Earlier this week, we talked about teen bullying and what parents and friends can do to help in situations where either your child is being bullied or you witness someone else being bullied. There are many groups in school that are subject to more intense bullying than others. I’m sure we can all remember some movie or television sitcom that showed “nerds” being bullied by groups that were considered to be more popular. The community we will talk about today that is subject to this this mental abuse is the , LGBT Community.

LGBT Bullying

While trying to deal with the challenges of just being a teenager there are certain groups of teens that on top of this have to deal with harassment, threats, and violence directed at them on a daily basis. One of these groups is the LGBT community. These teens are much more likely to be bullied in school than teens who are heterosexual. Studies show that while 1 out of 4 teens are bullied, 9 out of 10 LGBT students have experienced harassment either in school or online.

Is their mental health affected?

 Students within the LGBT community are two to three times more likely to commit suicide than heterosexual teens. This can partially be attributed to the hatred and prejudice that surround them.

Both teens and adults can be very mean and often do not realize that someone’s self esteem and feelings of self-worth are being affected by the words that come out of their mouth.

What Can We Do to Help?

Work with schools and parent groups to have programs on respect, school safety, and anti-bullying.  Lead by example with your children, do not wonder why they are going to school using colorful language when you do so at home. Scarlet encourages you to be involved and talk to them about what is going on at school. Let your child know that it is not acceptable to be a bully, ever!

…Until next time…