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Journalism / Gay Youth Living In Fear (Analysis)
School is a place where children can feel safe; where they can be themselves no matter how different they may be, regardless of race, religion, or sexual orientation; or is it?
Over the years schools have faced many forms of discrimination; especially high schools. Teens get picked on because of the color of their skin, what they believe in, even what they don’t believe in. But in this day and age, teens are faced with another issue: sexual orientation. A recent study found that 31 percent of gay youth had been threatened or injured at school in 2004 alone. That may not seem like a lot, but the fact of the matter is it should not be happening at all.
Anti-gay bullying is a rising problem in high schools; however, studies show that the teasing begins much earlier in life. Children as young as 10 and 11 are being called gay because they wear the color purple or they like rainbows. And these bullies are the ones who later push the “feminine” boy down in the hall; or deface a girl’s locker because she is tougher than most and likes to play sports and dress like a “tomboy.”
In my personal opinion, most people just don’t care about this issue because it “doesn’t affect them.” But that couldn’t be further from the truth. Bigotry affects everyone. And those of us who do care share the same question: Why are people so homophobic?
Some male students that I spoke to regarding the topic of homophobia told me that they feel that homosexual males give heterosexual males a bad name. If someone feels this way, it is obvious to me that his issues are not with him homosexual classmates, but the issues are with himself. The students who feel this way have no self esteem, and are willing to allow others to influence their own opinions of themselves. Other students feel that it goes back to the bible. One student that I spoke to actually told me that “God hates gays and so should everyone else.” If these people had ever read the bible, which they supposedly base their, lives on, they would understand that that particular statement is ignorant and full of fear because the bible clearly states that hates no one, and that only he can judge. So why is it that people who live by the bible feel the need to do God’s work? It is not our place, as human beings, to say that someone is wrong because they are gay.
When students are teased, their first instinct is to go to a teacher for help. At Fallbrook High School in San Diego, a student was continuously picked on by a classmate for being gay. When the student finally got up enough courage to tell his teacher about the situation that he was currently in, he was instructed to sit back down. The student went back to his teacher for help six more times within a three month period and was ignored every time. He was harassed so much that he was forced to switch schools for his safety.
At Barry Goldwater High School, in Phoenix, Arizona, a student was quietly doing his work in class when a boy who was known for being a bit of a bully walked up to him and asked if he was gay. Not ashamed of who he was, he calmly answered, yes. The bully became irate and began yelling out words like queer and faggot; as did three of his friends. The teacher witnessed the entire thing and did absolutely nothing.
Homosexuals are living in fear. Not only do they have to face the challenges of being gay in the real world, but they are afraid to go to school as well. No one should have to live in fear…no matter how different they are.
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IndyWalsh reviewed Version 1 -
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oknapp reviewed Version 1 -
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wise2owls reviewed Version 1 -
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A very good article on the homophobia facing people going to school in America. What appalls me is the two instances brought up, the teachers did nothing. Aren`t they better educated than their students, aren`t they supposed to protect their pupils from harrassment no matter what form it takes? Excellent portrayal of teenagers who are gay and some of their harassers. Thank you for putting down what is happening in our schools.
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Perfectlyflawed reviewed Version 1 -
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I could not agree more. This is one of our growing issues today. Its not like the youth of today has enough stress on their hands, but to be judged so harshly on something that is naturally apart of them. It sickens me to know that the mean kids are not corrected at school, but what is worse is how their behaviors and opinions are most likly fed to them at home. Its a vicious cycle that needs to be stoped. Thank you for writing this I enjoyed reading it.
Howard_Bushart reviewed Version 1 -
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The piece is interesting. First, it seemed essay, then reporting, then essay again. As an opinion piece, is it strong and has the moral victory one might expect in an essay. As news, it doesn’t pack the same wallop as essay/editorial as it gives just brief snippets of actual events to support a global conclusion. There are some errors in the article the word “God” obviously omitted from the “God hates gays” treatment on the second page and the failure to captialize “Bible” which, I think, is still the convention in contemporary journalism. But, it is a high-school piece, and a lot gutsier than anything I ever saw in my high-school papers and that counts a lot.
brokenhand reviewed Version 1 -
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I think this was a good piece of journalistic writing. There are some typographical errors that I can’t see any more because I am on page 3 of 3, but there was a comma after “there, lives on,” which needs to be removed.
There was also an extra that, which might be acceptable, but you can re-word it to make it only one that.
As far as the subject matter goes, this is really good. I think that you were “dry” enough to maybe sway a person from a nasty point of view, which good journalism should do.
I agree with you, no one should live in fear.
martykate reviewed Version 1 -
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I am glad that you wrote this piece. You point out, correctly, that there is homophobia out there and that it is not going away, but sadly that few seem to care anything about it.
I did not attend any schools were there was outright anit-gay bullying, but I am sure that students who were gay kept the fact carefully hidden. I too have read of students reporting to teachers that they were being harassed and that nothing was done. You make this point well, and perhaps what you will say will ring a chord in some people of either, “yes, this is true”, or only strengthen their denial based on what they believe.
I am not a Christian, but I do not ever remember hearing in Sunday school that God hates gays. Perhaps that was because homosexuality was either still “illegal” or gays stayed carefully in the closet and were a subject to be ignored. I have heard what you said repeated, and it scares me that a religion that started out as a peaceful one has turned to one of hate.
The movie “Boys Don’t Cry” pointed out the cruelty of the treatment of transgender youth, and indirectly that of gay youth. The bullying, the cruelty, the murder, still goes on.
Thank you for writing this. The subject is sad and poignant, but if no one talks or writes about it, how will this ever change?
DCAllen reviewed Version 1 -
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The topic certainly interests me, and this kept me reading. A few more specific examples might have helped. Some statistics?
Your ending becomes a bit too general. All homosexuals are not living in fear, but I think there is a similar statement that would sound believable and compelling if phrased as a challenge to the reader: “Are you causing someone to live in fear?” or “Are you teaching your child to hate?”
Proofreading notes:
Your over/misuse of the semicolon distracts. I would change the punctuation in the first sentence to remove one of those semicolons.
; especially . . . (should be a comma or a dash. Use a semicolon only when what follows can be read as an independent clause. The only exception to this is in lists that contain smaller parenthetical elements set off by commas.)
sports and dress = dresses
self esteem = self-esteem (This statement could be backed up by a quote from a psychologist.)
their, lives (delete comma)
states that hates (God missing?)
to do God’s work (Could be stated more clearly. Doing God’s work can be understood as doing mission work, which I don’t think you mean.)
continuously picked on = continually ? Or do you mean in that one situation in the class? If so, it would be better to use “was being picked on”.
in_the_mindseye reviewed Version 1 -
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This is very good and you can expand upon this by turning it into an article on issues that homosexual teens have to face and including more aspects. There are many. Give more examples and cite statistics and always reference your sources. Choose a style manual. Journalism style manual or MLA. Avoid starting sentences with and. If you need any brainstorming ideas or any other suggestion don’t hesitate to ask…I used to teach.
dukelemoyne reviewed Version 1 -
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Your lead is good. It tantalizes before getting to it.
But your second paragraph avoids the issue by focusing on discrimination in general. Your 2nd paragraph should begin with “Anti-gay bullying is a rising problem in high schools”, the opening clause of the third paragraph. State your thesis about the gay bullying problem; nail the point home. Give the high school examples. Then add the supporting data.
Unless this is an editorial, your opinion does not belong.
A few grammar and spelling issues need to be addressed.
Good article for a high school paper. Thanks for the read.
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