Bullied

Bullied is a documentary film that chronicles one student's ordeal at the hands of anti-gay bullies and offers an inspiring message of hope to those fighting harassment today.

BULLIED: A STUDENT, A SCHOOL AND A CASE THAT MADE HISTORY

What is Bullying?

Bullying happens when someone is subjected to negative actions from one or more people and has a hard time defending himself or herself. Bullying takes various forms, including:

• Teasing, taunting or verbal abuse

• Punching, shoving and physical acts

• Spreading rumors

• Excluding someone from a group

• Ganging up on others

Cyberbullying is when bullies use the Internet, mobile phones or other electronic devices. It can include:

• Sending mean text, e-mail or instant messages

• Posting damaging pictures or hurtful messages in blogs or on Web sites

• Spreading rumors or lies about someone, sometimes using a fake identity

National Data On Bullying by the Numbers

160,000—Estimated number of U.S. students who skip school daily to avoid being bullied

32%—Students who report being bullied at school during the school year

86%—Gay or lesbian students who report being bullied

70%—Teachers surveyed who say that educators “almost always” intervene when bullying occurs

35%—9th graders who believe their teachers are interested in trying to stop bullying

66%—Bullying victims who believe school professionals responded poorly to the bullying they observed

10–20%—Bystanders who provide any real help

Compared to their Peers, LGBTQ youth are:

· two to three times more likely to be bullied

· up to four times more likely to attempt suicide

· seven times more likely to miss a day of school because they feel unsafe

· more likely to experience physical bullying

Action steps for educators to take to stop bullying: (source:www.Tolerance.org/bullied)

To stop bullying before it starts, we can:

Adopt and publicize an anti-bullying policy that includes clear procedures and consequences

Provide school-wide training

If we see or learn of a pattern of bullying, we can:

Bring staff together to discuss the behavior and agree on a unified course of action

Let an administrator know right away

If we hear or see evidence of bullying, we can:

Stop the bullying immediately

Offer guidance to bystanders on how to intervene appropriately

We should ask questions when we see:

Ripped or damaged clothing

Students who isolate themselves from others

“It would serve us all to remember that the core mission of public schools is to prepare young people for citizenship in a democratic society. This means, first and foremost, maintaining a school environment that respects the rights of students to free speech and free exercise of religion while simultaneously ensuring that student speech does not degenerate into name-calling, bullying or attempts to silence other views. Under the First Amendment, a school is both safe and free when students, parents, educators and all members of the school community commit to addressing their political and religious differences with civility and respect. A safe school is free of bullying and harassment. And a free school is safe for student speech even about issues that divide us.”—Public Schools and Sexual Orientation: A First Amendment Guide For Finding Common Ground

Additional Resources:

http://www.adl.org/

http://www.ourfamily.org

http://www.genderspectrum.org

www.ing.org

COMMUNITY CONVERSATION AFTER VIEWING THE FILM

What allows and/or encourages lack of empathy?
Are we responsible for the hate displayed by those are homophobic? How so?
What does it take to create a community where those who are Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender feel safe and valued?

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