Is homophobia and transphobia a widespread problem in schools?
Harassment and bullying based on actual or perceived sexual orientation are pervasive, according to the California Healthy Kids Survey. 7.5 percent of California students reported being harassed on the basis of actual or perceived sexual orientation: that translates to over 200,000 middle school and high school students harassed every year. Harassment based on actual or perceived sexual orientation has dangerous consequences for students, according to data from the California Healthy Kids Survey. Compared to students who were not harassed: • Students harassed based on actual or perceived sexual orientation are more than three times as likely to carry a weapon to school, to seriously consider suicide, to make a plan for attempting suicide or to miss at least one day of school in the last 30 days because they felt unsafe. • Students harassed based on actual or perceived sexual orientation are more than twice as likely to report depression (feeling so sad and hopeless they stopped normal
