Homosexuals and the Public Schools

Paper Summary:

This paper reports that homosexual teens have a great deal more to deal with than do their heterosexual peers, which is due in part to the way they are treated at school. The author points out that homosexual teens are more likely to drop out of high school, to suffer from depression and to commit suicide. The paper stresses that the treatment of homosexual students in the school setting can be changed by initiating teaching programs to educate teachers and students concerning the issues of homosexuality, especially problems of self- esteem.

Table of Contents:
Topic Proposal
Research Questions
Rationale
Literature Review
Challenges Gay Students Face in the School Setting
How Gay Students Cope in the School Setting
Education and Other School Resources
Curriculum
School Programs that have Found Success
Discussion
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"In addition to physical harassment, many studies have also found that many homosexual teens are victims of verbal abuse in the school setting. For instance, an early study conducted by Remafedi's (1987) found that 55% of the gay and bisexual male teens reported regular verbal harassment from peers. In studies conducted in the late nineties, researchers found that the majority of homosexual and bisexual participants were harassed by peers using words such as faggot and dyke at least once a day at school. These participants also reported that teachers referred to them using such language as faggot and dyke on a monthly basis."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Bullying in Schools: Harassment Puts Gay Youth At Risk. National Mental Health Association.
• Callahan C. (2000) Schools That Have Not Protected and Worked with Gay and Lesbian Students Have Been Sanctioned by the Courts. Education. Volume: 121 (2). Pg. 313.
• Elkind, D. (1967). Egocentrism in adolescence. Child Development, 38, 1025-1034.
• Elkind, D. (1970). Children and adolescents: Interpretive essays on Jean Piaget. New York: Oxford University Press.
• Griffin P., Ouellett M. L., (2002) Going Beyond Gay-Straight Alliances to Make Schools Safe for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Students. The Policy Journal of the Institute for Gay and Lesbian Strategic studies. Volume. (6)1. http://www.iglss.org/media/files/Angles_61.pdf

More papers on Homosexuals and the Public Schools:

• Term Paper # 149012 : "Homosexual Stigma and Sex Education"
• Essay # 23602 : "The Eagle Forum"
• Persuasive Essay # 67309 : "Homosexual Marriages"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: