For over a decade, GLSEN (or Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network), a national education organization, has been documenting the experiences of LGBT students in school. As you can imagine, being LGBT in school isn't a life full of beauty and butterflies. LGBT students often experience harassment and sometimes acts of violence based on their sexual identity and gender expression.
A new report from GLSEN, Shared Differences: The Experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Students of Color in Our Nation’s Schools, uncovers the lives of an often ignored segment of the LGBT population–LGBT youth of color–uncovering yet another layer of the difficulties our youth face on a daily basis.
"The survey results paint a grim picture of kids so hardened to anti-gay remarks, shoving or worse that they don't even bother reporting the abusive incidents to a school official or parent," Detroit News columnist Deb Price remarks in Educators Fail Gay Students Of Color.
"These students rarely read about LGBT people in textbooks, nor do they learn about gay history or people in class. What they too often learn firsthand is that school is a place where they can expect to be hurt–emotionally or physically. The predictable but sad result is that many of these kids skip classes and see their grades drop."
Shared Differences was compiled from data collected by GLSEN during the 2006-2007 school year on 2,130 African-American, Hispanic, Asian, Pacific Islander or multiracial LGBT students, aged 13 to 21.
So, why are our LGBT African American, Latino/a, Asian/Pacific Islander and multiracial students checking out of first period and into the class of hard knocks? Well, it seems that the general student population has no problem telling LGBT students how they feel, while many teachers keep their eyes and ears closed. The numbers are surprising, yet so not. Here's the scorecard:
- 80%: The number of LGBT students of color that heard "that's so gay" or similar uses of "gay" at school. Two-thirds of them heard "faggot," "dyke" and other anti-gay name-calling. Half heard anti-gay remarks from teachers, principles and other adults. Grade: Fail!
- 1/5: The number of LGBT students of color who reported that educators intervened when anti-gay remarks were made in their presence. Grade: Fail!
- 50%: The number of LGBT students of color that said they felt unsafe in school because of their sexual identity. One-third felt unsafe because of their gender expression. Grade: Fail!
- 33%: The number of LGBT African American students that said they'd experienced physical violence in school. LGBT Native American students reported 54 percent. Grade: Fail!
Suggested Reading:
Teaching Acceptance In Schools
Should Gay Youth Be Homeschooled?
How To Start a Gay / Straight Alliance
All About PFLAG
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I don’t care to know who another person is sleeping with (sexually. I believe this whole “acceptance” thing is hogwash. Keep your sexual preferences “PERSONAL” and stop the maddness
Preference means having a choice and who you’re attracted to is not a choice. The problem is not that gay people are making this a big issue. It’s that certain people are asked to keep it to themselves and not others. She can hold hands and talk about her relatiionship with her boyfriend, but if he does the same about his boyfriend, it’s “flaunting his sexuality”. That’s unfair and should be called out.
To alphasun: You are right that always happens to people and it should be called out but its just that the world today doesnt care about gays, BUT i personally think that the world should help out and care a little about all types