Bullying and LGBT Youth Lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) youth and those perceived as LGBT are at an increased risk of being bullied. There are important and unique considerations for strategies to prevent and address bullying of LGBT youth. Creating a Safe Environment for LGBT Youth It is important to build a safe environment for all youth, whether they are straight or LGBT. Build strong connections and keep the lines of communication open. Federal Civil Rights Laws and Sexual Orientation Federal civil rights laws do not cover harassment based on sexual orientation. Many states protect against bullying because of sexual orientation in their state laws. Additional Resources
Body Image – Advertising and Magazines In addition to the content, images of women’s – and, increasingly, men’s – bodies in magazines also send messages. There has been a progression towards thinner and thinner models in ads and magazines: twenty years ago, the average model weighed 8 per cent less than the average woman – but today’s models weigh 23 per cent less. [3] Even these dangerously underweight models are often not seen as being thin enough by editors, who employ Photoshop and other image manipulation tools to create women who are literally “too thin to be true” – as well as to alter photos of celebrities so they meet this standard. Men in magazines are also frequently “photoshopped” to achieve the lean and muscular ideal. [4] Why is there such pressure to make models increasingly thinner, to the point of erasing whole body parts? In recent years there have been some efforts in the magazine industry to buck the trend. [1] Magazine Publishers of America, Market Profile: Teenagers!
Huff Post: Gay Marriage The Art of Transliness GATE - Global Action for Trans* Equality | working for trans* rights internationally Trans • What? Glossary of terms There is a wide variety of terms — often ambiguous, complex, and newly-coined ones — to describe trans experience and identities. Included among this list will be some fairly simple explanations; if a term is hotly debated, I will say so, and not bother to explain the details very clearly. I'm also taking the liberty of defining a few words that you're no doubt familiar with ("gender" and "sex" and so on, and other words like "pass" or "stealth"), as they may have connotations in the trans community that most people don't normally associate them with. Click one of the underlined letters below to take you to the beginning of that letter's particular section. An ally, in this context, refers to a cisgender (see below) person who fully supports the rights of trans people, treats their genders with respect, and actively helps work against transphobia. Androgyny is the quality exhibited by people who are difficult to identify as either clearly male or clearly female.
Allyship: first steps Allyship to trans people involves a number of different actions: some are necessary and relatively easy, while some require more commitment and activism. I will make several lists in order of priority. Some of these are behaviors that you must engage in to treat trans people respectfully; some are goals to aspire to, but they may take a while and require some more courage! Call people by their preferred name, pronouns, and label.