Under 50% of gay and lesbian students in Pennsylvania that experience harassment report it

A report released by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) finds that gay and lesbian students in Pennsylvania are often bullied and harassed by classmates in school, but less than 50% report the incidents to school officials. The Pennsylvania statistics are part of a national survey of secondary school students and teachers conducted by GLSEN. "The main impact of bullying and harassment is that more students do less well at school," says Eliza Byard, GLSEN’s deputy director. "It means students aren't free to learn." The Pennsylvania study found that 80% of the student participants reported that they had heard various homophobic remarks. In addition, 93% said they had heard the expressions "that's so gay" or "you're so gay" from other students at school. The students also reported that many teachers and other school staffers rarely or never intervened when homophobic, racist, or sexist remarks were made in their presence. GLSEN’s national survey noted that far fewer schools in Pennsylvania have student clubs to address gay and straight issues than in other parts of the country. "We think this is notable because gay-straight alliances and other such student clubs have a demonstrable impact on student safety and sense of belonging at school," says Ms. Byard. Of the under-reporting, she says, "This underscores how important it is that teachers and other staff make it clear to students that they are there to help." According to the study, the top three reasons students were bullied or harassed at school was: (1) their physical appearance; (2) they were perceived to be gay or lesbian, or (3) they were not masculine or feminine enough.