Gay bashing is an attack, abuse, or assault committed against a person who is perceived by the aggressor to be gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ+). It includes both violence against LGBTQ people and LGBTQ bullying. The term covers violence against and bullying of people who are LGBTQ, as well as non-LGBTQ people whom the attacker perceives to be LGBTQ.
Physical gay bashings sometimes involve extreme violence or murder, the perpetratorsโ actions being based on their perceptions or assumptions of the victim's sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.
LGBTQ youth are more likely to report bullying than non-LGBTQ youth, particularly in schools. Victims of LGBTQ bullying may feel unsafe, resulting in depression and anxiety, including increased rates of suicide and attempted suicide. LGBTQ students may try to pass as heterosexual to escape the chance of being bullied, leading to further stress and isolation from available supports. Support organizations exist in many countries to prevent LGBTQ bullying and support victims. Some jurisdictions have passed legislation against LGBTQ bullying and harassment.

Violence
editLGBTQ people frequently experience violence directed toward their sexuality, gender identity, or gender expression.[1] This violence may be enacted by the state, as in laws prescribing punishment for homosexual acts, or by individuals. It may be motivated by biphobia, gayphobia, homophobia, lesbophobia, and transphobia. Influencing factors may be cultural, religious, or political mores and biases.[2]
Bullying
editBullying of LGBTQ people, particularly LGBTQ youth, involves intentional actions toward the victim, repeated negative actions by one or more people against another person, and an imbalance of physical or psychological power.[3]
LGBTQ youth are more likely to report bullying than non-LGBTQ youth.[4] In one study, boys who were bullied with taunts of being gay suffered more bullying and more negative effects compared with boys who were bullied with other categories of taunting.[5] Some researchers suggest including youth questioning their sexuality in any research on LGBTQ bullying because they may be as susceptible to its effects as LGBTQ students.[6][7][8]
See also
edit- Abuse
- Anti-LGBT slogans
- Bash Back!
- Bullying
- Corrective rape
- Cyberbullying
- Day of Silence
- Hate crime
- School bullying
- Significant acts of violence against LGBT people
- Trans bashing
- Trust and safety issues in online dating services
References
edit- ^ Meyer, Doug (December 2012). "An Intersectional Analysis of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) People's Evaluations of Anti-Queer Violence". Gender & Society. 26 (6): 849โ873. doi:10.1177/0891243212461299. S2CIDย 145812781.
- ^ Meyer, Doug (2015). Violence against Queer People. Rutgers University Press. Archived from the original on May 15, 2019. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
- ^ "Bullying Myths and Facts". US Dept of Education. Archived from the original on March 25, 2010. Retrieved October 2, 2010.
- ^ Berlan, ED; Corliss, HL; Field, AE; etย al. (April 2010). "Sexual Orientation and Bullying Among Adolescents in the Growing Up Today Study". Journal of Adolescent Health. 46 (4): 366โ71. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2009.10.015. PMCย 2844864. PMIDย 20307826.
- ^ Swearer, SM; Turner, RT; Givens, JE (2008). ""You're so gay!": Do different forms of bullying matter for adolescent males?". School Psychology Review. 37 (2): 160โ173. doi:10.1080/02796015.2008.12087891. S2CIDย 6456413.
- ^ Swearer, S. M.; Turner, R. K.; Givens, J. E.; Pollack, W. S. (2008). "You're So Gay!": Do Different Forms of Bullying Matter for Adolescent Males?". School Psychology Review. 37 (2): 160โ173. doi:10.1080/02796015.2008.12087891. S2CIDย 6456413.
- ^ Russell, S. T.; Joyner, K. (2001). "Adolescent Sexual Orientation and Suicide Risk: Evidence From a National Study". American Journal of Public Health. 91 (8): 1276โ1281. doi:10.2105/ajph.91.8.1276. PMCย 1446760. PMIDย 11499118.
- ^ Williams, T.; Connolly, J.; Pepler, D.; Craig, W. (2005). "Peer Victimization, Social Support, and Psychosocial Adjustment of Sexual Minority Adolescents" (PDF). Journal of Youth and Adolescence. 34 (5): 471โ482. CiteSeerXย 10.1.1.459.218. doi:10.1007/s10964-005-7264-x. S2CIDย 56253666. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 8, 2017. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
Further reading
edit- Meyer, Doug (2015). Violence against Queer People: Race, Class, Gender, and the Persistence of Anti-LGBT Discrimination. Rutgers University Press.
- Boswell, John (1980). Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality: Gay People in Western Europe from the Beginning of the Christian Era to the Fourteenth Century. University of Chicago Press. ISBNย 978-0-226-06711-7.
- Cuordileone, K. A. (2000). "'Politics in an Age of Anxiety': Cold War Political Culture and the Crisis in American Masculinity". Journal of American History. 87 (2): 515โ45. doi:10.2307/2568762. JSTORย 2568762.
- D'Emilio, John (1989). "The Homosexual Menace: The Politics of Sexuality in Cold War America". In Peiss, Kathy; Simmons, Christina (eds.). Passion and Power: Sexuality in History. Temple University Press. pp.ย 226โ40.
- Edsall, Nicholas C. (2003). Toward Stonewall: Homosexuality and Society in the Modern Western World. U. of Virginia Press. p.ย 384. ISBNย 978-0-8139-2543-1.
- D'Emilio, John; Freedman, Estelle B. (1997). Intimate Matters: A History of Sexuality in America, Second Edition. University of Chicago Press. ISBNย 978-0-226-14264-7.
- Fone, Byrne (2001). Homophobia: A History. Macmillan. ISBNย 978-0-312-42030-7.
- Hatheway, Jay (2003). The Gilded Age Construction of Modern American Homophobia. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBNย 978-0-312-23492-8.
- Jenness, Valerie; Richman, Kimberly D. (2002). "Anti-Gay and Lesbian Violence and Its Discontents". In Richardson, Diane; Seidman, Steven (eds.). Handbook of Lesbian and Gay Studies. pp.ย 403+.
- Jenness, Valerie; Grattet, Ryken (2001). Making Hate a Crime: From Social Movement to Law Enforcement. Russell Sage Foundation. ISBNย 978-0-87154-409-4.
- Johnson, David K. (2004). The Lavender Scare: The Cold War Persecution of Gays and Lesbians in the Federal Government. University of Chicago Press. ISBNย 978-0-226-40190-4.
- Kantor, Martin (1998). Homophobia: Description, Development, and Dynamics of Gay Bashing. Praeger. ISBNย 978-0-275-95530-4.
- Minton, Henry L. (2002). Departing from Deviance: A History of Homosexual Rights and Emancipatory Science in America. U. of Chicago Press. pp.ย 344. ISBNย 978-0-226-53044-4.
- Padva, Gilad (2007). "Media and Popular Culture Representations of LGBT Bullying". Journal of Gay and Lesbian Social Services. 19 (3โ4): 105โ118. doi:10.1080/10538720802161615. S2CIDย 145065140.
- Downs, Alan (2005). The Velvet Rage, Overcoming the Pain of Growing Up Gay in a Straight Man's World. Da Capo Press.