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BJSW Advance Access published online on January 5, 2008
British Journal of Social Work, doi:10.1093/bjsw/bcm148
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© The Author 2007. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The British Association of Social Workers. All rights reserved

Bullying of Lesbian and Gay Youth: A Qualitative Investigation

Faye Mishna, Peter A. Newman, Andrea Daley and Steven Solomon

Correspondence to Faye Mishna, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Director of Research, Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, 246 Bloor Street, West Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A1, Canada. Email: f.mishna{at}utoronto.ca


  Abstract

The preponderance of bullying research does not address sexual orientation as a possible factor. The purpose of this study was to explore the perspectives of service providers and youth advocates working with lesbian and gay communities in order to increase understanding of bullying of lesbian and gay youth. In depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine key informants from various education and social service settings. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Inductive data analysis was conducted using a constant comparative method. Six major categories emerged: prevalence, sites and perpetrators, institutional and community factors, effects of bullying, and barriers as well as strategies to address bullying. Several dimensions of bullying that may be specific to lesbian and gay youth (e.g. pervasiveness across their social ecology and risks to coming-out; sexual prejudice in the media; and ‘conversion bullying’) suggest the importance of investigations to support development of targeted, multi-sectoral interventions.

Keywords: Youth, bias-based bullying, qualitative research, lesbian and gay bullying, peer victimization

Faye Mishna, Ph.D., is Associate Professor and Associate Dean of Research at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, and the Margaret and Wallace McCain Family Chair in Child and Family. Peter A. Newman, Ph.D., is Associate Professor at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto and RBC Chair in Applied Social Work Research. Andrea Daley is a PhD Candidate at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto. Steven Solomon is a School Social Worker and a PhD Student in the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto.


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