Gay Students are 3-4 Times More Likely to be Bullied

A new study by the Children's Hospital Boston Division of Adolescent Medicine shows that gay youth are 3-4 times more likely to experience bullying and harassment than their heterosexual peers.

"It's clear that sexual minority youth are a population vulnerable to bullying," says researcher Elise Berlan, MD, in the Children's Hospital Boston Division of Adolescent Medicine. "This needs to be addressed, particularly in schools."

What's not mentioned in the article is that this harassment and bullying of LGBTQ youth will usually lead to self-harming behavior. Kids who are bullied at school because of their actual or perceived sexual orientation are more likely to engage in drug and alcohol abuse, be depressed, contemplate and attempt suicide.

It's a real crisis when even our schools aren't safe places for all youth - that's why we've created the Ugly Ducklings Campaign. Find out more about the project on the Ugly Ducklings website. The Ugly Ducklings Community Action Kit contains activities, discussion questions, movie clips, and resources for creating safer, harassment-free schools and communities - places where all kids can grow up healthy and happy.

What's so wrong with that?