Breanna M's List: Homophobia in Schools

For much of this century, homosexuality was defined by the medical and scientific community as a psychiatric disorder. In the last several decades, however, "homosexuality" has been removed from the diagnostic manual of disorders, and research emphasis has shifted to the other side of the problem: the study of the negative, sometimes pathological, reactions to homosexuals by heterosexuals.

Homophobia is widespread in America, far more widespread than most heterosexuals realize, and it is far more subtle, too. The discrimination it inspires touches the lives of many Americans, not just gay Americans, but all Americans. And America pays a very dear price for it as we shall see.

There is no single definition for the term ‘homophobia’, as it covers a wide range of different viewpoints and attitudes. Homophobia describes hostility or fear of gay people and homosexuality, but it is not limited to this specifically. For example someone might be called homophobic if they dislike gay people; or if someone is violent towards a gay person they could also be described as homophobic.

* Students who describe themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered are five times more likely to miss school because of feeling unsafe. 28% are forced to drop out. --National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, "Anti-Gay/Lesbian Victimization," New York, 1984.

Prejudice against lesbians and gay men remains widespread in US society, although the public appears to be increasingly opposed to discrimination based on sexual orientation. The links on this page provide a brief introduction to sexual prejudice, the phenomenon that is often labeled homophobia or heterosexism.

Laws, studies, public opinion on homophobia:
bullet Laws against homosexual Behavior
bullet University study of causes of homophobia
bullet Results of public opinion polls
bullet Arguments used against homosexuals and bisexuals

bullet Beliefs about homophobia, and an anecdotal story
bullet Beliefs about homosexuality
bullet Unstated reasons for denying equal rights to homosexuals and others
bullet Story of a fighter against homophobia

Discrimination against homosexuals comes in many forms. At times homophobic beliefs lead people toward prejudiced actions at work, at schools, at clubs and in many other areas as well. Prejudiced views directed at homosexuals often stem from the perception that homosexual activity is immoral. Homophobia makes some people think that they are superior to homosexuals. In fact, studies show that anti-gay bias is far more accepted among large numbers of Americans than is bias against other minorities.

What is the Day of Silence®?

The Day of Silence, a project of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), is a student-led day of action when concerned students, from middle school to college, take some form of a vow of silence to bring attention to the name-calling, bullying and harassment -- in effect, the silencing -- experienced by LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) students and their allies.

Tomorrow is also the day that Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover, the eleven-year-old victim of anti-gay bullying who committed suicide last week, would have turned twelve.

carljosepehwalkerhooverThe Advocate has a particularly touching article on the heartbreaking story of the 11-year-old-boy, Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover, who committed suicide last week because he was being bullied at school. In the article, the child’s mother Sirdeaner Walker, who has survived domestic violence, homelessness, and breast cancer, talks about the homophobia the led to her son’s death:

“It’s not just a gay issue,” Walker said. “It’s bigger. He was 11 years old, and he wasn’t aware of his sexuality. These homophobic people attach derogatory terms to a child who’s 11 years old, who goes to church, school, and the library, and he becomes confused. He thinks, Maybe I’m like this. Maybe I’m not. What do I do?”

His birthday, April 17, falls this year on the 13th National Day of Silence, a day on which individuals observe vows of silence for students bullied at school.

But instead of silence, Walker wants action from the school, which she said continuously ignored her, chalking the situation up to student immaturity. She said that every day her son left for school, he walked into a “combat zone” assigned to him because of his inner-city address. But he would not point a finger at specific classmates for fear he’d be called a “snitch.”

anita bryant, anti-gay, bill oreilly, equality, gay, gay bashing, gay rights, gay violence, genderqueer, gordon hinckley, homophobia, homosexual, larry king, lesbian, lgbt, marriage, mormon, proposition, transgender, transsexual
Homophobia
In politics + causes on April 15, 2009 at 5:57 am

Homophobia Damages Lives
from Straight, Not Narrow: Homophobia Damages Lives by Jim and Brenda Johnson
Yes, that headline might seem like it came directly from the University of Duh!, but unfortunately there are many who would disagree. Hence, the need for studies like this one in the European Union.

Homophobia is damaging people's health and careers across Europe and the problem may be worse than reported because victims are scared to draw attention to themselves for fear of a backlash, an EU study said.

The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights said police in most countries were incapable of dealing with homophobic crime -- ranging from verbal abuse to deadly attacks --
and said many governments and schools failed to take it seriously enough.

This creates a vicious circle, with victims preferring to remain "invisible" rather than being open about their sexual orientation or reporting abuse to authorities, the study showed.

The report, which brought together research from 27 countries, said over half of EU citizens thought discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation was widespread in their country.

Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Poland and Romania were singled out for being hostile towards "gay pride" rallies and people from countries in the region were generally less comfortable with having a homosexual as a neighbour, for example.

Only three EU states -- Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain -- gave full marriage rights to lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transsexuals and transgender people, while most of the other countries do not award any rights at all.

In the Netherlands 82 percent were in favour of same-sex marriage versus 11 percent in Romania and 12 percent in Latvia.

Just like in the United States, our European GLBT friends (in most nations) still have a long road ahead to reach equality.