Whether or not students physically bully others or are bullied themselves, nearly every student is exposed to what is widely considered the language of bullying.
Phrases commonly heard in the hallways, such as “that’s so gay,” may not be intentionally offensive, yet survey data shows that the pervasiveness of this language still affects the student body.
The Marin County Youth Commission (MCYC) administered a survey in 2010 to a total of 3,045 students, the majority of whom attended San Rafael, Drake, and Redwood high schools. The survey, the results of which were only recently released, defined bullying as written, verbal or physical conduct that adversely affects students by placing them in reasonable fear of physical harm.
Among other questions, the MCYC survey asked students if they heard sexist, homophobic, and racist language at school. The Bark recently administered a more specific survey to determine how often students hear this offensive language at Redwood.
The MCYC survey reported that 85 percent of students hear homophobic language at school, while the Bark survey indicates that 60 percent of students hear anti-gay slurs and homophobic language frequently or daily.
Eight percent of students who took the MCYC survey reported that they were lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and/or questioning. While 11 percent of these students said they feel very unsafe at school, only one percent of students reported feeling very unsafe. Additionally, of the students surveyed who reported being bullied, 34 percent believe it is a result of their sexual preference.
Racist language is the second-most prevalent language heard at school, according to the MCYC survey. The survey results indicated that 68 percent of students hear negative comments related to race at school. Thirty-nine percent of Redwood students reported hearing racist language at school frequently or daily, according to the Bark survey.
The MCYC survey also reported that 66 percent of Marin students hear sexist comments and insults based on gender at school. The Bark survey indicates that 43 percent of Redwood students hear sexist comments, including derogatory statements towards a specific gender, on a frequent or daily basis.
Students reported that it is not entirely uncommon for coaches to use the same language as students. The MCYC survey indicated that nine percent of students have heard coaches use homophobic language, 11 percent have heard coaches use racist comments, and 13 percent have heard coaches use sexist language.
