Survey: Bullying of gays a big problem in SC
COLUMBIA (WACH) – Forty-eight percent of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students say they’ve been bullied because of their sexual orientation.
South Carolina Equality Director Christine Johnson says a 1,000 middle and high school students were polled.
“In South Carolina kids are being bullied because people think or suspect they are gay,” she says. “We know those kids have higher rates of depression and unfortunately they are more likely to commit suicide.”
Johnson says she’s working with lawmakers to strengthen the state’s anti-bullying law.
“The objective is not to punish kids after the fact, it’s to teach them tolerance, to teach them respect for other individuals before we get to that point.”
Johnson says she’s concerned about where the bullying may lead.
“It was very disconcerting to me because we did have so many teens committing suicide and if we’re not proactive about this we’re going to lose some of South Carolina’s kids.”
Should more steps be taken to prevent bullying? Leave a comment below to weigh in on the subject. Check back on your WACH Fox News to see if we share what you have to say.
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