Gay Kids Punished More Than Straight Kids

Photo by NHM

The issue of bullying may have just taken a new turn. The Pediatrics journal reported this week that young people who are gay or thought to be gay generally receive stiffer punishments compared to their heterosexual peers.

The data, which comes from two separate studies several years apart – the first from 1994-1995 and the second from 2001-2002 – of middle and high school students, revealed that “non-heterosexual youth suffer disproportionate educational and criminal-justice punishments that are not explained by greater engagement in illegal or transgressive behavior,” according to the journal.

The study also determined that LGBT youth are more vulnerable to health risks – including addiction and bullying – and familial abuse compared to heterosexual peers in the same age groups. Gays and lesbians are also more likely to encounter hostility at home, school and from the police.

“Non-heterosexual adolescents had greater odds of being stopped by the police,” the journal reports. “Similar trends were observed for school expulsion, juvenile arrest and conviction, and adult conviction. Non-heterosexual girls were at particularly high risk.”

The study tracked more than 15,000 young people in controlled environments based on race, gender, economic status and behavior, according to U.S. News and World Report.

For more information on issues related to LGBT youth, please visit the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.