By: Maria C.R.
Disclosing your sexual orientation and/or gender identity is a really memorable milestone in the lives of most lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. As acceptance for the LGBT community increases, more and more people are coming out at a much younger age than previous generations (with the average age for coming out now being sixteen years old). This experience can feel so liberating and empowering, almost like a huge weight has been lifted off your shoulders. You don’t necessarily have to join the glee club, get a really tacky equality tattoo (ahem…Miley Cyrus) or start wearing more plaid than a cowboy during Stampede in order to be “out.” It can be as simple as changing your Facebook profile to “Interested in ____” or wearing a rainbow bracelet (If you’re feeling bold, you could even write an article for The Western World!). Whatever floats your boat. But make no mistake: it’s not all sunshine and, well, rainbows for the LGBT teen community.
Did you know that seventy-five percent of LGBT teens feel unsafe at school? (Whitman et al., 2007) Considering this statistic, it’s clear that being out at school can present some challenges for LGBT teens. LGBT teens are often faced with this phenomenon called “homophobia.” By definition, it is an irrational fear of homosexuality. Homophobia can present itself in many forms. From being deliberately excluded from certain activities, to being shoved against lockers, to overhearing the expressions “that’s so gay” and “no homo” being constantly used by those around you, all of these forms of alienation are hurtful. In other places of the world, I could be suspended (or even be expelled!) for writing an article like this. Luckily, here at Western, we have strict behavioural policies which clearly state that threats, personal harassment, assault and bullying (among others) will not be tolerated and will be dealt with accordingly. Unfortunately, homophobia often reaches beyond the walls of any school. Social networking websites like Facebook and Twitter are among the top methods used to spread homophobia. Both of them facilitate cyberbullying, which is more common than you may think. According to a study done by the Pew Research Center in the United States, nine out of ten teenagers have witnessed cruelty by peers on social networks, which is very disheartening to hear. As teenagers, we have better things to worry about (homework, athletics, friends, family, you name it). I doubt any of us really needs the extra stress.
You know, for all the havoc it causes in the world outside, homophobia does its most insidious damage inside you. As a teenager, being bullied because of your perceived (i.e. fitting into a stereotype associated with LGBT people) sexual orientation or gender expression may seem like an insurmountable obstacle. It is exhausting and demoralizing; it can slowly drain the life out of you, but only if you let it. The Trevor Project is an organization that focuses on crisis intervention and teen suicide prevention for LGBT people. Their famous slogan, “It Gets Better,” is far from the truth because it implies that things will magically get better. Not to be pessimistic, but, if anything, they’ll get much worse. This is why you have to make it better for yourself. You should never tolerate bullying under any circumstances and you should immediately report it to the school administration and/or to a trusted adult. Otherwise, all this harassment can translate into depression and worse: suicide. In fact, just last month, grade ten Ottawa student, Jamie Hubley, decided he had had enough of the cruel tormenting he received at school every day. When he took his own life, it raised the question of whether enough had been done to help Jamie. Like him, about three hundred kids take their own lives in Canada every year. These kids had done nothing wrong, but it goes to show you what can happen when a young person may be comfortable with his/her own self in a world where others are not.
Everyone has a breaking point. Don’t let homophobia make you reach yours.
