Why do youth feel scared for their
safety?
Youth feel scared for their safety, sometimes for good reasons. The 2003 Boulder County Youth
Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) asked students about their sexual orientation.
(It didn't ask if a student was transgender, but trans youth
may be at even greater risk.)
It found that Boulder County lesbian, gay, bisexual, and
questioning (LGBQ) high school students were at greater risk
than their heterosexual counterparts.
- 10.1% of LGBQ youth said they felt unsafe or afraid at
school most or all of the time. Only 1.3% of heterosexual
youth said that was true for them.
- 22.9% of LGBQ youth surveyed said they felt too unsafe
to go to school 1 or more days in the last month. Only 3%
of heterosexual youth responded the same way.
- 47% of LGBQ youth said they'd property stolen or
damaged at school, compared to 28.8% of heterosexual
students.
The problem is not only at school:
- 35.1% of local LGBQ teens said they'd been forced to
have sexual intercourse, compared to 4.2% of heterosexual
youth saying that was true for them. (Some students who said
they had been forced may have been sexually abused, some may
have experienced date rape, and a few may have been raped by
a stranger. LGBQ youth may find themselves in riskier
situations due to homelessness and fewer safe places to
socialize.)
- Other studies have found that sexual minority teens are
more likely to be physically assaulted at home than
heterosexual teens. Family violence sometimes follows a
young person's "coming out."
- 20.5% of LGBQ youth were hit, slapped, or were intentionally,
physically hurt by their girlfriends/boyfriends during the
past year, compared to 6.4% of heterosexual youth. Dating
violence happens among same-sex couples just as it happens
in heterosexual relationships.
- Hate crimes committed against gays, lesbians, and
bisexuals make up the third highest category of hate crimes
reported to the FBI.
For more information:
Top of Page
We'd like to thank Advocates for Youth for allowing us to
use portions of this Q and A text, which were taken from an article written by Advocates for Youth in the
summer of 2004. |
|
