Facts & Figures
A range of research has been carried out into the incidence and effects of homophobic bullying. We have compiled a collection of the key findings to illustrate the extent of the problem and its impact on the lives of the young people being bullied in this way. A full list of references is available in the Further Reading section.
On this page:
• In Social exclusion, absenteeism and sexual minority youth (Rivers, I. 2000), 72% of lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) adults reported a regular history of absenteeism at school due to homophobic harassment. 50% who had been bullied at school had contemplated self-harm or suicide – 40% had made at least one attempt to self harm.
• In one survey (Bullying – don’t suffer in silence , DfES, 2002), 82% of secondary school teachers said they were aware of verbal homophobic bullying and 26% were aware of physical homophobic bullying.
• Research carried out in 2003 found that 51% of gay men and 30% of lesbians reported being bullied physically at school, compared with 47% of heterosexual men and 20% of heterosexual women. (Mental health and social wellbeing of gay men, lesbians and bisexuals in England and Wales , Royal Free College and University College Medical School, 2003)
• The Bullying of sexual minorities at school: its nature and long-term correlates (Rivers, 2001) studied the types of bullying experienced by 190 LGB adults, and found that:
- 82% of respondents had been subject to name-calling
- 71% had been ridiculed in front of others
- 60% had reported being hit or kicked
- 59% had rumours spread about them
- 58% had been teased
- 49% had their belongings stolen
- 27% had been isolated by their peers
- 11% had been sexually assaulted by either peers or teachers, whilst at school.
• Research carried out in Reading by ReachOUT noted that Black and Asian LGB young people faced a number of additional problems on top of the bullying, including racism, homophobia from within their own communities and conflict around their identity.
• An estimated 2,725 young people call ChildLine each year to talk about sexual orientation, homophobia or homophobic bullying. Males account for 55% of the calls about these issues, even though they account for only 25% of total calls to ChildLine. Boys were more than twice as likely to report being physically bullied. 60% of the young people who called Childline about sexual orientation, homophobia or homophobic bullying were 12-15 years old. (ChildLine, Sexual Orientation, homophobia and homophobic bullying).
Violence
• In the Stonewall survey Queer Bashing (1996), almost half of respondents aged under 18 had experienced violence.
- 61% of young LGB people had been harassed (compared with 32% of all respondents)
- 18% of young LGB people had been to the police (compared with 31% overall)
- 40% of violent attacks on under 18s had taken place in school, and in 50% of attacks, the perpetrators were fellow students
• A GALOP survey (Telling it like it is – LGB youth speak out on homophobic violence , 1998) found that over a third of 202 respondents had experienced harassment, including verbal, physical and sexual abuse.
• Understanding homophobic bullying in schools: building a safe learning environment for all pupils described one young man who had been banned from physical education lessons because of fears for his personal safety.
• In 1997 Stonewall surveyed 307 secondary schools (Playing it Safe: Responses of Secondary School Teachers to Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Pupils, Bullying, HIV/AIDS Education and Section 28 ). The research found that:
- 51% of schools surveyed reported one or two incidents of homophobic bullying as occurring in the last term.
- 5% of schools surveyed reported ten incidents of homophobic bullying as occurring in the last term.
• Homophobic bullying in schools is rife and LGB pupils are more likely to leave school at 16, despite achieving the equivalent of six GCSEs at grade C. In Social exclusion, absenteeism and sexual minority youth (Rivers, I. 2000), 81% of 120 LGB people held or were studying for GCSEs, but only a third went on to higher education.
• In a KIDSCAPE survey (1998), 828 respondents said that the bullying had affected their plans for further education. Many wrote that they were afraid that the bullying would continue if they continued their education.
• A study in Lancashire (Preventing Homophobic Bullying in Calderdale Schools ) found that the effects of homophobic abuse, isolation and invisibility mean that LGB young people have high levels of truancy, drop-out and low exams results, as well as high levels of mental health problems, panic attacks, eating disorders and suicide attempts.
• Bullying at school, when combined with homophobia in the home environment or local neighbourhood commonly induced a sense of hopelessness amongst the young homeless LGB people interviewed for Hidden in Plain Sight: Homelessness amongst Lesbian and Gay Youth . This recurrently led young LGB people to leave home in the hope of escaping the abuse.
• Guidance by the NASUWT, Tackling Homophobic Bullying , states that homophobic bullying may lead to low self-esteem, a culture of fear, pupil indiscipline, pupil or staff absenteeism, reduced staff productivity, staff turnover, poor teaching performance, reduced learning outcomes, stress, loss of health, and self-harm.
• 72% of LGB adults surveyed in Social exclusion, absenteeism and sexual minority youth (Rivers, I. 2000) reported a regular history of absenteeism at school due to homophobic harassment, and 50% who had been bullied at school contemplated self-harm or suicide – 40% had made at least one attempt to self harm.
• In The Bullying of sexual minorities at school: its nature and long-term correlates (Rivers 2001) found that of 119 LGBT adults who had been bullied at school:
- 53% had contemplated self-harm as result of being bullied.
- 40% had attempted suicide on at least one occasion.
- 30% had attempted on more than one occasion.
• Research published in the British Journal of Psychiatry in 2003 (Mental health and quality of life of gay men and lesbians in England and Wales ) compared the mental health of gay people and their straight counterparts. It found that discrimination and intolerance led to a higher rate of mental anxiety, substance use disorders and suicidal behaviour among gay people. Over 1000 lesbians and gay people took part in the research and a significant proportion had experienced verbal and physical bullying in school on account of their sexual orientation.
Policy
• Stonewall’s Playing it Safe: Responses of Secondary School Teachers to Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Pupils, Bullying, HIV/AIDS Education and Section 28 (1997), found that:
- 82% of secondary teachers surveyed were aware of incidents of verbal homophobic bullying
- 26% were aware of incidents of physical homophobic bullying
- 99% of schools had general anti-bullying policies
- 6% of schools had anti-bullying policies that dealt with LGB issues
• The study found that the most often cited factors that hinder the efforts of teachers and schools in addressing issues of homophobia were:
- Worries about parental disapproval (22%)
- Lack of experienced staff (15%)
- Lack of policies (14%)
- 82% of the 300 teachers surveyed identified Section 28 as a major stumbling block to the provision of advice and counselling to LGB pupils.
• In a survey conducted in the Greater Reading area, only one school had provided training for its governors and staff around issues of sexuality, eight had not. (Social Inclusion: Reaching Out to Bisexual, Gay and Lesbian Youth , Reading, ReachOUT, 1999).
