LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
CAMP Talk |
by Bill Sievert |
Day of Silence Reminds Us to Speak Up for Bullied Youth
As we grow older many of us frequently forget why we walked into a room or what movie we saw the previous week, but we can recall in vivid detail events from our childhoods. That certainly has been the case for me lately, especially during last month's National Day of Silence, which each spring brings attention to bullying and harassment targeted at GLBTQ youth in schools. (The Q is for "questioning," for those of you who may not be familiar with the latest addition to our affinity group's alphabet-soup abbreviation). The Day of Silence, which is coordinated by New York-based GLSEN (The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network), brought to mind how many difficult days in elementary school I personally experienced at the hands of boys who found me suspicious because I was academically motivated and not particularly gifted or interested in their rough and tumble games of sport. The repetitive reactions of several bullies to my presence on the playground included slaps to my head and the stealing of my cap, as well as knocking me to the ground and running off with my shoes, which they often dumped into the nearest mud puddle. When I played with some of the neighborhood girls, the boys would inevitably call me "sissy," even as they derided one particularly athletic girl as a "weirdo tomboy." The way I was treated as a kid may pale in comparison to the current-day beatings and shootings of children by other children who have not been taught to respect people who are a little different than themselves. For example, this year's National Day of Silence was in memory of Lawrence King, a California 8th-grader who was shot and killed by a classmate because of his sexual orientation and gender expression. Nonetheless, the trauma caused by even relatively mild forms of bullying can lead to serious long-term consequences for a victim, including social withdrawal and anti-social behavior. (How many youngsters who have participated in the recent wave of school-house shootings had reported being bullied?) As with any person physically or psychologically abused in youth, GLBTQ kids who are bullied may themselves become abusive adults, perhaps to demonstrate control over the type of people who once taunted them. Then there are the bullied kids who never reach adulthood. We might fool ourselves into thinking that it is much easier for young people to come out of the closet nowadays, but the most recent statistics about suicide are truly startling. One-third of all teens who kill themselves and one-half of all male youth suicides are from the GLBTQ community, according to research by the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Other studies have shown that gay teens are twice as likely as their heterosexual peers to attempt to take their own lives.What's more, 30 percent of gay and bisexual adolescent males try suicide at least once. Every bit as disturbing, 80 percent of those harassed about their sexual orientation identify as heterosexual, and heterosexual youths are five times as likely to attempt suicide if they are picked on because someone believes they are gay. About 160,000 young people skip school every day out of fear of being harassed, and teenage students (gay and straight) say the worst kind of harassment in school is being called "gay" or "faggot." Four out of five gay kids say they have been bullied in some manner. Here's one more frightful stat: A total of 27 percent of gay youth say they have been physically hurt by another student. You can find more statistics on the dangers of bullying, including their research sources, on the website for Be Real (www.berealorlando.org.), a Central Florida organization similar in scope to GLSEN's nationwide campaign. A key component of both groups' efforts is the creation of "safe classrooms" in public middle schools and high schools. The rooms are staffed by teachers who pledge to be nonjudgmental when a young person needs to talk about issues ranging from bullying to gender identity. Stickers or magnetic signs are placed on a window or outside an educator's door to identify the teacher as a "safe" participant. GLSEN also provides staff training to enable school officials and teachers to identify and address name-calling and harassment effectively and in a timely manner. It also encourages the creation of Gay-Straight Alliances (and similarly named clubs) among students. It currently counts at least 3,000 such groups in high schools and 500 in middle schools nationwide. Such programs definitely can help. According to Kevin Jennings, founder of GLSEN, his group's most recent research project (2005) shows that students in schools with Gay-Straight Alliances are less likely to feel unsafe and "less likely to miss school because of a lack of safety. GLBT students who could identify supportive teachers had higher GPAs and were more likely to plan on attending college." And, he writes on the GLSEN website (www.glsen.org), "When schools have anti-harassment policies that include categories like sexual orientation, not only does harassment based on sexual orientation and gender identity decrease, so does the incidence of other forms of harassment." Although GLSEN has about 40 affiliates in numerous states, Delaware does not have a chapter yetand it should have at least one (or similar outreach programs). Down here in Greater Orlando, we have Be Real, whichin addition to a growing number of safe classroom projects in four countiesoffers a telephone hotline for young people who find themselves in difficulty at school, at home, at work or elsewhere. Be Real also strives to provide guidance on coming out, with information on how, when, where and if to approach one's family. Addressing the needs of young peopleespecially (to spell it out) our lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual and questioning young peopleshould be an important priority for everyone. A well-adjusted, self-confident youngster is likely to become a contented, productive, loving adult who contributes to her or his society. A harassed, bullied kid might become something entirely differentif she or he lives to grow up at all. Bill Sievert can be reached at billsievert@earthlink.net. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 18, No. 04 May 02, 2008 |