President Barack Obama signed legislation to repeal the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy. Members of the LGBT community can openly serve in the military, once the repeal is established. But will that end the issue of bullying? Do gays have a monopoly on the problem of bullying? Bullying is a huge concern for many parents and children -- regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race, creed, color, religion, economic or social level, body shape, dress style and just about any issue -- can unfortunately earn children bullying in school.
In recent years stories have surfaced about children bullied for being gay:
* In 2009, an 11-year-old Springfield boy, Jaheem Herrera, committed suicide when he was bullied and called "gay."
* Tyler Clementi, a Rutgers University student, committed suicide in September because classmates posted images and recordings of Clementi's homosexual encounters on Twitter.
* 14-year-old gay student Graeme Taylor defended Howell, Mich., teacher for speaking out against what the teacher called bullying of gay students. In his speech, Taylor spoke of wanting to commit suicide at age nine because of bullying for his homosexuality. Parents, like the one known by screen name "Cop's Wife," have written articles in defense of their gay children.
Parents need to be aware of bullying issues for their gay children. The "don't ask, don't tell" repeal was a piece of anti-bullying legislation whose time had come.
However, there's more to the bullying issue than just DADT and gay rights. Children are contemplating and committing suicide at an alarming rate and the cause is usually some kind of bullying. 13-year-old Megan Meier hanged herself after cyberbullying by a neighbor posing as a teen boy. 15-year-old Phoebe Prince committed suicide in the face of relentless bullying from classmates. N.Y. teen Alexis Pilkington is said to have taken her own life after cyberbullying.
In fact, cyberbullying, referring to online bullying on Facebook and other social sites is a new word, coined to reflect the trend. PBS created a special found here about cyberbullying, called "Growing Up Online." Here is a tribute to children lost to what is being called "bullycide" (suicide after bullying).
Children are bullied for being gay (or accused of being gay) wearing glasses, being poor, being from the "wrong side of the tracks," being born in another country, holding religious views, being atheist, wearing clothes that are not in style, wearing the wrong shoes.
I was bullied in school because I was fat; my husband was picked on because he was skinny. There is no winning with bullies. Bullies bully because they can; whether on the playground, being the school, in the home, at the bus stop, at church, on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube. Bullying of any child or adult for any reason is an intolerable act.
How can you as a parent prevent bullying? Listen to your children. Love them. Don't tell them to "ignore bullies." Respect them. Defend them. Help them. Be their advocate. Here is a link with resources on bullying.
Marilisa Kinney Sachteleben, a 10-year veteran homeschooler, has nearly three decades of experience as a special needs and general education teacher. She has created hundreds of themed units and lesson plans on everything from ancient Greece to biodiversity to personal finance to poetry. She holds a BS in psychology and a degree as Dr. Mom from the university of life. She writes about parenting for the Yahoo! Contributor Network.