All parents want their children to develop into responsible, autonomous, and healthy adults who will become contributing members of society. It’s a parent’s most basic and natural desire for their kids.
And once we’ve become adults, all of us want to be healthy and free of violence, especially if the violence is hate-related. It seems simple. But it’s not for many LGBT Americans, especially kids who may identify as gay or gender non-conforming.
Children who identify as gay or are gender non-conforming are at greater risk for verbal or physical assaults in school setting. Consider these appalling statistics from the Gay Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN):
- Nine out of 10 students heard “gay” used in a negative way frequently or often at school.
- Seventy-four percent of LGBT students heard derogatory remarks such as “faggot” or “dyke” frequently or often at school.
- One-third of students missed at least one day of school in the past month because they felt unsafe.
That’s why we support anti-bullying policies that will result in safe schools for all students. Why? Because they work. Research by GLSEN found that students who were covered by comprehensive safe schools policies were less likely to experience harassment at school. That means a greater likelihood that kids will pay attention and take advantage of educational opportunities. And become responsible and healthy adults.
| All parents want their children to develop into responsible, autonomous and healthy adults who will become contributing members of society. It’s a parent’s most basic and natural desire for their kids. |
| It all seems so simple. It’s not. |
Unfortunately, there are other complications. Thirty-two percent of Americans live in states that do not have state-wide hate crimes protections. Hate crimes are considered among the most vicious of crimes because they’re not directed simply at an individual but are meant to cause fear and intimidation in an entire group of people. That’s why we advocate for fully-inclusive state-wide hate crimes protections for LGBT people. Download the FBI’s Hate Crime Statistics, 2008 report here.
LGBT Americans also need to be free of illness and have equal access to healthcare. Many lesbian, gay, bisexual, and especially trans adults go without healthcare: 43% of the trans population and 28% of the LGB population as compared with 19% of the overall population.
