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    Safe Schools | School Bullying

    LGBT youth experience higher levels of harassment and bullying than their heterosexual peers. Below is some supporting evidence, collected by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN)

    Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation

    • 84.6 percent of LGBT students reported being verbally harassed, 40.1 percent reported being physically harassed and 18.8 percent reported being physically assaulted at school in the past year because of their sexual orientation.
    • 72.4 percent heard homophobic remarks frequently or often at school.
    • Nearly two-thirds (61.1 percent) of students feel unsafe in school due to their sexual orientation.

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    Discrimination Based on Gender Identity

    • 63.7 percent of LGBT students reported being verbally harassed, 27.2 percent reported being physically harassed and 12.5 percent reported being physically assaulted at school in the past year because of their gender expression.
    • More than a third (39.9 percent) felt unsafe because of their gender identity.
    • About one-third (32.7 percent) skipped a day of school in the past month because they felt unsafe (GLSEN National School Climate Survey 2009).

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    Bullying Affects Educational Performance and Psychological Well Being (from 2009 GLSEN report)

    • 30 percent of LGBT students missed at least one day of school in the past month due to fear for their safety, compared to the national average of 6.7 percent.
    • LGBT students who faced increased harassment had lower GPAs than LGBT students who faced less harassment (2.7 vs. 3.1).
    • High levels of bullying are associated with high levels of depression and anxiety and low self-esteem.

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    Positive Methods to Combat School Bullying

    • Seek the support of your school’s Gay Straight Alliance or similar LGBT friendly club. Try starting a small, even private, club for you and some trusted friends if your school does not have an LGBT club. If you feel comfortable, try implementing a Safer School or LGBT-Inclusive educational campaign at your school. Students with access to this type of support system report more positive experiences in school.
    • Seek out a teacher or faculty member who is LGBT-identified or LGBT-accepting. Form a close relationship with him/her and allow him/her to help advocate for you and LGBT issues on an administrative level.
    • Check to see if your school’s anti-bullying policy includes protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity/expression. If it does include these protections, make sure you file a complaint with the school district and the state if you experience any type of anti-LGBT bullying. If your school does not have protections, speak with your teacher or school about the importance of these protections. Remember that it is illegal to discriminate based on perceived or actual sexual orientation or gender identity/expression in California public schools under the California Student Safety and Violence Prevention Act (AB 537).

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    Resources

    For more information about how you can start an anti-bullying campaign or policy in your school:
    GLSEN Anti-Bullying Resources
    Gay-Straight Alliance Network Change Policy

    For more information about starting and running a Gay-Straight Alliance club, see:


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