Homophobic bullying in Mexico: results of a national survey

Homophobic and transphobic bullying, through teasing, physical violence, and other forms of aggression, is a problem that affects lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students at all levels of education. Even though there have been legal changes in Mexico to protect human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, schools are spaces where discrimination and violence toward them are still common. In 2012, using an online survey asking participants about their experiences with bullying, its consequences, and responses from adults, the authors collected responses from 912 participants younger than 30 years of age who self-identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender and who lived in the 32 states of Mexico. Two thirds of participants said that they were victims of bullying during their school years; the majority of these students indicated that they did not have support from teachers or parents to avoid or stop the violence. The consequences of bullying were truancy, dropouts, depression, and suicide attempts. Attitudes that normalize bullying may impede the effective prevention of or response to homophobic and transphobic bullying by teachers and parents. To eliminate homophobic bullying in school, there is a need for sexual diversity trainings for teachers and media campaigns for the general public.