Study examines victimization during high school based on sexual orientation of 350 lesbian, gay, or bisexual youths. Over half reported verbal abuse in high school because of their sexual orientation, and 11% said they had been physically assaulted. Youths' current mental health symptoms, especially traumatic stress reactions, were associated with…

Ten themes emerged from a national survey (n=270) on biased and exemplary practice concerning lesbian, gay, and bisexual issues. Methodology, theme descriptions, and implications for practice are presented. (Author)

Students who attended presentations by lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals were asked to write about their experiences (n=260). Student writings were analyzed to determine how they perceived and explained their own changes as a result of attending the panel. (JBJ)

Adolescents view sexual orientation, especially homosexuality, as a very sensitive subject. Homosexuality is also a culturally sensitive topic; views on its appropriateness as a classroom subject vary widely from country to country. An English teacher at the International School of Brussels explains how he uses literature and essay writing to…

The Boy Scouts of America's anti-gay and anti-atheist youth policies are forcing school districts to reconsider sponsoring troops and allowing meetings on campus. To most school boards, banning Boy Scouts organizations seems unthinkable. The meeting-space question boils down to existence of anti-discrimination policies. (MLH)

Compared reports of gay and heterosexual male college students about particular behaviors and feelings during childhood and adolescence. Results were interpreted as providing general support for Bell's heterogamy principle that regardless of one's sexual orientation, romantic attachments will be to people perceived different from one's self.…

This article addresses counselors' calls for more training on internalized heterosexism. Through a synthesis of the research on lesbian internalized heterosexism, the author discusses how the integration of a feminist approach can enhance college counselors' work with lesbian clients, describes 3 core feminist therapy principles, uses these…

Regardless of race, gender, class, physical- and cognitive-ableness, as well as sexual orientation, to be musical in North American and western European societies is to be queer--particularly for men (Fuller and Whitesell, 2002), and maybe specifically for men, since women barely register in discussions of musicians. In this article, the author…

Civic education and its call for social studies to prepare students for citizenship in a participatory democracy have been limited to the political domain and touted as participation with the already existing political domain. This paper is a reflection of how engaging with and challenging heterosexism, homophobia, and heteronormativity in a…

This study investigated tenth- and twelfth-grade adolescents' ( N = 264) beliefs about homosexuality, their attitudes about gay and lesbian peers in school, and their evaluations of the treatment of gay, lesbian, and gender non-conforming peers. The results revealed differences in adolescents' beliefs about homosexuality and their attitudes toward…

This study attempted to develop psychometric properties of the Sexual Orientation Counselor Competency Scale (SOCCS), an instrument used to assess the awareness, skills, and knowledge of counselors working with the lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) population. A sample of 287 undergraduates, master-level and doctoral-level students, and counseling…

Identity formation involves the development of self esteem, social skills, and a sense of self. Many gay and lesbian adults have noted that they were aware of their attraction to members of the same sex as early as five- and six-years-old. Reactions they received from parents and others often added to their stress. Following a description of the…

Lesbian and gay volunteers (N=392) described their experiences with 923 therapists. Gay, lesbian, and bisexual therapists of both genders, and heterosexual female therapists, were rated more helpful than heterosexual male therapists. Participants also reported whether each therapist exhibited nine negative and four positive practices; such…

Examined variations in "coming out" for gay, lesbian, and bisexual youths, specifically: the timing and sequence of developmental stages; completion of 10 milestone events involving self-awareness, sexual experiences, and disclosure to others; and immersion in social networks. Found comfort with sexual orientation was greatest in persons…

This study investigated whether high school health teachers taught about homosexuality, how much time they spent on the subject, where they obtained information, and how competent they felt. Surveys indicated that less than half formally taught the subject and then for less than one class period. Most felt incompetent to teach about homosexuality.…