Gay and lesbian teens in the United States are about 40% more likely than their straight peers to be punished by schools, police and the courts, according to a study published in Pediatrics journal online (DOI: 10.1542/peds.2009-2306), which finds that girls are especially at risk for unequal treatment. The research, described as the first national look at sexual orientation and teen punishment, comes as a spate of high-profile bullying and suicide cases across the country have focused attention on the sometimes hidden cruelties of teen life. The study, from Yale University, adds another layer, finding substantial disparities between gay and straight teens in school expulsions, arrests, convictions and police stops. Dr Kathryn says that the most striking difference was for lesbian and bisexual girls, and they were two to three times as likely as girls with similar behavior to be punished. Why the punishment gap exists is less clear. But exist and is very strong. The study does not clarify why that lesbian, gay and bisexual teens who got in trouble didn't get the same breaks as other teens. Or it could be that girls in particular were punished more often because of discomfort with or bias toward some who don't fit stereotypes of femininity. The study brings punishment differences for gay teens into focus at a time when public concern about torment and bullying is heightened. An example, in September, an 18-year-old Rutgers University student jumped off a bridge to his death after his gay sexual encounter was allegedly filmed by a roommate on a webcam and announced on Twitter.
In a country where he dies for freedom of expression, it also pushes people to the abyss without reason.
