LGBT Teenage Bullying by Edward Munoz III

LGBT Teenage Bullying

            Teenage lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) bullying, falls under the major social epidemic that causes teen death rates to increase every day.  Many teenagers face bullying due to their sexuality, cyber bullying, or even stop coming to school. “In 2011, Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) reported 82% of LGBT youth had problems during the previous year with bullying about their sexual orientation.” ("LGBT Bullying Statistics”). With these studies about LGBT teenage bullying, we need to think about our kids who are facing these problems, and how we will stop them.

LGBT Teen Bullying is a huge epidemic that teens and adults face through their journeys in life.  The history of LGBT teen bullying started as early as 1998 when Mental Health America conducted a test and what they found was that “they found that students constantly heard bigoted verbal abuse from name-calling like “homo”, “fag” or “sissy” more than two dozen times per day” ("LGBT Bullying Statistics"). Then, “October 12, 1998 a victim named Matthew Shepard, a gay student who attended the University of Wyoming, dies after being found beaten, burned and tied to a wooden fence outside Laramie, Wyoming” (“Timeline: Bullying and LGBT Youth."). LGBT bulling continues to get worse as we speak, but since the 1998 tragic event from Wyoming there are support groups, which are Dan Savage’s “It Gets Better Project” and Lady Gaga’s “Anti-Bullying Foundation: Born This Way” along with non-profit organizations, such as “Matthew Shepard Foundation” and even laws today, such as the Matthew Shepard law that was put in place due to LGBT bullying. “Homophobic bullying cases have ended in death, and in the past two years an overwhelming number of bullied teens have turned to suicide as a way out” (“Timeline: Bullying and LGBT Youth”). It Gets Better Project’s mission is to “communicate to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth around the world that it gets better, and to create and inspire the changes needed to make it better for them” (“Savage”). Many LGBT teens hide their sexuality in fear due to face tormenting and bullying, because people know about their sexuality.

“’The It Gets Better Project’ wants to remind teenagers in the LGBT community that they are not alone ~ and it WILL get better.” The Matthew Shepard Foundation is and mission beginning principle was to teach parents with children who may be questioning their sexualities to love and accept them for who they are and to not throw them away” ("Home - Matthew Shepard Foundation"). Since its formation, the foundation has provided a voice and support for LGBT youth with its online resource center.

“Born This Way” is a foundation founded by pop queen Lady Gaga and her mother, Cynthia Germanotta. The foundation is vision was to foucs on Lady Gaga’s advocacy work, but it is by no means her first attempt to take a stand against LGBT bullying”. Lady Gaga pushed for her foundation after fourteen year old James Rodemeyer committed suicide. After Rodemeyer’s death, Lady Gaga would meet with the president over the issue. Lady Gaga is known to be incredibly supportive of her fans, who she calls her “little monsters.” The mission of “Born This Way Foundation” is to extend that support to anyone who’s taunted for being who they are” (Lady Gaga To Launch Anti-Bullying Foundation With Harvard Visit”).

Jon Carmichael, a 13-year-old boy who killed himself during spring break in 2010. Jon Carmichael attended a middle school in northern Texas, where he was “attacked by football players in the locker room, stripped him nude, tied him up, placed him in a trash can, and called him a “fag,” “queer,” and “homo,” while the whole event was videotaped and later posted on YouTube. A teacher stood by as the attack occurred and did nothing to stop it. In fact, several teachers at the school had, for months, witnessed Jon being attacked and bullied and continued to do nothing.” (“Block”). Since the Jon Carmichael horrible event congress created a bill called the “Students Non-Discrimination Act” the act is to help protect LGBT students in public school.

September 23, 2010, a Texas 13-year-old Asher Brown shot himself after a long history of bullying that had forced him to change schools several time. Asher had recently come out, and his father said, “They called him different names for being homosexual. He just had enough.” (“Person, North”). Every time when Asher moved to a different school he continued to get bullied because of his sexual orientation, and the schools continue to do nothing. Another, example is on July 09, 2010 15-year-old Justin Aaberg from Minnesota was bullied for his sexual orientation and had recently been through a breakup. Justin Aaberg mother interfered in the issue and asked the school district to change its sexual orientation policy. The school district did a public speaking stating “Unfortunately, the district appeared unwilling to review the policy – a spokeswomen said, “We have a community that has widely varying opinions, and so to respect all families, as the policy says, we ask teachers to remain neutral.” (“Person, North”). Reading these articles about these three students it makes me sick that their own school district and school officials did nothing to stop the bullying due to their sexual orientation which caused the young teenagers to take their own lives, because the bullying continued to happen.

Another example is a personal example that I can relate to ever since elementary school till middle school when I used to walk home from elementary school and middle school, there was always a big group that followed me home. I could hear them threaten me by saying they were going to beat me up and just leave me there laying in the middle of nowhere to let someone find me. Going through those tough situations, I never once told my parents what that I was facing when I was in school. They ended up knowing about the situations that were going on which involved bullying. Most of my teachers would call my parents to tell them that I was being bullied. Many friends who supported me through middle school and high school still support me till this day.

Once I was in high school bullying wasn’t that bad for me at all. I was very active in high school. I playing soccer, served as president all three years of our class, and one day I noticed there was tryouts for the “Stingarette Dance Team.” Once the whole school found out that there was a boy trying out for dance team, I faced horrible comments made about me. Majority of them were about my sexuality. Once the whole school found out that I made the dance team, the majority of the school was proud that I was the first guy to make the dance team in Texas City High School’s history. The kids who bullied me for trying out for the dance team ended up apologizing to me because they thought a boy couldn’t do it, and they even apologized for the sexuality comments that they made to me. I wanted to set an example to many of fellow students who were going through the same situations by proving that your sexuality doesn’t stop you from doing what you love the most. Every day I live by this motto, “Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.” ― Dr. Seuss. (“Seuss”). Going onto my adulthood I wish we will never have to go back to the tragic event that happened in 1998. Hoping congress and these non-profit organizations will be able to help our future generations of LGBT teens put a stop to being a victim of bullying.

There are many solutions for LGBT bullying, here is one called the “Equality Act” that was introduced to the 114th Congress on July 23, 2015 by Senators Jeff Merkley, Tamy Baldwin, Cory Booker, and Representative David Cicilline. “The Equality Act would provide consistent and explicit anti-discrimination protections for LGBT people across key areas of life, including employment, housing, credit, education, public spaces and services, federally funded programs, and jury service…. The Equality Act amend existing civil rights law, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prohibit discrimination in public spaces and services and federally funded programs on the basis of sex.” (“Gay Rights Timeline”).

Hate Crimes Prevention Act was another law put in place which was signed into law by President Obama on October 28, 2009. The Matthew Shepard, and James Byrd, Jr. Act was a part of the Hate Crime Prevention Act. “The hate crime prevention law requires the FBI to track hate crimes based on gender and gender identity, and gives the Department of Justice the power to prosecute crimes that were motivated by the victim’s race, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability.” (“Gay Rights Timeline”).With this act signed into law. Now if a teenager is attacked and killed due to his or hers sexuality the federal government can build a case to find out who the suspect, and convict the suspect for the punishment.

Student Non-Discrimination Act (SNDA) should finally wake up congress to pass the SNDA. “Would prohibit discrimination in public schools based on actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identify. It would give LGBT students similar rights and protections against harassment as those that currently apply to students based on race and gender.” (“Student Non-Discrimination Act.”). This law was brought to 111th Congress in 2010-2011 but it died in the committee. “Every day, students who are LGBT are subjected to pervasive discrimination, including harassment and bullying.” (“Student Non-Discrimination Act”). Congressmen and women, who supported this bill must sit and watch each one of those LGBT students die due to discrimination and bullying. The Student Non-Discrimination Act was reintroduced into the House of Representatives and in the Senate on February 10, 2015. Since February the SNDA still has not passed into law. How many LGBT students must we lose in-order for congress to open their eyes to pass the Students Non-Discrimination Act?

Albert Camus, was an anarchist and an atheist, believed that it was impossible for man to .rationalize an irrational universe. Today the people of this society believe that this epidemic is absurd. Bullying struck the LGBT students which some ended in death, or treatable care. The parents looked for answers to help their children battling these tuff situations to find a way out instead of looking towards suicide.  If Camus was here today he would think the LGBT teenage bullying is a major social epidemic that needs to be fixed. He would have been saddened by the deaths of many LGBT teenagers who committed suicide due to LGBT bullying. He would also think that the government is trying to do something about suicide rate that happens more in the teenage LGBT community. Camus believed in freedom and equality, and the end of LGBT teenage bullying.

It’s very devastating that many teenagers face bullying due to their sexuality, and stop coming to school because they do not feel safe. Lets make those 1/3 students who report their experience of bullying do something to resolve it, and make that 30% of those students who committed suicide by trying to lower those suicide rates, by having non-profits organizations such as “It gets better project,” and “Born this way foundation” to help LGBT students and non-LGBT students prevent bullying when they see it or when they are around it.  

                                                         Work Cited

 "Timeline: Bullying and LGBT Youth." Web log post. GayFriendlyBiz.com. N/A, 22 Dec. 2011. Web. 29 Feb. 2016. <http://gayfriendlybiz.com/new/uncategorized/timeline-bullying-and-lgbt-youth>.

"LGBT Bullying Statistics." NoBullying Bullying CyberBullying Resources. 2014. Web. 28 Mar. 2016. <http://nobullying.com/lgbt-bullying-statistics/>.

"Lady Gaga To Launch Anti-Bullying Foundation With Harvard Visit." Lady Gaga To Launch AntiBullying Foundation With Harvard Visit RSS 20. Web. 23 Mar. 2016. <http://www.wbur.org/2012/02/28/lady-gaga-foundation-harvard>.

Savage, Dan. ""It Gets Better Project." "It Gets Better Project" Wells Fargo, West Elm, 10 Sept. 2010. Web. 23 Mar. 2016. <http://www.itgetsbetter.org/pages/about-it-gets-better-project/>.

"Home - Matthew Shepard Foundation." Matthew Shepard Foundation. Web. 23 Mar. 2016. <http://www.matthewshepard.org/>.

Seuss. Happy Birthday to You! New York: Random House, 1959. Print.

Block, Joshua. "Ruling In Horrific LGBT Bullying Case Should Be A Wake-Up Call For Congress To Finally Pass SNDA." American Civil Liberties Union. 24 June 2014. Web. 11 Apr. 2016. <https://www.aclu.org/blog/ruling-horrific-lgbt-bullying-case-should-be-wake-call-congress-finally-pass-snda>.

"Gay Rights Timeline: Key Dates in the Fight for Equality." NBC News. 23 Mar. 2013. Web. 11 Apr. 2016. <http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/23/17418872-gay-rights-timeline-key-dates-in-the-fight-for-equality>.

"Student Non-Discrimination Act (S. 439 / H.R. 846)." GLSEN. Web. 25 Apr. 2016. <http://www.glsen.org/learn/policy/federal/SNDA>.

Person, and Anna North. "The Year In Bullying: A Horrific Timeline." Jezebel. 2010. Web. 02 May 2016.

Block, Joshua. "Ruling In Horrific LGBT Bullying Case Should Be A Wake-Up Call For Congress To Finally Pass SNDA." American Civil Liberties Union. 24 June 2014. Web. 02 May 2016.