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(New York City) A new study, released to coincide
with National Coming Out Day, shows that nearly a quarter of all LGBT students
do not feel safe at school.
The study, conducted by Harris Interactive for
the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, paints a disturbing picture.
It shows that 65% of all teens report that they
have been verbally or physically harassed or assaulted during the past year.
The study says that the harassment came about because of the teens' perceived or
actual appearance, gender, sexual orientation, gender expression,
race/ethnicity, disability or religion.
Appearance was the most common reason, the report
says, but found that the next most common reason for frequent harassment is
sexual orientation.
One-third of teens reported that students are
frequently harassed because they are or are perceived to be lesbian, gay or
bisexual.
LGBT students are three times
as likely as non-LGBT students to say that they do not feel
safe at school and 90 percent of LGBT students said they have
been harassed or assaulted during the past year.
The study, titled "From
Teasing to Torment: School Climate in America, A Survey of
Students and Teachers," questioned 3,400 students aged
13-18 and over 1,000 secondary school teachers nationwide.
While more than two-thirds of
students said their school has some type of anti-harassment
policy, less than half of all students say their school
has a policy that specifies sexual orientation or gender
identity or expression.
The survey found that having a
harassment policy in place that specifically mentions sexual
orientation or gender identity/expression is associated with
more students feeling safe.
Kevin Jennings, the
Executive Director of GLSEN, said that the study shows
bullying and harassment can impact a student's ability to
learn,
"It also shows how having
anti-harassment policies in schools - particularly those
policies that include sexual orientation or gender
identity/expression -- can be associated with students feeling
safer," said Jennings.
The study also found that 85%
of secondary school teachers believe that they have an
obligation to ensure a safe learning environment for LGBT
students.
©365Gay.com 2005
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