Students who describe themselves as
lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered
are five times more likely to miss school
because of feeling unsafe. 28% are
forced to drop out. --National Gay and
Lesbian Task Force, "Anti-Gay/Lesbian
Victimization," New York, 1984.
The vast majority of victims of
anti-lesbian/gay violence - possibly more
than 80% - never report the incident,
often due to fear of being "outed." --New
York Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence
Project Annual Report, 1996.
85% of teachers oppose integrating
lesbian, gay and bisexual themes in their
curricula. --"Making Schools Safe for Gay
and Lesbian Youth: Report of the
Massachusetts Governor's Commission on
Gay and Lesbian Youth," 1993.
Due to sexual orientation discrimination,
lesbians earn up to 14% less than their
heterosexual female peers with similar
jobs, education, age and residence,
according to a study by the University of
Maryland. -Badgett, M.V. Lee, "The Wage
Effects of Sexual Orientation
Discrimination," Industrial and Labor
Relations Review, July 1995.
42% of homeless youth identify as
lesbian, gay or bisexual. --Orion Center,
Survey of Street Youth, 1986.
More than 84% of Americans oppose
employment discrimination on the basis of
sexual orientation. -Survey Conducted by
Newsweek, January 1997.
75% of people committing hate crimes
are under age 30 - one in three are under
18 - and some of the most pervasive
anti-gay violence occurs in schools.
Lesbian, gay and bisexual youth are at a
four times higher risk for suicide than
their straight peers.
A survey of 191 employers revealed that
18% would fire, 27% would refuse to hire
and 26% would refuse to promote a
person they perceived to be lesbian, gay
or bisexual. |
