Support for students

http://boardbuzz.nsba.org/archives/025637.php

BoardBuzz was intrigued by this article that came to us by way of ABCNews.com. It seems that increased cultural awareness of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) issues is allowing teens to acknowledge their sexuality and gender identity earlier and earlier. As a result, some children are coming out when they are in middle school. And unfortunately, as anyone who's ever been to middle school can attest, it remains a zenith of bullying, and these young tormentors are as intolerant as ever.

In fact, according to the article, Harris Polling found in a study conducted in 2005 that students are 30% more likely to be teased about their sexual orientation in middle school than in high school. But "teasing" is the least of some students' worries. Fourteen-year-old Sean, a female-to-male transsexual since age 11, was "shoved into lockers, beaten up and made fun of." He ended up dropping out of middle school and being home-schooled by his mother. Josh Rivero, who tried to start a Gay-Straight Alliance club at his middle school, received enough threats that he enrolled in a virtual high school. Leah Matz came out as a lesbian when she was 12, and endured being "tripped, pushed and spit on," and received a painted message on her locker that read, "Dykes Suck."