Blog 4

1)Briefly describe Dan and Terri's story and their family.  

1.  Dan and Terri are a gay couple who have a son together named D.J. They were both bullied in high school for being gay.  But found that once they left high school things got much better. They are trying to send a message to youth in LGBTQ that it really does get easier after high school.

2) What is their relationship with their families of origin (parents and siblings).

2. Dan grew up in a Catholic family where no one was gay.  Dan’s parents weren’t thrilled when he came out but eventually accepted it and welcomed Terri into their family.  Terri’s family also tried to stop the bullying at his school but nothing was done. Now both families accept them and embrace them totally.

3) What family have they created?

3. Terri and Dan are married and they have adopted a son together named D.J.

Believe it or not only a few short decades ago there were no representative data on same-sex couples or gay teens. Now the U.S. Census counts same-sex cohabiting and married couples, 36 states allow gay marriage, and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has collected data on gay teens greater likelihood to experience violent acts against them as well as greater likelihood of committing suicide.

4) Describe a statistic regarding the likelihood of gay and transgender experiencing violent acts.

4. 14% to 31% of gay and lesbian students and 17% to 32% of bisexual students had been forced to have sexual intercourse at some point in their lives. This is a statistic of the likelihood of gay and transgender experiencing violence.

5) What is the likelihood that gay and transgender teens attempt suicide.

5. The likelihood that gay and transgender teens attempt suicide are twice as likely to attempt suicide compared to their heterosexual counterpart.  A study on 55 transgendered teens stated that 25% of them had thoughts to attempt suicide.

6) According to the website, what are two things a school can do to prevent violence and/or suicide against gay/transgender teens.

6. Schools can encourage respect for all students and prohibit bullying and harassment. Schools can also set up “safe spaces” which are places like counselors rooms or classrooms where students of LGBTQ can go to receive support from the school staff.

7) If you were a teacher of a school administrator or counselor, briefly describe a program or action(s) you might create to prevent violence against gay/transgender or straight teens. Perhaps consider how you might unite gay and straight teens to work toward positive change.

7. If I were a teacher I would take action to prevent violence against gay/transgender teens by making LBGTQ apart of the everyday school environment. I would have a club where the LGBTQ could go to seek additional support but I would try and also make the LGBTQ apart of everyone’s everyday life.  I think this would be important because it will start to be routinized in to the schedules of everyone in the school and it will make members of the LGBTQ less of an “outcast” because it will involve everyone in the school. A way I would implement the LGBTQ becoming apart of the daily life of the school would be to have everyone bring in a fact about bullying of an LGBTQ teen. I would make a board and the students could add a new fact every day. I would encourage all the students regardless of their sexual orientation to work together. I also hope that by time I am a teacher their will be no bullying of any one from the LGBTQ because it is finally starting to be so widely accepted.