LGBT-inclusive anti-bullying guide finally makes it to schools

After being caught in political limbo for about five years a Department of Public Health (DPH) anti-bullying guide will finally see the light of day on April 30.

The guide, which will be distributed to public schools across the state, contains an in-depth section on bullying directed at LGBT students and on the impact of homophobic language. DPH Commissioner John Auerbach, who is gay, said that in the wake of the shooting of gay California middle-schooler Lawrence King last February it is particularly important to make school officials aware of the impact of anti-gay bullying. According to press reports King's shooting by a fellow student was preceded by frequent bullying, and he was allegedly targeted because he was openly gay and wore gender non-conforming clothing.

"We're very mindful of the particular case in the news and on people's minds of the young student in California who was murdered in school, and that is a reminder that this has the potential to be life-threatening if it isn't handled well by the school system and the larger community," said Auerbach.

Back in 2002 the Governor's Task Force on Hate Crimes began drafting the guide, but the project faltered after former Gov. Mitt Romney cut the task force's funding. Former task force member Don Gorton, who chairs the Massachusetts Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project, picked up the project in 2005, and he worked with the now-defunct Governor's Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth to expand the section on LGBT bullying. Once the guide was finished it was sent for approval to several state offices, including Romney's office, DPH, and the Executive Office of Public Safety, but none of those agencies granted approval.

Auerbach said after he was appointed to head DPH last year by Gov. Deval Patrick, Gorton contacted him and asked him to revive the guide. Stewart Landers, senior program director at DPH, made some edits and added some updated information, including an expanded section on Internet bullying. He said the LGBT section focuses both on LGBT bullying and on the use of anti-gay slurs.

"The guide really explores how there are two aspects to LGBT bullying. There's bullying of people who are actually identifying as LGB or T or are perceived as identifying as LGB or T. ... But there's also bullying and name-calling and use of the terms 'faggot' and 'gay' that has nothing to do with someone's sexual orientation or gender identity but is detrimental and creates a negative association between the concept of sexual minority status and being lesser or negative," said Landers. "And it's important to address both of those, and we need to think about them somewhat differently."

DPH will distribute multiple copies of the guide to schools across the state free of charge. Auerbach said DPH would unveil the guide at a round table discussion on bullying April 30 at the offices of JRI Health.