Most gay people, and many of today’s gay teens in high school, can describe similar tales. In most teenagers’ lives, they experience a wonderful four years of high school; but gay teenagers experience something much different. These students go through school trying to fit in and just be accepted by the society around them. In many cases, there is good that comes from being gay and being out (to state ones sexuality) in school, but the bad things will always overpower the good. A study done in 1995 by the US Department of Health and Human Services showed that gay and lesbian youths are 35% more likely to go through with suicide. Every year that rate gets higher and higher. Now is the time to look past indifference and see a person for who that person is... a human being.

In many high schools across the nation, there are at least a handful of kids in each high school that ar

Gay youths are more than “five times more likely to skip classes or school because they feel unsafe.” Marcus, Eric) So many students have skipped classes to stay away from other classmates that verbally harass them, sometimes repeatedly missing certain classes. In a national study, “28% of lesbian, gay, and bisexual high school students were seen to have dropped out of school because of harassment.” (Remafedi. G)

The lack of knowledge of gay and lesbian students is a major role that society holds on keeping them in the closet. “Some myths are: All gay people have HIV/AIDS, If you stand next to a gay person you will become gay, and Gay people are always trying to recruit other people.” (Katz, Jonathan)

Yet, with good consequences there are the bad ones as well. Many high school students walk the halls listening to verbal harassment: Hey you Fag! Look at the Dykes! Stupid queers! All gay people should be shot. Those were just a very short list of some verbal harassment. Verbal harassment is just as damaging as physical, sometimes more so. Teachers that hear the verbal harassment “fail to report about 97% of it.” (Hopkins, Gary) While in school about “69% of all GLBT (gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender) crimes” take place. (Byrd, Richard) 97% of all students in public high schools report regularly hearing homophobic remarks from their peers. (MSSGLY)

Some topics in this essay:
Katz Jonathan, Matthew Shepard, Byrd Richard, Cloud John, TSSA-VPW Furthermore, , US” TSSA-VPW, Human Services, Hopkins Gary, Lopes Paula, gay lesbian, gay teenagers, gay lesbian students, gay people, lesbian students, verbal harassment, cloud john, physical harassment, hopkins gary, lesbian gay, school students, gay lesbian youths, leave gay lesbian, lesbian students feel, teenagers fear coming,