The LGBT Campus Center is launching Stop the Silence: LGBTQ Anti-Bullying Campaign to address ongoing incidents in both UW-Madison and broader communities. Bullying toward students identified as LGBT, or those perceived to be, is a long standing issue for students. While a number of LGBT students have committed suicide in the last few weeks, this is by no means a recent phenomenon, nor does it truly reflect the pervasiveness of bullying that students face on a regular basis.
The LGBT Campus Center regularly hears of bullying and harassment happening both on our campus and in our communities. These incidents, while commonly addressed as isolated events and often down played, are part of a larger pattern happening nationwide. For many college students who are LGBTQ identified bullying is an every day reality. While an incident of a student being called names or being spat on, in isolation, may not seem significant; when placed in a history of bullying these occurrences are not inconsequential.
Campus Pride's 2010 State of Higher Education for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People reports the following statistics:
-One-third of LGBQ (33 percent) and transgender (38 percent) students, faculty, and staff have seriously considered leaving their institution due to the challenging climate.
-More than half of all faculty, students and staff hide their sexual identity (43 percent) or gender identity (63 percent) to avoid intimidation.
-More than a third of all transgender students, faculty and staff (43 percent) and 13 percent of LGBQ respondents feared for their physical safety.
In response to these events and statistics and the ongoing needs of students on our campus and nationwide, the LGBT Campus Center has started an LGBTQ anti-bullying campaign called Stop the Silence. We started a Facebook group Wednesday afternoon which has received widespread support.
Please visit our group's website by searching, ""Stop the Silence,"" on Facebook.
-Robin Matthies and Aiden Caes
LGBT Campus Center
