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Homophobic Bullying

Homophobic Bullying. What is Homophobic Bullying? Let’s talk about your initial thoughts. What is Homophobic Bullying?. Homophobic bullying is bullying behaviour that is motivated by prejudice against a person’s actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. 1

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Homophobic Bullying

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  1. Homophobic Bullying

  2. What is Homophobic Bullying?Let’s talk about your initial thoughts...

  3. What is Homophobic Bullying? • Homophobic bullying is bullying behaviour that is motivated by prejudice against a person’s actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. 1 • It is a form of discrimination and a form of violence. • Let’s talk about the following images...

  4. You are not born homophobic... What makes someone homophobic? What are your perceptions abut homophobic bullying? What factors play a role in changing how you think?

  5. Are we making changes? You are the most important people in your school. What types of changes do you think will solve the problem of homophobic bullying in your school?

  6. Group Think Activity • Divide a piece of paper into 5 sections: • Physical • Verbal • Mental/Emotional/Social • Sexual • Cyber • Write some examples of each type of homophobic bullying in each section. • Let’s talk about your responses...

  7. Physical Verbal Mental Sexual Cyber

  8. Physical • Punching or hitting • Kicking • Tripping • Pulling hair • Obscene gestures • Choking • Chasing • Stalking • Threatening someone with physical harm • Destroying or stealing belongings • Unwanted sexual touching, teasing, or harassment.

  9. Verbal • Calling someone or something gay when they/it are not. Why do you think the term “gay” is used in a derogatory manner? • Name calling such as queer, gay, dyke, fag, homo, etc. • Shouting insults • Spreading rumors or gossiping that someone is gay • Making horrible comments about people when they walk by • Making threats • Unwanted sexual comments or jokes

  10. Mental/Emotional/Social • Name calling • Rumor spreading • Assumptions of sexuality • Excluding someone out of a group • Making someone feel uncomfortable • Public humiliation • Intimidation • Passing around horrible notes • Dirty looks when they walk by • Leaving someone out of a group because of their family’s sexuality • Threats

  11. Sexual • Inappropriate touching • Sexual comments • Pretending to be LGBTQ • Spreading sexual rumors • Sexual assault

  12. Cyber • Hate sites • Prank calls • Sending inappropriate pictures or videos • Editing pictures using the Internet • Posting negative messages/pictures on Facebook and other forms of social media • Instant messaging and cell phones to intimidate, put down, spread rumors, make fun of, threaten, or exclude someone because of their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity2

  13. Homophobic Bullying and the Law • The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms asserts the right of all people to “equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination and, in particular, without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability”. 3 • Some people believe that our public schools do not fulfill their ethical and legal obligations where sexual and gender minority youth are concerned. 4 Ongoing exposure to the presence3 of homophobic bullying behaviours undermines students’ respect for the Charter of Rights as well as their faith and trust in the adults in their lives. • Some schools may have zero tolerance policies or anti-bullying policies but many do not specifically mention homophobia or other issues related to sexual diversity.

  14. Homophobic bullying and the law • On the other hand, LGBTQ students from schools with anti-homophobia policies reported significantly fewer incidents of physical and verbal harassment due to their sexual orientation. 80% of these 3700 participants whose schools had such policies in place reported never being harassed compared to only 67% students in schools without these policies. 4 • This tells us that schools have a duty to address a school-wide culture of homophobia. There are many ways that people can become involved in addressing homophobic bullying in their schools.

  15. Effects of Homophobic Bullying Many LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans-gendered or Trans-spirited and Questioning) youth experience negative consequences from homophobic bullying. These may include: • Decreased interest in sports, physical exercise and school activities • Emotional and behavioural difficulties • Loss of self-esteem and confidence • Lack of concentration on and an increased sense of disconnect with school in general • Chronic absenteeism at school and higher dropout rates • Feelings of guilt and shame • Depression and anxiety

  16. Effects of Homophobic Bullying • Hostile peer environments and experiences of victimization • Less social support in both their family and peer group contexts when compared with their heterosexual peers • Physical and sexual abuse, harassment in school, and discrimination in the community • Social isolation, suicidal thoughts and suicidal attempts • Substance abuse • Sexual promiscuity, prostitution and HIV/AIDS • Homelessness 2,5

  17. Startling Statistics • In a Canadian national survey involving over 3500 youth... • 70% of all participating students, LGBTQ and non-LGBTQ, reported hearing expressions such as “that's so gay” every day in school. • Almost 10% of LGBTQ students reported having heard homophobic comments from teachers daily or weekly. • More than a third (37%) of youth with LGBTQ parents reported being verbally harassed about the sexual orientation of their parents. • More than one in five (21%) LGBTQ students reported being physically harassed or assaulted due to their sexual orientation. • 20% of LGBTQ students and almost 10% of non-LGBTQ students reported being physically harassed or assaulted about their perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. • Almost two thirds (64%) of LGBTQ students and 61% of students with LGBTQ parents reported that they feel unsafe at school. 4

  18. Who are These Bullies? Homophobic bullies can be anyone and are often people who: • think that being LGBTQ is wrong or immoral and don’t see their behaviour as bullying. • hold traditional gender stereotypes and think that “girls should act like girls” and “boys should act like boys”. • perceive LGBTQ people and their children as not worthy of the same rights and privileges as other members of society.

  19. Heterosexual Youth LGBTQ youth are not the only victims of homophobic bullying. • 58% of non-LGBTQ youth find homophobic comments upsetting • 1 in 12 heterosexual youth reported being verbally harassed about their perceived sexual orientation and 1 in 4 about their gender expression • 10 % of non-LGBTQ students reported being physically harassed or assaulted about their perceived sexual orientation or gender identity4

  20. Homophobia and Adolescence • Adolescents today are talking more openly about sexual diversity but heterosexism still dominates modern society. Heterosexism is an ideology that assumes a societal value that rewards a heterosexual identity and stigmatizes or punishes homosexual or other LGBTQ identities. In other words, if you are heterosexist in your mind, heterosexual= good, LGBTQ=bad. • Many adolescents today are more accepting of sexual diversity but the fact that homophobic bullying continues to be a problem in schools shows how this attitude still exists.

  21. Did you know...? • Homophobic bullying at school begins between the ages of 10 and 11. • Many young people begin talking about their LGBTQ identity between the ages of 14 and 15. • Many young people come out (publicly declare that they are LGBTQ) between the ages of 16 and 17. • 30 years ago, most people waited until they were between the ages of 24 and 27 before they came out. 5 • These statistics highlight the importance of talking about issues related to homophobia during adolescence.

  22. How can you help? • Confront homophobic bullying or report it to an adult every time you see or hear it. Recognize that your silence indicates your support for the bully’s behaviour. Communicate that homophobic bullying is wrong and not acceptable. • Educate yourself and others regarding the negative consequences that homophobic bullying has on all children and youth. • Your actions and word can sometimes hurt. Always THINK before you speak...

  23. Youth Activism • Many schools across North America are embracing GSA’s (Gay-Straight Alliances) to engage in anti-homophobic work. • These are official student clubs with a mixture of LGBTQ and heterosexual students as well as one or two teachers who act as faculty advisors. • They provide safe spaces for LGBTQ students and allies to work together on making their schools more welcoming for sexual and gender minority students. Erin, one lesbian student and a member of her school’s GSA said, “I personally feel a lot less scared, because of the group, because we have numbers now, because we are visible.” 6 • GSA’s may be a powerful force that empower students to lead the way to change in their school as they gather momentum and support, role model good citizenship for other students and lead by example.

  24. Future Initiatives • The Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Education recently announced plans to help schools across the province create safe and welcoming environments for LGBTQ students. • There will soon be a new resource for teachers called “My Gay-Straight Alliance” (MY GSA). 7 This resource will provide support for administrators, teachers and students who wish to establish gay-straight alliances in their schools. • Hopefully, this will help open more doors to talking about difference and diversity in schools and will get students involved in making positive change.

  25. Role Models • There are many celebrities and television programs that are lending their voice to LGBTQ issues today. This helps to bring more LGBTQ issues out into the open.

  26. Where to go for help • Some people find it difficult to talk about homophobia, about “coming out” and about other issues related to sexual diversity. That is O.K. • What is not O.K. is homophobic bullying that sometimes happens when people do not know how to handle their insecurities or fears. • If you need to talk about any issues related to homophobic bullying, go to a trusted adult. • There are also many websites that may help you deal with any issues you may have. Here are a few...

  27. Helpful sites • www.redcross.ca • www.bullyfreealberta.ca • www.egale.ca • www.kidpower.org

  28. Freeze Frame: Activity Two • Option A: In your groups, have a look at the scenarios on bullying. Choose one and act it out. Take a still frame of the scenario with your cell phone and write a positive anti-bullying message to accompany it. Send the still frame, along with a picture of your group and the names of the people in your group to hstoddart@lsb.ca . These will be displayed in the school.

  29. Anti-bullying message • Option B: Choose a type of bullying that we have discussed today: physical, verbal, mental/emotional/social, sexual or verbal. • Design an anti-bullying poster that sends a positive anti-bullying message. It should have a title, an illustration and a message. Include the names of the people in your group on your poster. • Your poster will be displayed in your school.

  30. Appendix : Activity Two Scenarios 1. Dillon is a Year 8 student and is always last to be picked for basketball: his classmates think he is gay because he is always wearing pink sweatbands. 2. Samantha is a good soccer player. Recently, the girls on her team have become jealous because she has been chosen for the provincial team and the girls have started a rumor in the school that she is a lesbian. 3. Jimmy’s mother and father have recently divorced because his father was attracted to men. Jimmy was really upset and told one of his best friends, Sam. Since this conversation Sam hasn’t been hanging around with Jimmy and has told his other friends that Jimmy is gay like his dad. 4. Karen is a really popular girl in school and has all her friends on her Facebook account. Recently two of her friends deleted her off their friends’ list. Karen didn’t like this and set up a fake profile saying these two girls are having a sexual relationship. 5. Steve and Scott are best friends, and have known each other since they were five years old. Because they always do things together other people in the school have spread a rumor that they are gay. 6. Steve is a popular gay guy in the school, and started up an after school club for those who need help and support for being bullied in and outside school. Simon is a new, Grade 8 student, and has recently been bullied for being too smart. He heard about how good the after school club was and decided to get help. Steve stopped him and said this club is only for those people with homosexual problems not for nerds like him.

  31. Scenarios: Continued... 7. The boys in John’s school are always shouting “homo”, because he always sings in class and wants to become a singer like Katy Perry. 8. Peter never gets invited to local events because the boys think his clothes are too tight, too bright and loud. He doesn’t wear hoodies and baggy jeans like they do. 9. Mitchell is very popular with the girls at his school: this makes the guys jealous and they think he is gay because he never hangs around with boys. So when they see Mitchell they always brush past him and trip him up. 10. Geoff is a well-liked gay guy in the school. Recently he has been receiving prank calls and threatening emails from an anonymous person, saying: “all homos should die”. 11. Joe is a very popular and trendy person and wears the latest fashions. Joe decided to get both his ears pierced like his idol David Beckham. The boys in his class now stay away from Joe, and say he is gay because he has his ears pierced. 8

  32. References • Homophobic bullying. Retrieved from http://bullyfreealberta.ca/homophobic_bullying.htm. • Adams, N., Cox, T., & Dunstan, L. (2004). I am the hate that dare not speak its name: dealing with homophobia in secondary schools. Educational Psychology in Practice. 20(3), 259-268. • Canada (1982). Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, s. 15, Part I of the Constitution Act, 1982, being Schedule B to the Canada Act 1982 (U.K.), 1982, c.11. • Taylor, C. & Peter, T., with McMinn, T.L., Elliott, T., Beldom, S., Ferry, A., Gross, Z., Paquin, S., & Schachter, K. (2011b). Every class in every school: The first national climate survey on homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia in Canadian schools. Final report. Toronto, ON: Egale Canada Human Rights Trust. Retrieved from http://egale.ca/extra%5c1489. • Rivers, I. (1995). Mental health issues among young lesbians and gay men bullied at school. Health and Social Care in the Community, 3, 380- 383. • Lee, C. (2002). The impact of belonging to a high school gay/straight alliance. High School Journal, 85(3), 13–26. • Quinn, M. (2012, January 9). Education department promoting gay-straight alliances. CBC news. Retrieved from: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2012/01/19/nl-gay-alliances-119.html. • Homophobic bullying lesson plan. Retrieved from http://beatbullying.org/pdfs/lesson_plans

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