The topic I have chosen is gay bullying. In his TED talk entitled, It Gets Better , Joel Burns gives his plea to young gay people not to commit suicide because of bullying. His TED talk includes his personal testimony of being bullied because of his sexuality, contemplating suicide and persevering to achieve a successful adult life. Though he delivered this TED talk at a city council meeting in Texas, the message reached a very wide audience. Burns, who is also gay, started his appeal by recounting numerous recent incidences involving teens across the United States who have taken their lives after being targets of anti-gay bullying. These victims include 18 year old Tyler Clementi who jumped off the George Washington Bridger after realizing that his roommate recorded him with his fellow male partner and then spread the video online. Another recent case he cites is that of 13 year old Asher Brown who used his father’s gun to kill himself (Burns, 2010).
Such cases illustrate that factors like discrimination and harassment from peers for being sexually different contribute to high suicide rates. Studies indicate that the increase in suicide rates among the LGBT youth has nothing to do with the minority sexual orientation but everything to do with the negative societal responses and social stigma that LGBT face because of gender expression outside the society’s expected norms. Over the past few years, consistent research findings conquer that LGBT youth are disproportionately bullied and this bullying increases the risk of suicide, which continues even in adulthood (Hatzenbuehler & Keyes, 2013). The media plays a key role in establishing the misconceptions regarding suicide cases among sexual minority groups through publicizing isolated bullying cases associated with LGBT suicide (Hatzenbuehler & Keyes, 2013). The media has not been responsible in its reporting; its reporting implies that suicide is a natural response among bullied teens. This misreporting perpetuates misperceptions of the LGBT group. The media emphasizes details that actually serve to increase the contagion of this risk.
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The conditions and circumstances leading to suicide among members of the LGBT group are extremely complex. Nevertheless, as far as LGBT youth are concerned, effective prevention begins with an understanding of the dynamics of familial and societal conditions, which are consistent among the reported cases of suicide in this group. It is the society’s intolerance of homosexuality that often causes an alarming number of teens to consider taking own lives (Hatzenbuehler & Keyes, 2013). The common presumption that an LGBT youth is inherently at suicide risk is enough proof of our society’s inability to accept or understand the differences in sexual expression and sexual orientation. The society’s intolerance is reflected in the incidences cited by Burns, where the victims were targeted and bullied due to their perceived sexuality or because they do not conform to the approved gender expectations in the society. Thereby, these individuals are perceived as challenging a societal norm hence they are discriminated and excluded. Therefore, in investigating the rising rate of suicide among LGBT youth, the focus should not be on the causes but rather the stigmatization of them because they are perceived as being “different from the rest.”
Though research has not identified the social environment as a risk factor for suicide, wide spread gender bias, heterosexual attitudes and discrimination against LGBT leads to risk factors like rejection and isolation. These risk factors tend to interact with unhealthy habits such as victimization and internal homophobia leading to stress. Stress is normally linked to substance abuse and depression and contributes to the risk of suicide. This risk is compounded by absence of protective factors, which often offer resilience, for example peer support and family relationships (Hatzenbuehler & Keyes, 2013).In the US, discrimination and prejudice against homosexuality are widespread and are in fact supported by numerous governmental, social and religious institutions. Heterosexism and homophobia are terms used to describe prejudice against LGBT individuals. According to In Eyler & In Witten (2012), LGBT teens have to deal with developing a sexual minority identity amidst negative jokes, comments and the threat of violence due to their sexual orientation or transgender identity. With the rampant homophobia in the society and families today, the internalization of heterosexist and homophobic messages starts very early; certainly, before LGBT teens realize their gender identity and sexual orientation. Also, it is not easy for LGBT youth to find positive role models.
As cited by In Eyler & In Witten (2012), Herek et al (2007) introduced a framework for understanding the social context for sexual minority groups. This framework combines the psychological concept of prejudice and the sociological concept of stigma (In Eyler & In Witten, 2012). Via stigma, the society invalidates and discredits LGBT relative to heterosexuality. Institutions that embody stigma leads to heterosexism and heterosexist people who internalize stigma lead to prejudice. The American legal system faces numerous challenges from sympathetic heterosexists and sexual minority groups that prompted major reforms. Nevertheless, this legal system is constantly reinforcing stigma via discriminatory laws and the lack of laws that protect sexual minority groups from discrimination in housing, employment and other services. Moreover, most religious institutions are constantly condemning homosexuality as a sin and offer a justification for marginalizing gays. Burns’ TED talk has been greatly successful in helping shape the public discourse regarding bullying and reaching out to LGBT youth. In this manner, his TED talk served as both a political act, which had implications for public policy, and a personal statement that inspired and motivated many.
References
Burns, J. (TED Talk) (2010). It Gets Better. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ax96cghOnY4
Hatzenbuehler, M. L., & Keyes, K. M. (July 01, 2013). Inclusive Anti-bullying Policies and Reduced Risk of Suicide Attempts in Lesbian and Gay Youth. Journal of Adolescent Health, 53, 1.
In Eyler, A. E., & In Witten, T. (2012). Gay, lesbian, bisexual, & transgender aging: Challenges in research, practice, and policy . Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
