Gender Based Bullying

1. Gender Based Bullying

2. Bullying An act of intentionally inflicting injury or discomfort upon another person (through physical contact, through words or in other ways) repeatedly and over time for the purpose of intimidation and/or control.

3. Gender Based Bullying • Homophobic teasing • Using gendered language to call someone weak or scared

4. Homophobic Teasing: • Negative attitudes and behaviors directed toward individuals who identify as or are perceived to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.

5. Examples • “That’s so gay” • Gay in this case is used to mean stupid/bad. • How is that a harmful analogy to make? What ways can you set a different example ? • “No homo” • This is a common phrase used by young people to separate themselves from anything that could be associated with having any sexual orientation other than straight.

6. How does bullying based on gender and sexual orientation stereotypes affect young people? • It limits people’s ability to be themselves • When this language goes unchecked by adults, the message for young people is that there is no one that will support them in being themselves. This can cause young people to shut down, stay in the closet, bully other young people, and generally feel isolated and depressed. • This can cause internalized sexism or homophobia. Young people may start to believe that they deserve to be treated badly or like less than their friends or partners.

7. How does gender based bullying affect the bully? • Lack of empathy • Othering people makes us less likely to see them as fully human or deserving of rights. • Power and control • This can lead a bully to want to further assert their power and control later in life, potentially leading to sexual harassment.

8. Gender based bullying leads to Sexual Harassment • The Bully-Sexual Violence Pathway is an emerging theory in which bullying perpetration and homophobic teasing are thought to be predictive of sexual violence perpetration over time. • Sexual Harassment: Includes comments, sexual rumor spreading, or groping.

9. ASAP Study • This research is focused on one kind of sexual violence, sexual harassment, that does not include forcible acts like rape. • The findings of this study do not imply that bullying leads to rape. It suggests that bullying and homophobic teasing are associated with later sexual harassment.

10. “You… Like a Girl”Gender Box Activity – Optional Men and Boys Women and Girls Can have babies Can wear skirts and dresses without being teased Can wear makeup without being teased Can paint the bedroom pink without being teased • Can box, wrestle without being teased • Can grow beards, mustaches • Can play pro hockey

11. Video Clip – Break the Box https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2GIu5ZpnTM How are these stereotypes harmful to young people?

12. Washington’s Anti-Bullying Policy • Washington State has an anti-bullying task force that has created guidelines that school districts can follow in order to make their schools safer. • What terms are used in the Washington anti-bullying laws? • Harassment, intimidation, or bullying

13. What groups are listed under Washington state law? • Race • Color • Religion • Ancestry • National origin • Gender • Sexual orientation • Mental, physical, or sensory handicap

14. Schools that receive federal funding are required by federal law to address discrimination on a number of different personal characteristics

15. Assessment Tools • There are assessment tools that you can use at schools that help assess how bullying is affecting your school • If you are a parent that is noticing bullying in your child’s school, this is a tool that you can bring to your school’s leaders. • As a parent, you can also use some of the assessment tools to do an informal assessment with you children.

16. What an Assessment Can Do • Help you know what’s going on. Adults underestimate the rates of bullying because kids rarely report it and it often happens when adults aren’t around. Assessing bullying through anonymous surveys can provide a clear picture of what is going on. • Target efforts. Understanding trends and types of bullying in your school can help you plan bullying prevention and intervention efforts.

17. What you can do as parents • Talk to the other parents about expectations • Perhaps make group norms with other parents that your children interact with • Be careful not to shut down the language young people use without unpacking the meaning and why it can be harmful • Start conversations with your children and their friends • Why do you use those words? • What does “that’s so gay” mean to you? • Unpack the language being used • Have group ground rules at your house about what words are acceptable and expectations