It is all over the news. The headline reads “Jamie Hubley, Gay 15-Year-Old Ottawa, Canada Teen Commits Suicide, Cites Depression, School Troubles” (Huffington Post, 2011). Junior high and high school are a difficult time for any adolescent, but with the all the recent news and media on LGBTTQ* teen suicides it has become evident that being a member of this community during adolescence creates a whole new barrier to surviving this trying time. “Homosexual youth are often harassed and sometimes physically abused at school” (Ward & Belanger, 2011). I remember the two girls that came out in my high school, one lesbian and one bisexual, both of which were in my out of school depression support group. The lesbian was constantly referred to as a “dyke” and the bisexual was always being bullied into choosing whether it was males or females she wanted. People did not understand and they had no intention of trying. The boy who came out for being gay was laughed at for trying out for sports teams and was forced by his classmates to change in the bathroom stall. He tried to find humour in it but slowly he started skipping gym and avoiding sports altogether. Although we all gave each other support for depression I never understood the struggle that their sexual orientation contributed.
According to Boyd, Bee, and Johnson (2009), the second leading cause of death among Canadian young people aged 15 to 19 is suicide (p. 349). Depression is a very real thing and unfortunately for so many it does lead to suicide. The Public Health Agency of Canada (2009), states that among other socio-economic factors, depression can be a result of prejudice. In my high school, a common solution to bullying for whatever the reason might have been was to provide the victim with counselling. The bully rarely received more than “don’t do it” speech and prevention was never thought of. My school did so little to address the bullying issue that unless you were a victim no one paid attention to it and the victims stopped looking for help. Many became hopeless, and depression stemmed from those feelings of despair and pain.
The depression that bullying can cause to a person is a harsh reality. It can cause them to lose sight of their future, the goals they wish to accomplish and who they ultimately aspire to become. For LGBTTQ* youth, the discovery of their sexual orientation and the coming out process should be a good experience. However, bullying and homophobia from peers can attach negativity and fear to coming out. As I stated early, prejudice can lead to depression. Hearing negative words such as “fag”, “dyke”, and “homo” can be detrimental to an LGBTTQ* youth who is discovering their sexual orientation or their gender identity. I am happy to see anti-bullying against the LGBTTQ* becoming an important issue. Movements such as the Purple Letter Campaign and the It Gets Better Project hope to accomplish a safer world for the LGBTTQ* youth by getting bills put in place to protect them as they go through their adolescent years.
-Katelyn
References:
Boyd, D., Bee, H., & Johnson, P. (2009). Lifespan development. New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.
Huffington Post. (2011). Jamie Hubley, gay 15-year-old Ottawa, Canada teen commits suicide, cites depression, school troubles. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com
Public Health Agency of Canada. (2009). What is depression? Retrieved from http:// http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca
Ward, M., & Belanger, M. (2011). The family dynamic. Ontario : Nelson Education Ltd.
This topic just enrages me!! It is so upsetting that these poor teens feel so helpless and that they usually have no one to turn to for support and understanding. Bullying, depression and teen suicide seems to be happening more frequently and I don’t know why. Shouldn’t out society be in a place of acceptance rather than discrimination? I definitely feel there are more supports than in the past, but we still need to create awareness and advocate for these kids rather than turning a blind eye. Their lives are much too important to waste and we need to make them believe they are worthy. Excellent post!!
ReplyDeleteShauna Richardson
I agree with Shauna. It really breaks my heart to see the amount of young people take their own lives because of bullying. A lot of kids are aware that bullying is wrong, but they do it anyway because they are unaware that even the slightest criticism can impact the way a person views themselves, and their self worth. I also agree with you on the fact that schools don't do enough to educate their students on bullying and how it can impact others, especially LGBTQ* youth.
ReplyDelete- Adrienne A.
Wonderful job! it's brings me tears to think of all the pain LGBTTQ* teens have to go through because of bullying. The goverment needs to make more of an effort to stop bullying and educate our youth on how much bullying can affect a person.
ReplyDelete-Brigitte
Really loved this post! It was very troubling to read that these young people are taking their own lives because of being bullied. Alot of people are unaware of the impact that they can have on other peoples lives just by the words the say and things they do. I hope with more education and awareness things can be done to bring bullying to an end.
ReplyDeleteMarcia M.
This is a great post! Its sad to see so many LGBT youth being bullied. It actually makes me a angry, people need to realize that Words do really hurt. I think the people who do the bullying don't realize how much it actually hurts the particular individual. There needs to be more support groups to help these youth and also more awareness to the effects that bullying brings.
ReplyDeleteSamantha
Great post! I agree as well that bullying needs to be stopped against LGBT youth. I find very upsetting that the leading caused of death in teenagers is suicide. People need to realize what they say to some one can be very offensive and make them feel depressed. Thank you for enlightening me more on this topic of LGBTTG* youth.
ReplyDeleteSara
Great post Katelyn! This was an interesting post. It makes me sad to think that so many LGBTTQ youth are being bullied and that some are even commiting suicide. This is horrible and very troubling! It is an issue that needs to be addressed. There needs to be more education and awareness done so the problem of bullying can be dealt with. The governement and other authorities in the lives of the youth need to educate the youth on the effects of bullying and how harmful it can be to a person. There is also a need for more support groups for the youth who are struggling with this so they can be empowered and for healing to start to occur.
ReplyDeleteLori
I agree! Education needs to be done at a young age. It is hard to change the views of people who already have them set in stone but if we reach the children before they are negatively influenced maybe the next generation will grow up to see that being different in any way is not wrong, bad or disgusting it is what makes them the unique individual they are and is a good thing. I really empathize with the youth it is such a vulnerable time, brains are not fully developed and emotions are going crazy, anything that happens seems like the end of the world so I am really glad there are a lot of supports for them.
ReplyDeleteBrittany
I think it is just awful when I hear stories about people be bullied for their sexuality and even worse when it gets so bad that these victims end up committing suicide just to end the pain they go through on a regular basis. I do not have any personal situations with someone being bullied because of their sexuality, but I have seen many T.V. shows where this has been a storyline and the plot never ends well. It just saddens me that I see this happening more and more each and every day.
ReplyDelete- Michal B.
Good post Katelyn! It just breaks my heart just thinking of LGBTTQ* youth who are being bullied because of their sexual orientation. Personally, I feel that schools need to put programs in place to educate those who are bullying about the psychological effects they are casuing LGBTTQ* youth. I feel it should be mandatory for those who choose to bully LGBTTQ* students to take some sort of program that will hopefully allow them to understand and empathize with those being bullied. This just needs to stop!
ReplyDelete-Stephanie M.
I think it's sad that this is still a topic discussed in the media today but very little is being done to change the systems so that it supports LGBTTQ* youth. They need to know that there is a support system for them and that it is safe to come out and be themselves. Schools need to be a safe place for these children not bullying grounds. Great post!
ReplyDelete-Iresha
In highscool I can remember these two boys, both a year younger then me, getting bullied by the hockey team, and other "jocks". It hurt knowing that, as one person, I coudln't do much. I did start driving one boy to and from school and tried to be there for him when I could. But there also seems to be a lot of people who just stand by and let the bullying continue. Its upsetting knowing people turn a blind eye.
ReplyDeleteGreat post.
~Joelle
Bullying is everywhere, not just being limited to school. When anyone puts you down on your beliefs or tells you that what you do doesn't matter based on things that you can't control or change is the most hurtfully bullying of all. The stigmas of people can affect you directly of indirectly but either way it still hurts. People need to change the norms of society for everyone to be accepted. Good blog post Katelyn.
ReplyDelete-Chandra B
I grew up with someone who is gay and we are still friends but it is difficult sometimes to maintain. Right out of school he moved to europe were he felt more accepted in his life style because of all the bullying he received. It is funning now that i to was ostasized at school because I was not afraid to be a friend to him. It is interesting to note that a few years ago I ran into someone who was a bully tell me that they admired me for sticking by this person and that I had a lot of moral standing. But I do not think that this happens very much.
ReplyDeleteLisa