Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students in middle school experience frequent verbal harassment and sometimes physical assault from their classmates, says a new research brief from an advocacy group for such students.
The report from the New York City-based Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, or GLSEN, draws on a survey of 6,209 students, 629 of whom were identified as middle school students.
The survey found that 91 percent of middle school respondents said they had experienced verbal harassment at school in the past year because of their sexual orientation, and that 39 percent said they had been physically assaulted. The brief calls for schools to implement anti-bullying policies that specifically address bullying based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
