Just the Facts
from GLSEN
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The following is a fact sheet that summarizes important statistics about the impact of
homophobia on gay and lesbian youth.
Self-Realization
Lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth report first becoming aware of their
sexual orientation at age 10.(1)
The mean age of lesbian and gay youth becoming aware of their first same-sex
attraction is 9.7.(2)
The School Climate
"We were picked on. We were called 'queer' and 'faggot' and a host of
other
homophobic slurs. We were also used as punching bags by our classmates,
just for
being different." -- college student, remembering high school
97% of students in public high schools report regularly hearing
homophobic remarks from peers.(3)
39% of LGBT youth surveyed reported that no one ever intervened when
homophobic
remarks were made in school. 47% of youth reported that someone
intervened
only some of the time. Other students were more often reported to
intervene than
were faculty (82% reported intervention by students, compared to 67%
reported for
faculty).(4)
53% of students report hearing homophobic comments made by school staff.(5)
20% of secondary school counselors report that counseling a homosexual
student
concerning gay issues would not be personally gratifying, and do not
consider
themselves competent in counseling gay adolescents.(6)
41.7% of LGBT youth do not feel safe in their schools because they are
gay, lesbian,
bisexual, or transgender.(7)
The Family
"On reflecting about homosexuality, I've learned that: my religious
tradition taught
me to believe that my son was a sinner; my medical support system taught
me to
believe that my son was sick; my educational system taught me that my
son was
abnormal; my legal system views my son and his partner in an
unsanctioned
relationship without legal rights and protection that are afforded my
married
daughter; my family, immediate and extended, provided no acknowledgment
or
support for having a gay relative in its midst; my major communications
sources
treated homosexuality as deviant." -- father of a gay son
28% of American households consist of married parents with biological
children; 7%
consist of married parents with children where a father works outside
the home
and the mother at home.(8)
In 1998 almost a quarter (23%) of children lived with only their
mothers, 4% lived
with only their fathers, and 4% lived with neither of their parents. (9)
In Philadelphia, 34% of lesbians and 33% of gay men report abuse by
family
members as a result of their sexual orientation.(10)
26% of adolescent gay males report having to leave home as a result of
conflicts
with their family over their sexual orientation.(11)
42% of homeless youth self-identify as gay/lesbian.(12)
Anti-Gay Violence and Harassment
"I just began hating myself more and more, as each year the hatred
towards me
grew and escalated from just simple name-calling in elementary school to
having
persons in high school threaten to beat me up, being pushed and dragged
around
the ground, having hands slammed in lockers, and a number of other daily
tortures." -- a gay male high school student
69% of LGBT youth report experiencing some form of harassment or
violence in school.(13)
Students who said they had experienced anti-gay harassment were four
times as likely
as non-harassed youth to say they had been threatened with or injured by
someone
with a weapon at school in the past 12 months, and seven times as likely
to report
having missed at least one day of school in the past month out of fear
for their
safety.(14)
Heterosexual students who had been harassed because someone believed
they
were gay were three times as likely as non-harassed heterosexual peers
to report
having missed at least one day of school in the past month out of fear
for their
safety.(15)
Health Issues
"Due to societal fear and ignorance, my teachers and counselors labeled
my
confusion as rebellion and placed me in the category of a troubled
discipline
problem. But still I had nothing to identify with and no role models to
guide me, to
help me sort out this confusion, and I began to believe that I was
simply alone. A
few weeks into my sophomore year, I woke up in a psych hospital after
taking my
father's camping knife violently to my wrists and hoping for success."
-- lesbian
student
In Seattle, 35.8% of gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth, compared to 22.5%
of
heterosexual youth, reported to be engaging in high-risk or heavy drug
use.(16)
Gay, lesbian, bisexual youth are more than four times more likely to
have attempted suicide in the
past 12 months than their peers.(17)
LGBT youth report chronic stress from anti-gay harassment. In a study
conducted
among predominantly black and Hispanic gay and bisexual adolescent
males, 50%
reported stress from being ridiculed for being gay or bisexual.(18)
24% of GLB youth reported getting pregnant or getting someone pregnant.(19)
GLSEN is the largest
national organization bringing
together students, teachers, parents, and concerned citizens from all
walks of life, working to end
anti-gay bias in schools across the nation.
Sources
(1) D'Augelli, Anthony R. & Hershberger, Scott L. "Lesbian, Gay, and
Bisexual
Youth in Community Settings:Personal Challenges and Mental Health
Problems."
American Journal of Community Psychology,Vol. 21, No.4,1993.
(2) Herdt G and Boxer A, Childrens of Horizons: How Gay and
Lesbian Teens Are
Leading a New Way Out of the Closet, Beacon Press, Boston, 1996.
(3) "Making Schools Safe for Gay and Lesbian Youth: Report of the
Massachusetts
Governor's Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth," 1993.
(4) Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), National
School
Climate Survey, a study conducted among 496 youth across 32 states
accessing
community-based services, 1999.
(5) "Making Schools Safe for Gay and Lesbian Youth: Report of the
Massachusetts Governor's Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth," 1993.
(6) Price, James H. & Telljohann, Susan K. "School Counselors'
Perceptions of
Adolescent Homosexuals," Journal of School Health, vol. 61, No.
10, 433-438,
December 1991.
(7) Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), National
School
Climate Survey, a study conducted among 496 youth across 32 states
accessing
community-based services, 1999.
(8) 1990 U.S. Census Report.
(9) U.S. Bureau of Census, March Current Population Survey, 1998.
(10) Philadelphia Lesbian and Gay Task Force. "Discrimination and
Violence
Toward Lesbian Women & Gay Men in Philadelphia and Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania," 1996
(11) Remafedi, Gary. "Male Homosexuality: The Adolescent's
Perspective,"
Pediatrics, 1987.
(12) Victim Services/Traveler's Aid, "Streetwork Project Study,"
1991.
(13) Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), National
School
Climate Survey, a study conducted among 496 youth across 32 states
accessing
community-based services, 1999.
(14) Eighty-Three Thousand Youth, The Safe Schools Coalition of
Washington,
1999
(15) Eighty-Three Thousand Youth, The Safe Schools Coalition of
Washington,
1999
(16) Eighty-Three Thousand Youth, The Safe School Coalition of
Washington,
1999.
(17) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the
Massachusetts
Department of Education, the Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey,
1997.
(18) Study conducted by Rosario M., Rotheram-Borus MJ., Reid H., as
appearing in Ryan C.R. & Futterman D. Lesbian and Gay Youth: Care and
Counseling, Columbia University Press, New York, 1998.
(19) The Centers for Disease Control and the Massachusetts Department
of Education, the
Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Study, 1997.
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