Annotated Bibliography Essay
Running head: PERCEPTIONS
PERCEPTIONS
AND
TREATMENT OF LGBT
Rob Harris
Rasmussen College
Author Note
This Annotated Bibliography is being submitted on March 19, 2010 for Michele Howerton-Vargas’s G324/Enc3311 Advanced Composition course at Rasmussen College.
PERCEPTION
Perception and Treatment of LGBT
When our children and our youth comes to terms with their sexuality and identifies themselves as being a lesbian, or gay, bisexual or perhaps a transgender human being, they are facing this unrelenting teasing and bullying their peers in school or in public. This aggression can be sexual in nature or the effects can closely resemble those of sexual harassment and then can constitute sexual harassment. Middle and high school students are dealing with verbal and physical bullying in school to where these students are either dropping out or transferring schools or even becoming a home …show more content…
schooled student so that they can avoid being harassed about their sexual orientation. Bullying is an aggressive behavior that is intentional and it involves the imbalance of a person 's power or strength
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth, or those individuals that is perceived to be LGBT may be teased and bullied by their peers in schools as well out in public.
Our educators, health professionals, parents, and any other concerned adult can make a difference in the lives of our LGBT youth. Often, bullying towards LGBT youth targets their non-conformity to gender norms. This type of bullying can be considered to be a form of sexual harassment and this harassment is covered under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.
Research has shown that our bullied LGBT youth are more likely to skip school, smoke cigarettes, use alcohol and drugs, or even engage in other risky behaviors (Ponton, 2001) The lesbian, gay or bisexual youth are more than twice as likely as other youths and children to be depressed and think about or will attempt suicide (Ponton, 2001). These risks are the same whether our youth are LGBT, are heterosexual but are wrongly perceived to be LGBT, or they will even choose to hide their sexual orientations.
PERCEPTION
Our schools need to develop a clear policy on bullying of any form that can be considered by adding sexual orientation and gender identity to their bullying policies (Office of Civil Rights, OCR, 2010). By applying these policies, it tells all students to treat everyone equally, regardless of their sexual orientation (Get Busy, Get Equal, 2006). Schools that already have an anti-bullying policy can consider to make it clear that bullying based on sexual orientation is against school policy (Get Busy, Get Equal. 2006).
Like every human being, those individuals that are LGBT, they have parents and family that love them for who they are or what their sexual orientation may be. When a person is rejected because of his or her own sexual orientation, everyone in the family can suffer the effects unnecessarily just like those or are LGBT. For those individuals that are rejected, the consequences are often and can be very tragic. Regardless of their sexual preference, these individuals still need their families ' unconditional love and acceptance, and those who receive it have a greater chance of living a happy, healthy and fulfilling life.
In fact, sexual orientation of all kinds, including heterosexuality, is an innate trait, not a lifestyle choice. But if you are straight, the question is, when did you "decide" to be attracted to the opposite sex? To be LGBT in orientation is a normal and natural human characteristic, and it is just one of the many ways that people are different. Both the American Psychiatric Association and the American Psychological Association have recognized that homosexuality is not a mental disease or an emotional disorder. Therefore, there is no cure for a person’s sexual orientation.
Most of the emotional disturbances that have been experienced by gay men and lesbians all around the world with their sexual identity is not based on physiological causes but rather is due more to a sense of alienation and to the unacceptance in today’s environment. Through
PERCEPTION
psychotherapy, gay men and lesbians can become more comfortable with their sexual orientation and understand the society’s response to it societal response to it. About 86 percent of LGBT students have reported that they were being bullied (Get Busy, Get Equal, 2006). This is at a rate that is almost three times higher than students in general. The federal government has reports that all openly gay and lesbian students are at higher risk of bias-related violence and physical assaults. Those lesbian, gay and bisexual adolescents are more than twice as likely as their straight peers to be depressed and contemplate suicide. More than 60 percent report feeling unsafe at school (2006).
Statistics do not lie and anyone that has spent any time in a school, especially in middle schools across the country knows that the words “gay” and “faggot” are hurled casually to where they are not intended to be kind act of words. Students who are gay, lesbian are living in fear of the exposure of being bullied. The ridicule that these students have to endure comes with being seen as different and will side with all of those bullies and for some they may not be able to stand up for the harassed, out of self-preservation.
Unfortunately, bullying is an aggressive behavior that is intentional and it can involve an imbalance of power and or strength.
Our schools and in our communities there needs to be anti-bullying policies put in place to protect these kids from being harassed and bullied. These policies must be clarified that teasing and exclusion 's of any kind that is based on sexual orientation is prohibited and will not be tolerated. Schools need to consider adding sexual orientation and gender identity to their school policies on discrimination and harassment. These policies will send out the message to the community that no one should be treated differently because of their sexual orientation.
References
Lindhorst, T. (1997). Lesbians and Gay Men in the Country: Practice Implications for Rural Social Workers. http://bubl.ac.uk/archive/journals/jgalss/v07n0397.html.
Romo, L. (2012). Happy 10th Anniversary to Perceptions. Retrieved from www.pridesource.com/article.html?article=56942.
Sluytman, L. (2013). Aging Today Online. News & Knowledge from ASA 's Constituent Groups. Disparities and Invisibilities: Shifting Perception of the Life Course of LGBT Elders of Color.
UNHCR (2006). Moldova: The treatment and public perception of homosexuals in Moldova, the availability of state protection, and the existence of state programs to protect their human rights (2001-2005)
Pilkington, N.W. & D 'Augelli, A.R. (1995). Victimization of lesbian, gay and bisexual youth in community settings. Journal of Community, 23, 34-56; Bontempo, D.E. & D 'Augelli, A.R. (2002). Effects of at-school victimization and sexual orientation on lesbian, gay, orJournal of Adolescent Health, 30, 364-374; and Savin-Williams, R.C. (1994). Verbal and physical abuse as stressors in the lives of lesbian, gay male, and bisexual youths: Associations with school problems, running away, substance abuse, prostitution, and suicide. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 62, 261-269.
Russell, S.T. & Joyner, K. (2002). Adolescent sexual orientation and suicide risk: Evidence from a national study. American Journal Public Health, 91, 1276-1281.
Get Busy, Get Equal. (2006). Get a safe schools policy, produced by American Civil Liberties Union, GLSEN and AIDS project at www.aclu.org/getequal/.
Just the Facts Coalition. (1999). Just the facts about sexual orientation & youth: A primer for principals, educators & school personnel, Factsheet developed and endorsed by ten coalition associations; and Partners Against Hate at www.partnersagainsthate.org/youth/bullying.html.
Ponton, L. (2001).What does gay mean: How to talk with kids about sexual orientation and prejudice. San Francisco, CA: Horizons Foundation
PERCEPTIONS
AND
TREATMENT OF LGBT
Rob Harris
Rasmussen College
Author Note
This Annotated Bibliography is being submitted on March 19, 2010 for Michele Howerton-Vargas’s G324/Enc3311 Advanced Composition course at Rasmussen College.
PERCEPTION
Perception and Treatment of LGBT
When our children and our youth comes to terms with their sexuality and identifies themselves as being a lesbian, or gay, bisexual or perhaps a transgender human being, they are facing this unrelenting teasing and bullying their peers in school or in public. This aggression can be sexual in nature or the effects can closely resemble those of sexual harassment and then can constitute sexual harassment. Middle and high school students are dealing with verbal and physical bullying in school to where these students are either dropping out or transferring schools or even becoming a home …show more content…
schooled student so that they can avoid being harassed about their sexual orientation. Bullying is an aggressive behavior that is intentional and it involves the imbalance of a person 's power or strength
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth, or those individuals that is perceived to be LGBT may be teased and bullied by their peers in schools as well out in public.
Our educators, health professionals, parents, and any other concerned adult can make a difference in the lives of our LGBT youth. Often, bullying towards LGBT youth targets their non-conformity to gender norms. This type of bullying can be considered to be a form of sexual harassment and this harassment is covered under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.
Research has shown that our bullied LGBT youth are more likely to skip school, smoke cigarettes, use alcohol and drugs, or even engage in other risky behaviors (Ponton, 2001) The lesbian, gay or bisexual youth are more than twice as likely as other youths and children to be depressed and think about or will attempt suicide (Ponton, 2001). These risks are the same whether our youth are LGBT, are heterosexual but are wrongly perceived to be LGBT, or they will even choose to hide their sexual orientations.
PERCEPTION
Our schools need to develop a clear policy on bullying of any form that can be considered by adding sexual orientation and gender identity to their bullying policies (Office of Civil Rights, OCR, 2010). By applying these policies, it tells all students to treat everyone equally, regardless of their sexual orientation (Get Busy, Get Equal, 2006). Schools that already have an anti-bullying policy can consider to make it clear that bullying based on sexual orientation is against school policy (Get Busy, Get Equal. 2006).
Like every human being, those individuals that are LGBT, they have parents and family that love them for who they are or what their sexual orientation may be. When a person is rejected because of his or her own sexual orientation, everyone in the family can suffer the effects unnecessarily just like those or are LGBT. For those individuals that are rejected, the consequences are often and can be very tragic. Regardless of their sexual preference, these individuals still need their families ' unconditional love and acceptance, and those who receive it have a greater chance of living a happy, healthy and fulfilling life.
In fact, sexual orientation of all kinds, including heterosexuality, is an innate trait, not a lifestyle choice. But if you are straight, the question is, when did you "decide" to be attracted to the opposite sex? To be LGBT in orientation is a normal and natural human characteristic, and it is just one of the many ways that people are different. Both the American Psychiatric Association and the American Psychological Association have recognized that homosexuality is not a mental disease or an emotional disorder. Therefore, there is no cure for a person’s sexual orientation.
Most of the emotional disturbances that have been experienced by gay men and lesbians all around the world with their sexual identity is not based on physiological causes but rather is due more to a sense of alienation and to the unacceptance in today’s environment. Through
PERCEPTION
psychotherapy, gay men and lesbians can become more comfortable with their sexual orientation and understand the society’s response to it societal response to it. About 86 percent of LGBT students have reported that they were being bullied (Get Busy, Get Equal, 2006). This is at a rate that is almost three times higher than students in general. The federal government has reports that all openly gay and lesbian students are at higher risk of bias-related violence and physical assaults. Those lesbian, gay and bisexual adolescents are more than twice as likely as their straight peers to be depressed and contemplate suicide. More than 60 percent report feeling unsafe at school (2006).
Statistics do not lie and anyone that has spent any time in a school, especially in middle schools across the country knows that the words “gay” and “faggot” are hurled casually to where they are not intended to be kind act of words. Students who are gay, lesbian are living in fear of the exposure of being bullied. The ridicule that these students have to endure comes with being seen as different and will side with all of those bullies and for some they may not be able to stand up for the harassed, out of self-preservation.
Unfortunately, bullying is an aggressive behavior that is intentional and it can involve an imbalance of power and or strength.
Our schools and in our communities there needs to be anti-bullying policies put in place to protect these kids from being harassed and bullied. These policies must be clarified that teasing and exclusion 's of any kind that is based on sexual orientation is prohibited and will not be tolerated. Schools need to consider adding sexual orientation and gender identity to their school policies on discrimination and harassment. These policies will send out the message to the community that no one should be treated differently because of their sexual orientation.
References
Lindhorst, T. (1997). Lesbians and Gay Men in the Country: Practice Implications for Rural Social Workers. http://bubl.ac.uk/archive/journals/jgalss/v07n0397.html.
Romo, L. (2012). Happy 10th Anniversary to Perceptions. Retrieved from www.pridesource.com/article.html?article=56942.
Sluytman, L. (2013). Aging Today Online. News & Knowledge from ASA 's Constituent Groups. Disparities and Invisibilities: Shifting Perception of the Life Course of LGBT Elders of Color.
UNHCR (2006). Moldova: The treatment and public perception of homosexuals in Moldova, the availability of state protection, and the existence of state programs to protect their human rights (2001-2005)
Pilkington, N.W. & D 'Augelli, A.R. (1995). Victimization of lesbian, gay and bisexual youth in community settings. Journal of Community, 23, 34-56; Bontempo, D.E. & D 'Augelli, A.R. (2002). Effects of at-school victimization and sexual orientation on lesbian, gay, orJournal of Adolescent Health, 30, 364-374; and Savin-Williams, R.C. (1994). Verbal and physical abuse as stressors in the lives of lesbian, gay male, and bisexual youths: Associations with school problems, running away, substance abuse, prostitution, and suicide. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 62, 261-269.
Russell, S.T. & Joyner, K. (2002). Adolescent sexual orientation and suicide risk: Evidence from a national study. American Journal Public Health, 91, 1276-1281.
Get Busy, Get Equal. (2006). Get a safe schools policy, produced by American Civil Liberties Union, GLSEN and AIDS project at www.aclu.org/getequal/.
Just the Facts Coalition. (1999). Just the facts about sexual orientation & youth: A primer for principals, educators & school personnel, Factsheet developed and endorsed by ten coalition associations; and Partners Against Hate at www.partnersagainsthate.org/youth/bullying.html.
Ponton, L. (2001).What does gay mean: How to talk with kids about sexual orientation and prejudice. San Francisco, CA: Horizons Foundation