Bullying for homophobia: its harmful effects on society

Peer relationships, which at first is (according to adolescents) one of the most rewarding aspects of the context school and one of the main sources of emotional and social support, it can end up being a very damaging and painful element for children. youths.

In the scientific literature led by Olweus it is appreciated that victims of bullying often have a number of individual risk factors that differentiate them from the aggressors (p. (eg, gender, school year, ethnicity, religious preferences, socioeconomic status, poor social skills, “superior” social skills, low academic achievement, etc.).

Unfortunately, one of the elements that triggers the attention of the aggressors is usually sexual orientation (or the doubts about it) of the victimized adolescents, which we will call “bullying due to homophobia”.

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What is homophobic bullying?

We will define bullying for homophobia as any type of Voluntary and directed physical, social, or verbal abuse with the intention of generating discomfort in the victim due to their sexual orientation

. There is an imbalance of power between the aggressor and the victim, and the abuse tends to be prolonged in time.

It is considered that the responsibility for this phenomenon falls not only on the aggressor, but on the institutions educational institutions and in society as a whole, due to the dominant social values ​​in relation to sexuality in general. In other words, even today, our society interprets heterosexuality in terms of "normality", while homosexuality (and bisexuality) is interpreted as the “abnormal, weird, strange, eccentric”. In this way, all those manifestations other than heterosexual are labeled deviant and abnormal.

We would be naive if we believed that this prevailing thought in society is not absorbed by children and adolescents, who reproduce these social standards in their particular environment: schools and institutes. Everything that is considered as “out of the ordinary or ordinary” within the school context is usually the object of ridicule or mockery, and as we have explained previously, sexual orientation is one of the reasons that "triggers" attacks on women. victims.

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Consequences of this type of aggression

LGBT people and / or those who doubt about their affective-sexual orientation make up a population susceptible to suffering more mental health problems than the rest. Why? Very simple: this population you tend to experience a higher level of stress throughout most of your life.

Let's think about the things they have to face: integrate and accept their affective-sexual orientation, talk with their family and friends, fear of rejection and non-acceptance, handle homophobic situations, put up with the associated social stigma... Let's say that it is a particular stress that straight people don't necessarily have to suffer.

As we all know, childhood and adolescence are the times in which our personality is shaped and in which we usually feel most vulnerable, and it is a really difficult stage to go through.

Now let's imagine what a homosexual or bisexual youth must face, moreover. In case hormonal changes were not enough / discovering your identity / trying to fit in with the peer group / performing in high school / dealing with physical changes, and so on, now imagine the stress you must feel when thinking about the possible rejection or non-acceptance on the part of the people you love the most: your family and your friends.

And if a situation of bullying due to homophobia also occurs (with the consequent loss of social support among their peers), they are being introduced the “perfect” ingredients to generate a breeding ground that will cause psychological problems that will last over time, such as the construction of a low self-esteem, feelings of self-shame, depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, isolation, self-harm, etc. In one study (Rivers, 2004) it was stated that victims of homophobic bullying were more likely to suffer from depression compared to heterosexual bullying victims.

In several studies it has been seen that (p. eg, Bontempo and D'Augelli, 2002) victimization levels were higher in LGTB students or those who had doubts about their affective-sexual orientation. Within the type of victimization, in general they tend to be more victimized on a verbal level (insults, nicknames, derogatory comments ...).

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Intervention in this problem

Although it is surely a long process that requires the passage of several generations, it is necessary to educate society to eliminate the dichotomy of "normal = heterosexual", "abnormal = gay, lesbian, bisexual, transsexual or transgender".

More specifically, schools must provide quality and inclusive sexual education that addresses issues such as homosexuality and transsexuality (and that not only address sexually transmitted diseases or pregnancy), empathy exercises towards victims, social skills to be able to stop the bullying…

The main objective is modify negative attitudes towards minority groups such as LGTB, and adopt a more inclusive vision with values ​​such as acceptance, egalitarianism, freedom and empathy towards equals. If in schools / institutes this issue is not addressed in a natural way, leaving aside the "taboo" issues, it is contributing to the LGTB population continue to be seen as something strange, and to continue to perpetuate the discrimination.

After all, school is a very powerful educational element in society, and it is considered one of the main agents of socialization together with the family, therefore This should promote tolerant thinking in our young people, promoting the birth of positive values ​​towards the different forms of sexual expression and gender diversity.