There are many reasons bullies target certain people, which is why we are taking a look at gay bullying statistics, because so many homosexual individuals are the target of bullying. Gay bullying statistics are often a huge contributing factor to the number of bullying incidents daily.

According to the gay bullying statistics from the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, about one fourth of all students from elementary age through high school are the victims of bullying and harassment while on school property because of their race, ethnicity, gender, disability, religion or sexual orientation. Unfortunately the primary reason for bullying is due to something that may set themselves apart from the norm, and that includes sexual orientation.

Gay Bullying Statistics:

According to recent gay bullying statistics, gay and lesbian teens are two to three times as more likely to commit teen suicide than other youths. About 30 percent of all completed suicides have been related to sexual identity crisis. Students who also fall into the gay, bisexual, lesbian or transgendered identity groups report being five times as more likely to miss school because they feel unsafe after being bullied due to their sexual orientation. About 28 percent out of those groups feel forced to drop out of school altogether. Although more and more schools are working to crack down on problems with bullying, teens are still continuing to bully each other due to sexual orientation and other factors.

In a 2005 survey about gay bullying statistics, teens reported that the number two reason they are bullied is because of their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender expression. The number one reason reported was because of appearance. Teens are at a pivotal point in their young adult lives when they are trying to find out who they are and who they are about to become as adults. This is why being teased, bullied and harassed is something that could negatively affect a person’s self-esteem and view of themselves for the rest of their life.

In fact, about 9 out of 10 LGBT teens have reported being bullied at school within the past year because of their sexual orientation, according to the most recent gay bullying statistics. Out of those numbers, almost half have reported being physically harassed followed by another quarter who reported actually being physically assaulted.  Unfortunately most teens who experience bullying of any kind are reluctant to share their experience or report the incident to a teacher or trusted adult. Even more unfortunate are the gay statistics that report a lack of response among those teachers and school administration. According to a recent statistic, out of the students that did report a harassment or bullying situation because of their sexuality, about one third of the school staff didn’t do anything to resolve the issue.

Types of Bullying and Bully Prevention:

There are several ways that bullying can take place including verbal, physical, cyberbullying and indirect bullying. Physically being bullied usually entails some sort of physical assault or attack, or can also include having one’s personal property destroyed or stolen. Verbal bullying arises from name calling that may be done because of a person’s gender, sexual orientation, minority status, race, religious, etc. Indirect bullying is one of the most common types of bullying is the type of bullying that many people may do without even realizing it. Indirect bullying includes spreading stories and rumors about a person behind his or her back as well as exclusion from social groups. Cyber bullying can also fall into the category of indirect bullying, but includes bullying that is done over any type of electronic medium like text messaging, email, pictures sent via text or email, websites, blogs, message boards, chat-rooms and instant messaging.

When it comes to bully prevention, it is important to remember that these gay bullying statistics will never go down if action isn’t taken. This is why it is important for teens to report incidents they are victims of, or even if they witness a bullying event take place. Even if it seems that the adults will be unresponsive to take action, there are always other members of the school board or administration that can be addressed. It is important not to give up or the bullying cycle will continue.

Sources: makebeatsnotbeatdowns.org, zimbio.com