Homophobic Bullying in South African Schools

Homophobic bullying in schools is a global phenomenon. However, on the African continent, the phenomenon is rife because homosexuality is regarded to be un-African and is often linked to Western culture and colonial influence. These misconceptions about homosexuality have resulted in a culture of homophobia being inculcated into major structures of the society including schools. In this regard, this chapter aims to explore and describe the problem of homophobic bullying in South African schools. Particular attention is paid to cases of school-based homophobic bullying as primary sources of data as well as secondary sources of data from extant literature, textbooks, and journals articles. The chapter employs the Epstein Theory of Overlapping Spheres of Influence to proffer practical solutions and recommendations to address the problem of homophobic bullying in South African schools. These are school-, family-, and community-based solutions and recommendations based on the principles of social justice, inclusion, diversity, and equality.

Entitlement’s Enablers: Peers and Popular Culture

Chapter 4 further explores the development of entitlement. This chapter is divided into two parts as it considers two areas of developmental influence: the peer group and mass media. The chapter begins with a look at the impact of social dominance goals (e.g., establishing power) of the peer group and the degree to which these goals affect peer interaction and disruptive classroom behavior. Homophobic bullying and gender policing are also addressed in this chapter. The price for entitlement is the all-out avoidance of femininity and all-in conformity to male norms. Boys and men may come to see conforming to rigid gender rules as a relatively small price to pay for privilege and entitlement. Sexualized violence is then considered through the lens of entitlement. In some male peer groups, the mistreatment of girls and women is not condemned, but rather it actually helps men gain status within that group. Chapter 4 next considers the influence of media and popular culture on the valuing of dominant groups over subordinated groups. The different representations of gender, race, and sexuality in mass media facilitate entitlement in dominant groups. Finally, the impact of media is considered with a review of experimental and correlational research on how media messages affect viewers.

Proposition 8 and Homophobic Bullying in California

BACKGROUND Bias-based bullying is associated with negative outcomes for youth, but its contextual predictors are largely unknown. Voter referenda that target lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender groups may be 1 contextual factor contributing to homophobic bullying. METHODS Data come from 14 consecutive waves (2001–2014) of cross-sectional surveys of students participating in the California Healthy Kids Survey (N = 4 977 557). Student responses were aggregated to the school level (n = 5121). Using a quasi-experimental design, we compared rates of homophobic bullying before and after Proposition 8, a voter referendum that restricted marriage to heterosexuals in November 2008. RESULTS Interrupted time series analyses confirmed that the academic year 2008–2009, during which Proposition 8 was passed, served as a turning point in homophobic bullying. The rate of homophobic bullying increased (blinear = 1.15; P , .001) and accelerated (bquadratic = 0.08; P , .001) in the period before Proposition 8. After Proposition 8, homophobic bullying gradually decreased (blinear = 20.28; P , .05). Specificity analyses showed that these trends were not observed among students who reported that they were bullied because of their race and/or ethnicity, religion, or gender but not because of their sexual orientation. Furthermore, the presence of a protective factor specific to school contexts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth (gay-straight alliances) was associated with a smaller increase in homophobic bullying pre–Proposition 8. CONCLUSIONS This research provides some of the first empirical evidence that public campaigns that promote stigma may confer risk for bias-based bullying among youth.

Psychological Predictors of Homophobic Bullying Among Adolescents and Young Adults: The Role of Parental Psychological Control and Sensation Seeking

We aimed to investigate the relationship between homophobic bullying, parental psychological control and sensation seeking among adolescents and young adults and to examine the mediating role of sensation seeking. The participants included 394 adolescents and young adults aged 15 to 20 years attending the 3rd, 4th and 5th years of two public high schools in Italian cities. Participants completed the Homophobic Bullying Scale, the Dependency—oriented and Achievement—oriented Parental Psychological Control, and the Sensation—Seeking Scale. The results showed that parental psychological control predicted bullying toward gay and lesbian people. However, the two dimensions of sensation seeking (thrill and adventure seeking, and disinhibition) represented two mediators in the relationship between parental psychological control, both achievement and dependency—oriented, and homophobic bullying.