Discriminatory Behavior in Schools

By Alissa Coschigano

In a recent study shown by medical journal Pediatrics done on over 15, 000 middle and high school teens shows that gay teens receive harsher punishments in schools, court systems, and everyday lives. “Gay, lesbian and bisexual kids are being punished by police, courts and by school officials, and it’s not because they’re misbehaving more,’’ said Kathyrn Himmelstein, the study’s lead author.She noticed a disproportionate number of gay and lesbian teens in juvenile court, after working in a juvenile justice system. The study asked teens about nonviolent participation acts like alcohol use, lying to parents, shoplifting and vandalism, along with more serious crimes like using a weapon, burglary or selling drugs. Teens who identified themselves as lesbian or gay or who experienced feelings of same-sex attraction were less likely to engage in violence than their peers. However, they were far more likely to be expelled from school, stopped by police, arrested or convicted of a crime. Ms. Himmelstein said "instead of protecting gay teens from bullying and abuse by their peers, authority figures may actually be contributing to their victimization." Schools need to start looking more into situations instead of basing it off of a preference.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/06/gay-teens-face-harsher-punishments/?hp