Gay Teens: New Topic and Helpful Resources

'Coming Out' Isn't Easy.

A national study of homosexual teens done over Myspace and Facebook in 2009 by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network of some 7,261 self-reported homosexual students between the ages of 13 and 21 found that:

• 88.9% of students heard “gay” used in a negative way (e.g., “that’s so gay”) frequently or often at school, and 86.5% reported that they felt distressed to some degree by this.

• 72.4% heard other homophobic remarks (e.g., “dyke” or “faggot”) frequently or often at school. 62.6% heard negative remarks about gender expression (not acting “masculine enough” or “feminine enough”) frequently or often at school.

• 61.1% felt unsafe at school because of their sexual orientation and 39.9% because of how they expressed their gender.

• 84.6% were verbally harassed (e.g., called names or threatened) at school because of their sexual orientation and 63.7% because of their gender expression.

• 40.1% were physically harassed (e.g., pushed or shoved) at school in the past year because of their sexual orientation and 27.2% because of their gender expression.

• 18.8% were physically assaulted (e.g., punched, kicked, injured with a weapon) because of their sexual orientation and 12.5% because of their gender expression.

• 52.9% of LGBT students were harassed or threatened by their peers via electronic mediums (e.g., text messages, emails, instant messages or postings on Internet sites such as Facebook), often known as cyberbullying.  
  Read more in our new Gay Teens topic and overview page. 
  
  
  In addition, we've posted some helpful resources for both parents and teens here.
  
  
  
  

Anti-bullying Policy: A Hidden Agenda?

In a response to evidence that an increasing number of homosexual students have been victims of bullying, many school districts across the country are working to enhance current stringent anti-harassment rules with lessons in tolerance, teaching students early on that having “two moms” is acceptable and that some children will grow up to love members of the same gender. 

Yet there is ongoing debate as to whether or not these efforts to promote tolerance merely promote and endorse the lifestyle. A Montana pastor, for example, stated during a sermon that “we do not want the minds of our children to be polluted with the things of a carnal-minded society.” Still other parents argue that children at a very young age are not ready to hear explicit language regarding sexual activities and thus it should be left out of any discussion of tolerance in the classroom. 

Our Overview of the Recent New York Times Article on this can be found here. 

Also, what can popular musicians do to impact tolerance in public schools?

Is life getting better for gay teens? The answer, it seems, is yes and no. According to Joseph Kahn of the Boston Globe: “While physical assaults on gay teens may be declining overall — thanks to many factors, including tougher antibullying laws and more support systems for high schoolers who choose to “come out’’ — there’s ample evidence, too, that bullying and intolerance remain part of their daily lives.”

One of the many efforts to reach out to at-risk gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (known as GLBT) youth is a project known as the It Gets Better Initiative (found on the web at http://www.itgetsbetter.org/) in which concerned adults, including President Obama, have been posting messages telling GLBT youth that they are not alone in their struggles. 

Schools and Anti-Gay Bullying: The Ongoing Debate

The recent surge in teen suicides linked to anti-gay harassment, including that of an 18-year-old student from Rutgers University, is prompting much discussion, particularly around the issue of preventing bullying before it starts. The major and perhaps most public conflict among those in the debate is an ideological one: while Gay-rights supporters “insist that any effective anti-bullying program must include specific components addressing harassment of gay youth,” religious conservatives see this approach as a tactic used to sway teen’s views of homosexuality.

While some believe that bullying policy “should put emphasis on the wrong actions of the bullies and not on the characteristics of the victims” others see this approach as being dangerous. The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, for example, holds strongly to the belief that policies “have to name the problem in order to have an impact.”

Yet while the debate rolls on regarding what effective anti-bullying programs look like, what is absolutely clear is that something needs to be done. In 2009 a survey conducted by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) found that only 18 percent of the 7,261 students surveyed attended schools which had a comprehensive anti-gay-bullying program. 

Read more on this issue here. 

What do Americans Know About Religion?

According to a recent survey released by The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, the answer to this question is quite surprising. It found that "atheists, agnostics, Jews and Mormons outperformed Protestants and Roman Catholics in answering questions about major religions, while many respondents could not correctly give the most basic tents of their own faiths." For example:

• 45% of Roman Catholics didn't know the church teaching that the bread and wine used in Communion were not just a symbol but actually become the body and blood of Christ.
• More than half of Protestants who took the survey did not recognize Martin Luther as the person who inspired the Protestant Reformation.
• 43%, or around four out of every 10 Jews did not recognize that Malmonides, one of the most venerated rabbis in history, was Jewish.
• Only 45% of Americans who responded to the survey knew that the Dailai Lama is Buddhist
• 27% of Americans responded correctly when asked if the major religion of Indonesia (which has the world's largest Muslim population) was Muslim.

Read more on this here

Fatherlessness

The effects of fatherlessness have been documented from birth through childhood to adulthood. From lower birth weights to higher drop out rates to increased likelihood for incarceration, studies have repeatedly shown the negative effects of contemporary father absence. This is the issue that President Bill Clinton (in 1995) identified as “the single biggest social problem … because it contributes to so many other social problems.” Since then much has been done to understand the consequences of father absence, and the results are controversial but convincing. Fathers are important, if not necessary, for the good of children and the good of society.

Read our overview of this topic here, as well as compelling research and good resources on fatherhood and fatherlessness. 

The One Hundred Billion Dollar Man

In 1960 only 8% of children lived without his/her father. In 2006 34% of children lived without his/her biological father, and 23.3% lived with only his/her mother. 

Behind these statistics there is a cost. Read our recent research review on the financial cost of fatherlessness in America here. 

What is Creativity?

What is creative thinking? What is the difference between creative thinking and critical thinking? And more importantly, how is the decline of creative thinking abilities in America affecting our children? 

Without the ability to think creatively, new ideas and new ways of thinking will become things of the past. For those who believe in God, one of His stated attributes is creativity, and as beings created in His image we are obliged to cultivate creativity everywhere. Even if you do not believe in God, one can easily see how a world without constant and consistent innovation is one doomed to fail. Thus it is set to us as those who are called to work with youth in any capacity to cultivate creativity here and now. This is not an easy task in light of what was stated previously. Here are a few practical suggestions: 

1. Encourage the asking of questions. Live by the motto that "there's no such thing as a dumb question." Questioning the world around us has been a catalyst for innovation since the beginning of time. 

2. At every possible opportunity, give children and youth opportunities to problem solve on their own, unhindered and unaided by adults.  

Read more on this topic here, including results from recent studies on the American "Creativity Quotient" as posted by Newsweek. 

In addition, we have a new resources page on this topic with a few resources on creativity, it's development in children and ways to enhance your own creative thinking abilities. 

 

Refugees

According to the UNHCR 43.3 million persons were forcibly displaced in 2009, the highest number since the mid-1990s. Behind these cold statistics lie untold stories of beatings, mutilations, rape, and killings on land and sea. When one human being suffers, all, in some way or another, suffer—and should somehow become aware of it.

Check out our new Refugee Topic, which includes overviews of books such as:
- The Cross of Bethlehem: The intriguing, suspenseful and polemic memoir of a Christian Israeli military officer, currently a fugitive on the run from the Israeli national intelligence agency, or Mossad.
- The Other Side of the Sky: A Memoir: The memoir of a girl torn by war from her home in Africa and relocated to America. 


In addition, we look at several movies which relate directly to the topic.