Gay Bashing

Incidence and Examples of Gay Bashing

Gay bashing can occur in any setting, and offenders may target persons whom they believe to be LGBT, regardless of their actual sexual orientation. Boys and men who are perceived to be gay may be at highest risk for gay bashing. Recent research and publicized incidents of gay bashing reveal the vulnerability of LGBT youth in school systems. Antigay remarks, bullying, and cyberbullying are often found in school settings. The Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) published a 2009 National School Survey of youth in the United States, which is based on survey findings from students ranging in age from 13 to 21 years. According to the GLSEN report, 9 out of 10 LGBT youth in the study had been gay bashed. More specifically, 86.4% reported verbal harassment such as being called names and being threatened; 40.1% reported physical harassment such as pushing and shoving; 18.8% reported physical assaults such as being punched, kicked, or injured with a weapon; 52.9% reported being a victim of cyberbullying. The report also mentions that verbal harassment has been on the decline since 1999 while physical harassment and physical assault continue to occur at about the same rate. The report indicates that 61% of the students reported feeling unsafe at school because of their sexual orientation.

Ruth Hunt and Johan Jensen, with the Stonewall organization, conducted a 2006 student survey about homophobic bullying in Great Britain's school system. Their research indicates that about 65% of Britain's LGBT youth have experienced gay bashing (which they call homophobic bullying). The authors presented the frequency with which LGBT students in the study experienced the following types of gay bashing behaviors: verbal abuse (92%), malicious gossip (76%), intimidating looks (62%), ignored and insulted (58%), cyberbullying (41%), physical abuse (41%), vandalism and theft of property (30%), death threats (17%), threatened with a weapon (17%), and sexually assaulted (12%). In this study, 79% of LGBT students experienced gay bashing by a boy and a little more than 50% experienced gay bashing by a girl.

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