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U.S. Gets "Failing Grade" Protecting Gay Students

Widespread Bullying, Teacher Indifference in U.S. Schools

(05/30/01) -- Gay teenagers are often subject to so much bullying in U.S. schools that they are not receiving an adequate education, Human Rights Watch charged in a new

School systems and teachers are really failing these kids. And the consequence is that they are not getting an education

Widney Brown, Advocacy Director of the Women's Rights Division of Human Rights Watch

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Hatred in the Hallways: Violence and Discrimination Against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Students in U.S. Schools
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The 203-page report is based on in-depth interviews with 140 youth and 130 teachers, administrators, counselors, and parents in seven states: California, Georgia, Kansas, Massachusetts, New York, Texas, and Utah.

The report, Hatred in the Hallways: Discrimination and Violence Against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Students in U.S. Public Schools, found that teachers and administrators frequently ignore bullying and even violence against these students. School officials often refuse to accept reports of harassment or to hold the perpetrators accountable; in some instances, they have encouraged or have themselves participated in such abuse.

"The U.S. school system gets a failing grade when it comes to providing a safe place for gay students to get an education," said Michael Bochenek, counsel to the Children's Rights Division of Human Rights Watch and a coauthor of the report. "Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender kids face a greater risk of bullying than any other students in American high schools. That has to stop."

Students told Human Rights Watch that they spend an enormous amount of energy figuring out how to get to and from school safely, avoiding the hallways when other students are present in order to escape slurs and shoves, and cutting gym classes to escape being beaten up-in short, attempting to become invisible. One student told Human Rights Watch that attending school meant being in "survival mode."

The harassment takes a serious toll on these students' emotional and physical health and on their academic studies. Some drop out of school. Others commit suicide. A growing number are demanding that school administrations ensure their safety and that they be allowed to organize gay-straight student groups.

Every state requires youth to attend school. Yet only a handful of states have enacted legislation to protect students from harassment and violence based on sexual orientation or gender identity. This leaves the vast majority of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender students vulnerable to abuse.

"School systems and teachers are really failing these kids," said Widney Brown, advocacy director of the Women's Rights Division of Human Rights Watch and a coauthor of the report. "And the consequence is that they are not getting an education."

Human Rights Watch called for immediate action by school districts, the states, and the federal government to end these abuses:

All school district policies should explicitly prohibit harassment and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. School districts should also ensure that these policies are implemented fully; where gaps exist between policy and practice, they should take immediate measures to close the gap by training all staff and students.

State legislatures should enact laws to protect students from harassment and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

The U.S. Department of Education should monitor school districts for compliance with the principle of nondiscrimination, intervene where policies are failing, and include sexual orientation and gender identity in data collection tools measuring discrimination in education.

Federal and state government should enact legislation to protect administrators, teachers, counselors, other school staff, and all employees from discrimination in employment on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

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