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Homophobia at school.

Discussion in 'Family, Friends, and Relationships' started by theskywreck, Jan 9, 2014.

  1. theskywreck

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    This is a somewhat long story, but I really need your advice.

    I go to a very small high school. We are about 90 students, from Secondary 1 to 5 (equivalent to grades 7-11, and there is no grade 12 here). I'm in Secondary 4 (grade 10), and recently a boy in Secondary 3 has come out on Facebook.

    That was 2 days ago, and already I have seen an increase in homophobia. Some of the ninth and tenth grade boys were openly making fun of gay people in the hallway during recess.Though they said no names, it was obvious they were speaking of this gay student in question. They mocked his specific mannerisms and even pointed to his general direction when another boy asked who it was they were talking about.

    Also, the word 'gay' as an insult and 'fag' in general have been used so much in the past few days by this same group that one would wonder if they were 12-year-olds on 'Call of Duty'. They used it occasionally before, but it's insane now!

    I am not particularly friends with the boy who has recently come out, but I've shared a few words with him, and I see him every day. He is the nicest person I know, and though I don't think he is defenceless, he is a soft kid and wouldn't hurt a fly.

    When I was in Secondary 2 (grade 8), I came out as a lesbian (I hadn't accepted my male identity back then), and a similar phenomenon occurred, so this is a regular ritual in my school. However, I don't want to let this poor boy go through the same homophobic bullying and awful rumour-spreading that I suffered through, and I want to help him.

    What could I do to help diminish the homophobic insults and mockery before it is too late? I'm afraid that they will begin to confront this gay student face-to-face when they get bored of insulting him behind his back - and these kids in question are extremely homophobic and unforgiving.

    Any answers will help!
     
  2. TB8

    TB8
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    i think you should keep an eye on the bullies if they end up taking it to far:eusa_naug but dont tell teachers if it gets worst tell a teacher or principle or an adult thats really rough and can really fix a problem quick i know one my vice principle is really tough when he hears bullying he snaps and fixes the problem quick:thumbsup: and try to become friend with this guy(*hug*) (not that you have to) but i also went through homophobic bullying too and i wouldnt want to see anyone else suffering that pain and i understand how the bullyings are since i live in a extremely homophobic family and the words that homophobic people say very hateful,terrible and awful:bang: if they confront him with hateful words try to keep an eye and make him feel better but first find a tough adult :tantrum: all i can say you cant stop bullying but you can make it less by having someone watching those bullies sorry if this didnt help much:beer:
     
  3. Please speak to your teachers about this. General homophobia is one thing (teasing someone who is assumed to be straight for 'acting a bit gay' etc) - the targeted bullying of someone who is openly gay is something far worse. And it can be terrifying if you are the target. It is often not easy for teachers to see the difference - they don't really know what is going on a lot of the time, and are probably unaware of what's happening on facebook etc.

    You could put it into an email (perhaps with facebook screenshots?), or (if you can be confident enough) go and speak directly to the head teacher. You are allowed to do that in this situation.

    They have a responsibility to ALL of their students.

    ---------- Post added 10th Jan 2014 at 02:09 AM ----------

    Also - Stonewall (the main LGBT charity in the UK) is currently running a major campaign to combat homophobia in British schools - they may have some online resources that are useful to you or your teachers.

    Stonewall
     
    #3 uniqueusername3, Jan 9, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 9, 2014
  4. theskywreck

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    Thank you, both of you. I will alert the teachers if I see that they continue. :slight_smile:
     
  5. bitheway7

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    In addition to what's already been suggested, you could politely call them out on their crappy behavior if you feel comfy doing so.
     
  6. Grimm

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    I would say just let him know that he has a friend and an ally in whatever BS he has to go through. If you feel comfortable doing it, then call out the bullies, but I understand that's a very hard thing to do sometimes. And make sure someone in authority knows if it gets starts getting too bad. There's only so much you can do alone, unfortunately.