The TEACHERS??? That's horrible. I really can't believe that. It's definitely no surprise about the suicide, although the actual numbers were shocking. "[...]gay teen suicide attempts are four times that of heterosexual youth." "[...]33% of gay youth will attempt suicide[.]" - http://gaylife.about.com/od/gayteens/a/gaysuicide.htm
That's so sad! There are a lot of different views on this, but I think that society doesn't help us much at all. We're slowly becoming more accepted, but there are still a lot of homophobes that won't leave us alone. Always has to be a bully.
This is horrible. I can't believe that teachers are responsible as well. Shouldn't teachers be more understanding and helpful. One would think that teachers would know that everybody is different and that someone's sexuality is a normal part of someone's life. Hopefully the work that guidance officers and support staff will have some positive effects.
Yeah in Australia our schooling system is full of bastards. That article was focused on studies done in Queensland, but the situation would be the same in the other states. I've wanted to take my life from all the homophobic slurs going around at school and being thrown at me, and I even tried to quite a few times recently before coming to my senses. Something radical really needs to be done to get the homophobic pack of bastards down here in line with what's right and wrong. This includes teachers too. >_> EDIT: Maybe this should be put in the LGBT News forum?
Sadly, Im not surprised that teachers are bullying too. Adults may say that they are more mature and less discriminatory, but that isnt always true. I find that children who are very discriminatory have learned it from their parents, or other important adults in their lives. There is one teacher who has openly expressed her disgust towards homosexuals claiming "the parts dont fit". She is a study hall monitor, but she uses her job to smother students with her discriminatory ideas. I know that I have been depressed, and I am now, because of the way people view homosexuality. These people force their hate on everyone around them and dont care if someone around them might be gay. Last year I almost failed all of my classes because I skipped school because I didnt feel comfortable around everyone. I physically felt the pressure that they put on everyone to conform and that pressure made me feel like I was going to break. I stayed home because I had a feeling of dread, and felt that if I went to school, I would break into hysterical tears or break into a violent rage. Either reaction would result in teasing and making everything worse, so I just avoided the situation. I need to get out of high school because this toxic environment is killing me.
