Keep the LGBT Youth Alive!

Bullying affects everyone, it hurts everyone. How many people do you think suffer from bullying in our schools? I am going to guess that during the 13 years of schooling, at one point or another you will or have been bullied. It is more common than people would like to think, something you may not consider to be bullying could be bullying to the person you said or did it to. That bullying can lead to many disorders, disorders such as anxiety, depression, bulimia and anorexia. For youth who identify as LGBT or do not appear to act or dress with hegemonic masculinity or emphasized femininity, get bullied often and throughout the school years. The impact on those children and youth is tremendous. Bullying is a more legal form of oppression, as Mullaly states “oppression at the personal level comprises those thoughts, attitudes, and behaviours that depict a negative prejudgement of a particular subordinate group.” Isn’t that what they’re doing?

                In my experience, when I told friends in high school that I was bisexual, they were okay with it, some even disclosed that they were “experimenting”. Although, at some point, everyone in the school knew yet no one made fun of me or bullied me. On the other hand, I have a friend who was a part of the LGBT group and was consistently called a “dyke” or “fag”. She developed some really horrible mental illnesses due to the constant teasing. According to Crisp and McCave (2007), challenges the LGBT youth will or can possibly face, include coming out or disclosure, mental health and substance abuse issues, sexuality and sexually transmitted infections, harassment and violence. For the LGBT youth, the majority have suffered deeply due to other people’s prejudgements and horrible ridiculing. As said by MacDonald (2006), “One of the most serious and tragic consequences of the lack of adequate social support is the disproportionately high rate of suicide and attempted suicide for young lesbians, gays and bisexuals, a factor recognized by the Supreme Court of Canada.” So in other words, the youth in the LGBT group, are extremely affected by mental illness and are committing or attempting suicide more than heterosexual youth and we haven’t done enough to change that.

                I believe we need to provide more opportunity for social programs that are specific to LGBT youth, we need to lower if not eradicate the extremely high rate of suicide and attempted suicide. Crisp and McCave (2007) said that, “when gay-straight alliances are presented in schools, LGBT students felt safer, there was less harassment and bullying, increased attendance as well as an increased sense of belonging.” I think we should try to achieve that in all schools across Canada. Mental illness can be biological sometimes, but in some and in the cases of the LGBT that are constantly bullied, it isn’t just biological, it’s societal. 

          I have added a video, that has some shocking statistics and remembers a few of the LGBT teens who have committed suicide, and made it to the news. Imagine all the ones, that didn't.

Belinda

References:

Crisp, Catherine., McCave, Emily L. (2007). Gay Affirmative Practice: A Model for Social Work Practice with Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Youth.Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 24(4). 403-421. Doi: 10.1007/s10560-007-0091-z

MacDonald, Sean.  (2006). Acknowledging the Rainbow: The Need for the Legitimization of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Youth in Canadian Schools. Education Law Journal, 16(2), 183-218.  Retrieved from CBCA Complete. (Document ID: 1183590171).

Mullaly, R. (2007). The new structural social work (3rd Ed.). Don Mills, ON: Oxford

 University Press.