SAFE: Dropout & Poor Performance

Making Schools Safe for Gay & Lesbian Youth

The Education Report of The Massachusetts Governor's
Commission on Gay & Lesbian Youth

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III. DROP-OUT AND POOR SCHOOL PERFORMANCE

"During junior high and in my freshman year of high school, I was very depressed. Feeling alone and isolated from the rest of the world, I managed to fail three of my five majors that year."---Matthew Flynn, 18, testifying at thePublic Hearings.
"I suggested (to my father) that maybe I was failing because I am uncomfortable in school and avoid it as much as possible."---James Cohen, 15, student at the Commonwealth School in the Back Bay, testifying at the Public Hearings.

For many gay and lesbian students, school is not a place of learning, but a place where they feel profoundly isolated, sometimes even suicidal; a place where they are abused and terrorized by violence for being different. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that gay and lesbian students often have their right to an education jeopardized because of the hostility of the school environment.

"The shame of ridicule and fear of attacks makes school a fearful place to go, resulting in frequent absences and sometimes academic failure."---Paul Gibson, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ("Report of the Secretary's Task Force on Youth Suicide,". 1989)
"My attendance at school has fallen steadily and school has become a place I no longer want to be, mostly, I feel, because of the lack of education and acceptance of diversity, but more so, the homophobia among faculty and students."---Adelaide Goetz, 16, junior at Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School, testifying at the Public Hearings.

ALIENATION FROM SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

In addition to experiencing academic difficulties, many gay and lesbian students report that hostility from their peers threatens their ability to participate in school activities such as athletics and social events.

Dorothy Remur testified of her gay son's difficulties in gym class.

"They (the school administration) told me that the gym class Douglas was attending consisted of a very tough group of boys, and they teased and tormented him terribly. The teacher couldn't control their behavior, so the only solution was to excuse Doug from the class. I requested that he be placed in another class. This never happened."---Dorothy Remur, parent, testifying at the Public Hearings.
"Things had escalated where during gym class people would shove food and gum and other objects inside my clothing during the gym class."---Steven Obuchowski, 18, testifying at the Public Hearings.
"Basketball has been the love of my life since I was a young child and I could never imagine not playing. But recently, the thoughts of not going out for the team have been very strong. I have spent the last two years ignoring homophobic comments during the season."---Adelaide Goetz, 16, testifying at the Public Hearings.

60% OF STUDENTS SURVEYED AT LINCOLN-SUDBURY REGIONAL HIGH SCHOOL WOULD BE AFRAID OR UPSET IF PEOPLE THOUGHT THEY WERE GAY, LESBIAN, OR BISEXUAL.

"Would you be upset or afraid if people thought you were gay, lesbian, or bisexual?". Sixty percent of the students said '"Yes", 22% didn't know how they would feel, and only 18% said "No".

Students were also asked the question, "How would your friends react to finding out someone they knew was gay, lesbian, or bisexual?". Thirty-four percent of the students thought their friends would be uncomfortable if they found out someone they knew was gay, lesbian' or bisexual; an additional 10% said they thought their friends would stop being friends with the person. Only 15% of the students said they thought their friends would be supportive of a gay or lesbian acquaintance, with 20% saying their friends would be indifferent and 21% being unsure of the reaction.

FEAR, REJECTION, AND THE HIGH DROP-OUT RATE OF GAY AND LESBIAN STUDENTS

In many cases, feelings of alienation in classes and in school activities combined with hostility from peers make gay and lesbian adolescents unable to complete their high school education. The 1989 "Report of the Secretary's Task Force on Youth Suicide" estimates that 28% of gay and lesbian youth drop out of school because of discomfort in the school environment.

Troix Bettencourt concealed his homosexuality from the other students at Lowell High School. He was popular, and engaged in many school activities. Yet the internal strain led to an inability to continue in school.

"I couldn't handle being in high school living something that I wasn't, so I just dropped out and I just called it quits and I just couldn't handle it anymore. I thought about suicide and I thought about leaving home because I just couldn't handle it anymore."---Troix Bettencourt, 18, testifying at the Public Hearings.

Randy Driskell reports being driven out of high school because of constant verbal abuse and violence.

"I was spit on, pushed, and ridiculed. My school life was hell. I decided to leave school because I couldn't handle it"---Randy Driskell, 18, testifying at the Public Hearings.

Dropping out of school combines with other stresses in the lives of gay and lesbian adolescents. Many face real or imagined rejection from family, and a growing sense of having no place of belonging or acceptance. Though some gay and lesbian youth manage to return to school after finding a supportive adult many wind up on the streets, out of school and out of a home.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that at any given time, gay and lesbian adolescents comprise a substantial percentage of street youth.

"Gay male, lesbian, bisexual, and transsexual youth comprise as many as 25% of all youth living on the streets in this country. Here, they enter a further outcast status that presents serious dangers and even greater risk for suicide. Without an adequate education or vocational training, many are forced to become involved in prostitution in order to survive."---Paul Gibson, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ("Report of the Secretary's Task Force on Youth Suicide, 1989).

SUICIDE ATTEMPTS AND DISRUPTION OF HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATION

The frequency of suicide attempts by gay and lesbian youth is another factor which severely disrupts their education. The turmoil, hospitalization, and physical problems in the aftermath of suicide attempts can delay and often prevent successful completion of classwork and graduation from high school.

"I was placed in thirteen hospitals in two years. By what was supposed to be my junior year of high school, I had accumulated a resume consisting of five suicide attempts, two bottles of pills, four half-way houses, several high schools, and one family in shock. They (the doctors) told me I would never graduate high school."--- Stacey Harris, Curry College student, testifying at the Public Hearings.

Tragic patterns of unhappiness and alienation in school, of being prevented from attending classes or enjoying school activities, of being driven to drop out or to attempt suicide: these all occur during the critical period of adolescent learning and intellectual growth. For far too many of our gay and lesbian youth, the fundamental right to an education is being taken away.

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