Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Youths Punished More Severely For Same Offense
Editor's ChoiceMain Category: Pediatrics / Children's Health
Also Included In: Psychology / Psychiatry; Mental Health; Public Health
Article Date: 06 Dec 2010 - 9:00 PDT
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3.71 (7 votes) |
| Article Opinions: | 26 posts |
A gay, lesbian or bisexual adolescent is punished more severely at school and by the criminal-justice system compared to heterosexual people of the same age for the same offenses, researchers from Yale University report in the medical journal Pediatrics. The authors say the disproportionate punishments cannot be explained by worse illegal activities or behaviors. They add that in order to achieve equality among heterosexual and non-heterosexual youth, it is important first to understand what causes these disparities in school expulsions, arrests, imprisonments, and then to address them.
Non-heterosexual young people are already at a higher risk of being bullied, abused within their families and succumbing to addiction, the researchers explain. Kathryn E. W. Himmelstein, BA, and Hannah Brückner, PhD set out to find out whether they were also victims of unfair criminal-justice and school sanctions.
They examined the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health which tracked a representative sample of young people in 1994-1995 from grades 7 to the end of 12. They also gathered information on a 2001-2002 follow-up.
Their definition of non-heterosexuality included people attracted to those of the same sex, same-sex romantic relationships, or LGB (lesbian, gay or bisexual) identification.
The investigators focused on six outcomes:
- Adult arrests
- Adult convictions
- Being stopped by the police
- Expulsion from school
- Juvenile arrests
- Juvenile convictions
Non-heterosexual teenagers have a 38% higher risk of being stopped by the police.
It was already widely known that children bully non-heterosexual children. This study reveals how adults treat non-heterosexual children.
The authors stress (again) that the higher risk of punishment is not reflected in a greater participation of illegal actions or behaviors by non-heterosexual teenagers.
The authors concluded:
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"Non-heterosexual youth suffer disproportionate educational and criminal-justice punishments that are not explained by greater engagement in illegal or transgressive behaviors. Understanding and addressing these disparities might reduce school expulsions, arrests, and incarceration and their dire social and health consequences."
Kathryn E. W. Himmelstein, BA, Hannah Brückner, PhD
PEDIATRICS (doi:10.1542/peds.2009-2306)
Written by Christian Nordqvist
Copyright: Medical News Today
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23 Feb. 2012. <http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/210398.php>
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http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/210398.php.
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Visitor Opinions In Chronological Order (26)
Why Black Kids Image
posted by Proj-Coord on 6 Dec 2010 at 10:11 amYour article has the picture of an Africa-American Kid juxtaposed. Is this a co-incidence or a subtle depiction?
Really?
posted by Joe on 6 Dec 2010 at 10:14 amPeople are surprised that police discriminate?! What do they think Blacks and Latinos have been experiencing for years?
Wow
posted by ann on 6 Dec 2010 at 10:15 amI like how this article is written like GLT are unable to make right choices because they have some kind of disadvantage. These people aren't sick nor do they have anything wrong with them. This article should have pointed out if any person regardless of sexual orientation, if x acts are committed that y will happen to you. Have self accountability! Don't blame the system for your inability to do good!
Are you implying "children" are heterosexual children?
posted by John Link on 6 Dec 2010 at 10:20 amYour statement "It was already widely known that children bully non-heterosexual children."
What do you mean?
1. ALL children bully ...?
2. Heterosexual children bully ...?
If you mean number 2, then you really should edit your article. Because you are implying that the term "children" implies "heterosexual children".
Totally bogus
posted by Neftali on 6 Dec 2010 at 10:29 amThis article is totally bogus, from the first paragraph to the last one it is only saying the same thing in different ways. I want to know how they came to this conclusion, what type of research they did, did they only interviewed people? or did they do a more objective investigation?
How do they know
posted by Mwet on 6 Dec 2010 at 10:49 amHow do these teachers - let alone judges! - know that these teenagers are gay or bisexual? (Some teachers for some students, I could see, but certainly, a majority of teachers are not going to know the sexual orientation of a majority of their students...) Maybe sexual preference correlates with some other, more apparent variable that hasn't been figured out...?
No Wonder
posted by Blake on 6 Dec 2010 at 10:51 amThese kids see what's going on around them. They know discrimination when they see it. They know they can't get married, can't serve (openly)in the military, are told some ridiculous story about it being imoral by someone lying by "quoting" God who said nothing about it and know they are going to be treated differently all their lives. Par for the course it seems.
What article did you read?
posted by Will on 6 Dec 2010 at 10:58 amI am not sure which article Ann read but the author and study referenced go to great lengths to point out that the focus is simply on harsher consequences for similarly bad behavior, not that GLT adolescents are "unable to make right choices because they have some kind of disadvantage." It seems your bias has over-shadowed your ability to clearly read the facts presented in the article.
That being said, I would be interested to know if/how those in charge of administering punishments were able (if they were able to at all) to distinguish someone as GLT and therefore discriminate against them. As far as I know, people are people. Do GLT adolescents where a badge or shirt that the GLT adults do not? This isn't the same thing as racial discrimination where most people of particular races have distinct visual differences. Once the authors of the study can pinpoint the point of differentiation for GLT adolescents, then I will start to pay attention.
Ann, read the headline
posted by Not Surprised on 6 Dec 2010 at 10:59 amIt says that -for the same offense- LGB youths receive harsher punishment. To use your example: it's not a matter of offense x receiving punishment y, it's that offense x receives punishment y for some people, and punishment z for other people.
Too Many Unknowns
posted by Pooua on 6 Dec 2010 at 11:10 amAlthough the article stresses that one possible cause for increased harshness is not responsible, it does not rule out other possible causes. Presented as it is, the story leads people to making conclusions that are not explicitly stated in the article. The article lends itself to the hasty conclusion that 'non-heterosexuals' in general are abused and should be given favored protection, while heterosexuals should be repressed.
Among the questions I might ask, how do these other agencies know the sexual orientation of these individuals? Not only what agencies know, but how did they come about knowing it? What events led up to the unfavorable outcomes described by the article? If 'non-heterosexuals' did not have an unusually-established record of bad behavior, what kind of record did they have and how are they being singled-out?
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