember that children emulate what their parents say and do and that ignorant parents raise ignorant children. So Subt and people like him who think Blacks are the one’s doing all of the teasing… You are just as prejudice and ignorant as the people who think it’s ok to tease people because of their sexual orientation…
I am a straight woman who graduated from an IL high school and it breaks my heart to hear such a statistic. It never hit me before that there’s more than one “high school”. The one I went to where no one bothered me and I went on with my day. And the other “high school” within the same building where a person is being harassed for his or her sexual orientation.
A child should always feel safe within the walls of their school. And they should always be able to speak to a faculty member about harassment without being blown off. A child’s safety is the issue here.
IL needs to step up! Freedom isn’t something reserved for a select few, it’s for everyone!
Agreed that 206 is WAY too small of a sample size to be an effective sample. And “thousands” of students in Illinois? Try about a million.
Studies in the United States, Canada and United Kingdom have all shown the negative effects of homophobic harassment and bullying. They also show when teachers and administrators intervene against such harassment and bullying (and all bullying and harassment), it is reduced and LGBTQ students and teachers feel safer in their schools.
Unfortunately, there are social conservatives who feel that having policies against homophobic bullying will only encourage homosexuality– and there are a few teachers who prefer to blame the victim rather than the bully. A few even regard such policies as interfering with “free speech”.
As a community, our organizations and individuals must demand that school boards, schools and state and provincial offices responsible for public education must implement and enforce policies against homophobic bullying and harassment.
Why not find out what the majority race of the hate perpetrators are? My guess is that it’s another certain minority group…
I went to all Illinois public schools (in an affluent community) and I was never EVER physically assaulted. I was not super open about my sexuality in high school but I don’t recall ever being harassed for having gay ‘tendencies’. I am just one evample though…
Illinois should do everything possible to reduce all forms of bullying and harassment, but I question GLSEN’s sample size – 206 students is fucking small. There are thousands of high schools in Illinois… there is no way they covered a wide swath of all socio-economic groups and communities. Plus Chicagoland is notoriously liberal and the rest of the state is rather republican… That being said further media coverage will only insure that schools will work harder to develop more comprehensive anti-bullying programs and lgbtq support networks.
I went to high school in the sixties,and was visible as someone gay,yet all I got was some whispers,giggles and some mind teasing.The world today sounds much more sinister.
I went to high school in suburban Chicago and there was a fair amount of harassment. I think kids will be kids (ie. there will be many who are mean to anyone who is different to them) but that’s where administrators and educators come in to say, “this will not be tolerated and I will bust your balls harder if you are harassing other students.” They will get the message but it will take time. From what I hear from current high school students, things are changing though. It’s hard to stop every ignorant, bigoted person from making stupid, ignorant comments in the hallways or between classes.
I was totally bullied in high school.
In fact,it got so bad,I walked out one day,and never went back. Sadly,this was at the end of 11th grade. I only had 1 more year to go.
I did get my GED 2 years later.
This all occurred in 1978 and I’m angry that it still goes on in 2009!
I think ALL high schools should have a GSA or,at the very least,support from teachers & faculty. If a student is bullying another student,they should be suspended and made to take an awareness class.
This has gone on,far too long.
I live in Illinois and when I was in high school i was bullied for multiple reasons including my sexuality because I am bisexual!! All I can say to all the kids getting bullied is try to keep your head held high and don’t give up!!
I think I must have gone to a pretty understanding school. I know of one gay guy in my senior class and no one ever made fun or harrassed him, we just asked him alot of questions like when did he know, does he have a bf, where does he meet other guys? that was back in 2000
I was harassed in high school and the school was in Chicago. I was called “faggot” and asked if I wanted to give them blowjobs in the bathroom. For such a blue state we are really behind.
I was harassed in high school at the school was in Chicago. I was called “faggot” and asked if I wanted to give them blowjobs in the bathroom. For such a blue state we are really behind.
When I was in HS, I skipped class because I was being verbally abused by other students. I even went to the teacher after class, and told him about it. He just shrugged his shoulders. When he did that, I told him that I would not return to class anymore. I almost didn’t graduate because of all of the harrassment. I had to take night courses to get my credits to graduate with my class. Every gay child in every school is being verbally, physically, and mentally harrassed. It will happen for the rest of our lives, unless we have the teachers, deans and principle in our corner.
But until then, nothing will ever change.
I’m in highschool right now and I am a very open person when it comes to being gay, I wear a pride ring and necklace, wear pink from time to time, Heck I even have a purse, and I show my pride at my school all the time. What surprises me is that I never get harassed, except for the occasional bigot here or there who think he has to voice his opinion and say something stupid; and im not just the only gay person at my school, we have a small community of gays and lesbians, and not once have I heard of any of us getting harassed. Even my teachers and guidance counselors are supportave of us. So when I read this report I’m shocked that theres is an alarming level of harrasment, maybe its because I go to public school in virginia and things are diffrent here, who knows?