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Homophobic Bullying Rampant in Irish Schools
Seventy percent of Irish parents have said their children were under pressure not to be gay, according to a recent study.
The terms “Gay” and “lesbian” are used as taunts for children as young as 10 years old in Irish schools, according to a Gender and Education report caried out recently. As reported to to the Irish Independent, the worst taunts are for a boy to be called a “girl” or “woman” or “gay”.
Researchers from the University of Limerick visited 120 Irish schools surveying 1,915 parents and conducting follow-up calls to 24 randomly selected families. They found that homosexuality was a major issue, with many parents and teens struggling to cope with the pressures surrounding it.
One parent said; “The fear of being homosexual is a serious worry, both for themselves and how they are perceived by their parents".
One parent put some of this fear down to the media saying; "heroes on television and video games are always strong and heterosexual."
Fear of bullying and name-calling forces boys to keep their thoughts to themselves, which causes many parents to worry it will effect their ability to communicate.
