What Would You Do If You Were Gay-Bashed?

Contents:

• SELF-DEFENSE EXPERTS SUGGT THE 5 STRATEGI FOR AVOIDG OR SURVIVG A GAY BASHG
• GAY BASHG AT A SPORTS BAR: WHAT DO YOU DO?
• GAY BULLYG, GAY BULLI AND DEALG WH GAY BASHG
• WORRIED ABOUT GAY-BASHG
• TEEN BULLIED FOR BEG GAY: WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
• GAY BASHG
• SON BERATED BY PARENTS FOR BEG GAY: WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

SELF-DEFENSE EXPERTS SUGGT THE 5 STRATEGI FOR AVOIDG OR SURVIVG A GAY BASHG

The prospect of beg gay bashed is que sry, but Carolyne Haycraft, the executive director of EMERJ-SafeNow, an anizatn that teach cultural-specific strategi for preventg vlence, says there’s no need to nstantly fear beg attacked and has suggtns for effective gay bashg fense that uld help you learn how to survive a gay bashg. Together wh Aman Weaver, a lbian woman who works as an EMERJ-SafeNow facilator and curriculum veloper, the two have tght gay bashg fense class to LGBTQ people.

So we asked them for advice on how to survive a gay bashg (or avoid one altogether). Also, if your statn is a nservative area (filled wh possible queer-phob), a place of drkg or an area known for gay bashgs, prepare to be extra vigilant, keepg your ey and ears open. Even if you’re 18 or younger, Haycraft remds , you n duck to a rtrant or bar as a gay bashg fense.

While fear and tun n be helpful a dangero suatns, Haycraft says, stayg clear-head n also help when figurg out how to survive a gay bashg. She says that we live a cultural climate where more people feel ’s OK to make racist, sexist and homophobic statements. Weaver strs g posive affirmatns to help keep yourself lm, nfint and empowered durg a gay bashg fense.

GAY BASHG AT A SPORTS BAR: WHAT DO YOU DO?

When teachg people how to survive a gay bashg, she remends distance as a good start for a gay bashg fense. ”) If your attacker is homophobic, turng the tabl on them this way n create a small amount of time for you to pe. As we’ve mentned, fightg should be a last rort when figurg out how to survive a gay bashg.

Sce alhol and other dgs are often part of gay and public scen — and n crease aggrsn or crease awarens — Weaver suggts beg extra mdful and thkg ahead if you’re head to a place where dgs will be ed.

GAY BULLYG, GAY BULLI AND DEALG WH GAY BASHG

March 24, 2009— -- The gay marriage iative and Sean Penn's Osr-wng performance "Milk" have stirred up emotns on both sis of the gay rights bate … but 's one thg to al wh an issue at a distance and que another when you're forced to choose sis, or do nothg. Two addnal actors, Traci Hovel and Brad Lee Wd, played a heterosexual uple at the oppose end of the sexual orientatn hate crim nsistently on the rise the past , we wonred whether or not bar patrons would e to the fense of a gay uple beg verbally tt Amerins' creasg open-mdns, we staged a verbal gay-bashg scenar at a lol sports bar Ln, N. Two addnal actors, Traci Hovel and Brad Lee Wd, played a heterosexual uple at the oppose end of the our dns, we met many homosexual upl who had experienced prejudice and anti-gay rhetoric.

They were all too faiar wh the kds of language our actor Augt an age when many still don't regnize rogatory language toward homosexual upl as a hate crime, we wonred if anyone would even regnize the attacks, let alone nont the Friday at lunchtime, a group of six men entered the bar for a quick break before headg back to work. Amand and Benevento entered, takg seats nearby, Augt's meanor changed markedly and he lnched to a steady stream of anti-gay Gay Couple Should Leave, or Else"Is this mon for the area?

WORRIED ABOUT GAY-BASHG

I'm gettg tired of hearg you, jt shut up, " Ball told then rorted to an ultimatum: Eher the gay uple leav or he leav.

TEEN BULLIED FOR BEG GAY: WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

"Carrie Keatg, profsor of psychology at Colgate Universy, explaed that terveng on behalf of a gay man is often harr for heterosexual men than seems. "'They're Not Dog Anythg Wrong'As our experiment ntued, we found other headstrong patrons who weren't aaid to nont Augt, or our gay uple, the eveng, we add one addnal twist by tellg bar owner Robert DeStefanis to ask the uple to tone down their affectns bee they were makg other ctomers Steele, a lol real tate agent, was out celebratg her birthday wh a large group of iends.

"Steele was unmovable, even posng herself between the uple and their the urse of our two-day ethil dilemma, we saw a diverse suburban muny stand up for a gay uple who was beg verbally crime laws exist both ferally and at the state level to protect victims of crim based on genr, relign and race.

Gay bullyg statistics dite that gay teens are two-to-three tim more likely to m suici than other youths and about 30% of all suicis have been lked to a genr inty crisis.

GAY BASHG

None of the aths had to occur, but they did bee each of the people was sent the msage that was better to be ad than to be gay. Gay bullyg and gay bashg is bullyg or treatg one poorly bee they are gay (fn of gay) or bee they are thought to be gay.

SON BERATED BY PARENTS FOR BEG GAY: WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

The targets are primarily people who do not f to genr stereotype rol whether they are, fact, gay or not. Gay bullyg statistics dite that 9-out-of-10 gay youth have been subject to bullyg and that, of those, almost half were physilly harassed and a quarter report beg physilly asslted. Any dividual mor cince of gay bullyg or gay bashg may be somethg that someone n al wh but the ma problem wh is s pervasive and nsistent nature to the pot where jur an dividual's self-teem and sire to live.

And while we often thk of children or teens when we thk gay bullyg, bullyg occurs adult suatns, such as the workplace, as well. Many anizatns are dited to stop gay bashg and gay bullyg and there are more and more iativ lolly, like high schools, to stop gay bashg. Over 4000 Gay-Straight Allianc are now registered wh the Gay, Lbian and Straight Edutn Network and iativ such as "No Name-Callg Week" now exist to put the spotlight on all typ of bullyg and bashg.

If you are beg bullied, alg wh gay bashg n seem dntg, but there are many thgs you n do.