Lgbt Bulling

LGBT Bullying

        Have you ever been bullied so harshly that you didn’t feel safe going back to work, school or even back home? This happens all over the world, but the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) youth get the worst kind of bullying. Bullying happens anywhere, at school, work, malls, and many more places. Bullying kids by their sexual orientation is no different than bullying other teens and other people, name calling, verbal, physical and even sexual abuse happens more to LGBT youth than non-LGBT youth. In recent years the suicide rate of LGBT Youth has shown that they are two-three times more likely to commit or attempt suicide then non-LGBT youth. Out of all completed suicides, 30% are related to their sexual identity. LGBT youth are also said to do poorly in school meaning getting low grades, repeating a grade or class, even completely dropping out of school because they don’t feel safe in while school. LGBT youth are also eight times more likely to start and abuse drugs and alcohol then non-LGBT youth. Besides getting bullied at school, some LGBT youth are abused and/or neglected by their own parents resulting in LGBT Youth to become homeless. About 34% of LGBT youth report receiving physical and/or verbal assault from parents. If LGBT bullying stops, the LGBT youth will feel safe at home and school.

        LGBT youth are more likely to commit or attempt suicide. The teen suicide rate has been high in the past few years, but suicides within the LGBT community are at a higher risk of suicide than non-LGBT youth. One-third of LGBT youth have attempted suicide, out of all teen suicides about 30% is an LGBT youth. Just recently, a transgender teenager made headlines across the States, this teen committed suicide by jumping in front of a semi-truck, killing her. Leelah Alcorn was just 17 when she committed suicide. She wrote a suicide note saying why she did what she did. She was bullied by her classmate and her own family. They didn’t accept her as transgender so they treated her badly. When she could no longer take the abuse committed suicide, many teens committed suicide because there friends and family didn’t accept them for what there where.

        Besides suicides LGBT Youths deal with bullying in school getting harassed by their classmates, other students, their peers, and in a few cases their own teachers themselves. LGBT Youths hear the most anti-LGBT slurs in school hallways or in the classroom, Slurs such as “Faggot, dykes, fag, tranny, and homo” and such more. Averagely LGBT students hear about 26   anti-LGBT slurs a day, about one third of these slurs come from teachers. LGBT get verbally and physically harassed because of their sexual orientation and/or their gender identity. Those who are bullied are made fun of for being gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender, thus causing them not to feel safe at school. Transgender teens reporting sexually harassed by others schoolmates because of their gender identity.

        Many LGBT Youth deal with bullying at school so the safest place is home, right? Not always the case. Going back to Leelah she got bullied by her own parents because they couldn’t accept that there son was transgender saying it was just a phase he was going though. Many teen who come out as Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, or Transgender, (like Leelah) dint accept their child’s sexual orientation. Some LGBT Youth report being physically beaten by their parents or being disowned and putting their own child on the streets. Out of the homeless population about 5-10% are LGBT and out of the homeless youths 20-40% are LGBT Youths. Reasons there are homeless LGBT Youths because 46% ran away because of family rejection of their sexual orientation or gender identity. 43% are forced out of their homes because of sexual orientation or gender identity. 32% are physically, emotionally, and/or sexually abused at home by their parents and/or siblings. 17% have aged out of foster care system. 14% suffer financial or emotional neglect from their family. There are many ways LGBT Youths can be bullied at home and be driven out of their own home just because their parents did not accept their child for being themselves.