Bullying occurs in just about every school in the nation, but sometimes it can be targeted to certain teens. LGBTQ+ youth have been main victims of bullying in America, in fact, according to Stopbullying.gov, “More U.S. high school students who self-identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB) report having been bullied on school property (33%) and cyber-bullied (27.1%) in the past year, than their heterosexual peers (17.1% and 13.3%). The study also showed that more LGB students (10%) than heterosexual students (6.1%) reported not going to school because of safety concerns. “

     Teens that self identify as part of the community, are bullied more significantly, leaving it up to schools to make a safe environment for teens. Unfortunately students don’t feel safe in their own schools. The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and the University of Connecticut have conducted a nationwide survey where more than 1200 students, all in the LGBTQ+ community, across all 50 states participated. The survey concluded that only 26 percent of teens in the community feel safe in school, and only five percent say teachers and school staff are supportive.

     Krop’s GSA is helping bring awareness to LGBTQ+ bullying in the upcoming months. On May 3rd, Krop’s GSA is participating in a county wide event, Diversity Day.

     Every GSA in Miami- Dade county will be in attendance, they will have the opportunity to meet others from different GSA’s and will be able to meet with different organizations for LGBTQ+ youth, they will also listen to speakers. This year, we are expecting 10 member from our GSA to attend the event. The event is about giving a safe space to LGBTQ+ youth and informing them about the issues facing the community today.

     “It is important because it shows students that they aren’t alone.”  Delika Dutov, President of GSA said.

     GSA is also taking part in a nation wide movement called, Day of Silence. On April 12th students can participate in the Day of Silence to make a statement against bullying in the LGBTQ+ community.Students have a right to stay silent throughout the day, protesting the injustices that LGBTQ+  youth have faced for decades. This is a student led protest and about 10,000 students participate nationwide, and also in places like New Zealand, Singapore, and Russia.

     After participating in the day of silence, there is a breaking of the silence after school. Students come together,  talk about their experiences and listen to a guest speaker. This helps everyone in the school come together to share what it was like being silenced for a day, not merely as long as kids who have been silenced their whole lives.

     Bringing awareness to bullying in the LGBTQ+ youth community is essential in making students feel safe and comfortable at school.