{"id":44115,"date":"2016-08-23T20:28:59","date_gmt":"2016-08-23T18:28:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.arcigay.it\/?page_id=44115"},"modified":"2026-01-24T14:50:05","modified_gmt":"2026-01-24T13:50:05","slug":"scuola","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.arcigay.it\/en\/cosafacciamo\/scuola\/","title":{"rendered":"School"},"content":{"rendered":"

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School is one of the most demanding and challenging experiences of the transition to adulthood: it is the period in which each individual forges their own identity (personal, social, sexual, moral, political, etc.), responsibilities increase, new relationships are established between self, family, and peers, and multiple transformations, choices, and challenges typical of developmental age are faced. For the first time, we perceive ourselves as social actors, called upon to positively address the developmental challenges we learn through interaction with society. It is in this phase and in this context of life that homophobia and transphobia can have, and often do, a critical and devastating impact on the growth of LGBTI youth. Since its founding, Arcigay has devoted significant attention, both nationally and locally, to schools due to the fundamental role they play in the well-being of LGBTI people and in the country's overall civic growth.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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The risk of homophobia and transphobia at school<\/b><\/p>\n

In addition to being a fundamental learning environment, school is often, unfortunately, also a place where prejudice and consequent discrimination can easily take root against all those who do not conform to widely accepted social models and conform to stereotypes. Therefore, it is a place where LGBTI people can experience significant challenges due to a social environment where they do not feel free to be themselves. At the same time, even students who tend to discriminate against those they perceive as "different" have the right to educational intervention to change their negative attitudes and participate in building a safe and welcoming environment for all.<\/span><\/p>\n

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24% of LGBTI respondents in the 2011 ISTAT research on the homosexual population in Italian society declared having been discriminated against in the school and\/or university environment, compared to 14.2% of heterosexual respondents.<\/strong>. A 2012 study by the European Human Rights Agency shows that 55% of young people (18-24) hid their LGBTI identity at school, while only 71% of young people (18-24) lived openly in that context. This is a better figure than for those who went to school many years earlier (the higher the age group, the more people reported hiding their LGBTI identity at school), but it still indicates a significant difficulty.<\/span><\/p>\n

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LGBT adolescents, in particular, face difficulties in finding reliable information and positive role models, while also being easily exposed to homophobic and transphobic attitudes both in school and extracurricular contexts (family, peer groups, sports clubs, etc.). Added to this is the embarrassment and superficiality with which educational institutions and the mass media often deal with these issues, which pushes LGBTI girls and boys (or those perceived as such) to see themselves as extras in their own relational lives.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Homophobia and transphobia at school not only impacts the general health and psychological well-being of LGBTI young people, but above all their academic (and consequently also work) careers, with a high risk of dropping out or performing less well than normal.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Homophobic and transphobic bullying at school<\/b><\/p>\n

Bullying is that specific phenomenon of bullying between peers, which is exercised in a persistent and organised way according to a specific relational script to the detriment of one or more schoolmates who have no possibility of defending themselves due to the imbalance of power between the attacked and the aggressor.<\/strong>. Unlike aggressive behavior motivated by the specific relationship between two individuals, bullying has a strong social and collective characteristic<\/strong>, because it is deliberately perpetrated by "bullies" in front of other followers, supporters, or more or less silent spectators, with the aim of underscoring their power and dominance. It can be said that bullying puts into practice, without the need for any elaboration to justify it, the discrimination and stigmatization present in society: for bullies and their followers, in fact, the fact that LGBTI people are "repugnant" and "unnatural" requires no theory or demonstration, but is assumed in a non-rational way simply through the example of their peers.<\/span><\/p>\n

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While it's true that bullying typically targets various stigmatized "categories" beyond LGBTI people (fat people, women, and members of ethnic minorities), homophobic and transphobic bullying is unique. On the one hand, it attacks not only the individual because they are LGBTI or presumed to be, but also involves the entire private and personal dimension of their sexuality. On the other, it is rooted in a general culture that is still homophobic and transphobic, which effectively justifies the aggressors and is often internalized by the victim themselves. This aggravates the situation in three main ways:<\/span><\/p>\n