GLBTQ No Name High School By Brittany Dummer

GLBTQ No Name High School By: Brittany Dummer Michaella Fischer Grant Nelson Emily Ripley Lisa Simonson

What does GLBTQ stand for? G-Gay: A male who identifies as being attracted to another male L-Lesbian: A female who identifies to being attracted to another female B-Bisexual: A male or female who identifies to being attracted to both genders T-Transgender: A person who feels they are the opposite gender of what they are physically Q-Questioning: Somebody who is in the stages of identifying their sexual orientation

Why is this important for you, as students, to know? Do any of these statistics come as a shock to you? Here at No Name High School, we have a zero tolerance policy in place when it comes to bullying. This building is meant to be an emotional safe zone to foster learning and positive experiences for everyone.

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Statistics Of Bullied GLBTQ Students • • • 70% of students experienced verbal harassment based on their sexual orientation 30% of students experienced physical harassment (pushing/shoving) based on their sexual orientation 89% of students felt deliberately “left out” by peers 81% of students had mean rumors or lies told about them 62% of students were sexually harassed 54% of students experienced “cyberbullying” 54% of students who were harassed or assaulted in school never reported it to school staff 62% never told a family member about the incident Only 48% of students who reported incidents, said the report resulted in effective staff intervention

Why Is This Happening? Many have misconceptions concerning GLBTQ students.

Misconception #1: Gays want to convert other people to be gay. Being gay is not a choice. It is also not a cult. GLBTQ people have no desire to “recruit” new people into their classifications. Although there is pride within the gay community, gay people do not seek to force others into their lifestyle.

Misconception #2: All feminine men are gay and all masculine females are lesbian. Gender is a social construct, meaning the defined gender boundaries have little or nothing to do with biology. Within the genders, masculinity and femininity can vary greatly - everyone is different!

Misconception #3: Gays can be “cured. ” Being gay is not a choice. It is a part of who the person is.

Misconception #4: All gay men are attracted to every male they see and will “hit” on them. Often times when you hear of students being bullied in the schools, students of the GLBTQ community will either be verbally or physically bullied because the bully felt as if they were being sexually harassed or advanced on in some way by the victim.

Bringing It All Together Bullying and harassment has occurred in this school because we do not understand respect each other. We do not value each other as individuals. It is time to change that.

What discriminatory actions are occurring in our school? Verbal - “That’s so gay” and “No homo. ” Physical - Locker room incident, shoving into lockers Bullying - exclusion from groups, rumors spread

This Needs to Stop “That’s so gay” and “No homo” Physical harassment Spreading rumors and exclusion

This Needs to Stop The misconceptions are not true. Even if they were, no one deserves to be bullied. Bullying destroys people’s lives. How would you feel if you were constantly bullied because of who you were? Because of something you can’t change?

School-Wide Goals Eliminating “That’s so gay, ” and “No homo” from our speech. No physical harassment of students. Building up and standing up for all fellow students.

Implementation of Goals Catch each other using derogatory phrases. Put a stop to it. Teachers will intervene when phrases are heard. If phrases are repeated, the teacher will give a detention slip. Physical harassment will be punished through suspension the first time they occur. Teachers and students alike will intervene when they see bullying occur. They will talk to an administrator who

Staying SAFE Stand Positive and Strong- Appear confident and try not to show fear or anger. Avoid the Situation- Don’t fight back or respond with more bad behavior. Try to ignore hurtful comments and walk away if possible. Think of your safety first. Find Support- Find others who have similar experiences and support each other. Hang out with people who accept you for who you are. Express your feelings- Don’t be afraid to talk about your feelings with family friends, teachers, or counselors. Seeking help is NOT “tattling”. It is helping you stay safe. When you experience negative feelings, practice saying positive statements.

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Resources Students Responding to Name-Calling. (2012). In GLSEN: Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network. Retrieved November 6, 2013, from http: //glsen. org/article/students-responding-name-calling-lesson-grades-5 -7 GLSEN. (2013). School Climate in Minnesota (State Snapshot). New York: GLSEN. Retrieved November 6, 2013, from http: //www. glsen. org/research