Report on school bullying finds not much has changed in past decade

A decade ago, when many viewed bullying as just another rite of passage, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) conducted a landmark survey to better understand the toll of school-based harassment and violence.

That 2005 report portrayed a grim reality for adolescents and teenagers, who regularly encountered derogatory comments and physical violence.

In a new version of that report, published by the advocacy organization on Wednesday, it appears not much has changed in the intervening years, despite the proliferation of anti-bullying policies and measures as well as public education campaigns to promote tolerance. The slow progress is particularly striking for students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer.

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"Even though we have some improvements in terms of school climate, there are persistent gaps that remain," says Christian Villenas, senior research associate for GLSEN.

More than half of the 1,367 teenage students surveyed by GLSEN said they frequently heard biased sexist, racist and homophobic remarks at school, including slurs like "that's so gay," "faggot" and "dyke." The least commonly heard negative remarks concerned being transgender or religious.

While the incidence of biased language decreased since 2005 — with the exception of racist remarks — the survey found no changes in students' own reports of victimization. Participants said the most common reasons for being bullied, called names or harassed were body size and appearance, actual or perceived sexual orientation, race and ethnicity, academic ability, and masculine or feminine behavior.

The bullies aren't just students, either. As many as a quarter of survey respondents said school staff made disparaging comments based on difference, including race, ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation. They also said that staff are more likely to intervene when hearing students make racist and sexist remarks, and less likely to get involved upon hearing negative comments about sexual orientation and gender expression.

Villenas says learning more about school climate is vital because a positive environment can lead to much better personal and educational outcomes for students. To that effect, GLSEN also surveyed 1,015 teachers and found that half of them felt bullying and harassment were a serious problem at their school.

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The report noted important improvements to school climate, including increased supportive resources for LGBTQ students and greater willingness from students to become outspoken bystanders in calling out homophobic remarks.

Still, secondary schools remain "rife with bias," according to the report, despite important progress in achieving equality for lesbian and gay people, and increased visibility for transgender and gender non-conforming people.

Villenas believes hostile school climates can be partly traced to the emergence of groups that oppose such social change and have focused on issues like so-called "bathroom bills." Second, Villenas says that changing school policy can be difficult given the bureaucracy involved. Even though many schools have anti-bullying policies, not all of them specifically offer protections for sexual orientation and gender identity or expression.

The report recommends the adoption of such inclusive policies in addition to professional development and training to help teachers better understand LGBT issues.

Keress Weidner, a high school junior from Kettering, Ohio, and a member of GLSEN’s National Student Council, says that anti-bullying school curriculum needs to go beyond recitation of policy.

"We get taught in the classes ... but there isn’t this cultural sensitivity or empathy that’s being instilled in students," says Weidner, who identifies as non-binary and uses the pronoun they.

Weidner says that the election has brought many deep-seated biases to the fore for young people, including racism and Islamaphobia. The debate over political correctness, Weidner adds, has encouraged some of their peers to dismiss concerns about language and policy as overly sensitive.

"People want to say respecting people’s identities is political correctness," says Weidner, noting, among other examples, the number of transgender women of color murdered each year. "It's not political correctness; it’s life or death for some people."

If you want to talk to someone about bullying or are experiencing suicidal thoughts, text the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. For international resources, this list is a good place to start.