This paper considers the educational implications of the recent emphasis on the mental health and well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning/queer (LGBTQ) people in Ireland. Operating from the perspective that discourses constitute rather than merely reflect material reality, thereby shaping or "structuring" how we…

This review critically examines "Ugly Ducklings: A National Campaign to Reduce Bullying and Harassment of LGBTQ Youth" through a DVD and educator's guidebook. The "Ugly Ducklings" Community Action Kit has two parts: (1) a documentary about the harassment of lesbian youth and (2) short dialogues with "Ugly…

Homophobic and transphobic bullying, through teasing, physical violence, and other forms of aggression, is a problem that affects lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students at all levels of education. Even though there have been legal changes in Mexico to protect human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, schools are…

In recent years anti-lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) bullying has been a pervasive discussion in popular and scholarly discourse. While such a discussion has documented the negative impact of bullying on the physical, psychological, social, and emotional lives of young people, it has not had a critical and sustained analysis…

In 2010, a number of suicides resulted in part because of bullying and cyberbullying. They include Tyler Clementi, Asher Brown, Seth Walsh, Justin Aaberg, Eric Mohat, Meredith Rezak, Raymond Chase, and Billy Lucas. These students were gay and lesbian and felt that they had no other option than to take their own lives. Research shows that because…

Despite the increasing social tolerance accorded nonheterosexual persons in many Western countries, queer youth suicide rates remain high. This opens the need to question not only how broad social conditions continue to make lives unlivable for many queer youth but whether queer community formations and representations that emerge within a…

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students face many risk factors every day when they enter their school's door. These students often fear for their safety at school, are victimized, have academic difficulties, suffer from issues with their identity development, and are at risk for suicide. School-based Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs)…

Few studies have examined school-based factors associated with variability in the victimization and health of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth. Among 15,965 students in 45 Wisconsin schools, we identified differences based on Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) presence. Youth in schools with GSAs reported less truancy,…

Female-identified transgender youth (FIT youth) have a male birth sex but identify as female, placing them outside of socially acceptable standards and increasing the challenges of adolescence. They face numerous potential sources of stress and have a higher likelihood of experiencing negative mental health outcomes due to lack of support, lack of…

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth are at risk for engaging in negative health behaviors and for experiencing at-school victimization. Specific benefits of attending a high school with a gay-straight alliance (GSA), including lower levels of suicidality, have been published; however, it is unclear whether GSAs are related to…

Many adolescents experience peer victimization, which often can be homophobic. Applying the minority stress model with attention to intersecting social identities, this study tested the effects of general and homophobic victimization on several educational outcomes through suicidality and school belonging among 15,923 adolescents in Grades 7…

According to Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network, GLSEN, (2003), 84% of GLBT students experienced homophobic remarks or verbal harassment and of those, 91.5% reported hearing the word "faggot" or "dyke" on a regular basis, and over 60% felt unsafe in their schools because of their sexual orientation. More recently, several middle school…

This article reports the results of a three-year study focusing on the experiences of a sample of lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) people in the United Kingdom who were victimized by their peers at school. Data collected from 190 LGBs suggested that experiences of victimization at school were both long-term and systematic, and were perpetrated by…

North Americans' fear and preoccupation with safety and security as a result of the September 11 attacks is similar to that felt by gays and lesbians in daily life. Queer persons are not part of the Christian family, according to Jerry Falwell and other rightist Christian fundamentalists, including those involved in transformative ministry and…