Bullying topic of March 28 talk

March 26, 2013 | Events, UToday
By Staff



“Bullying: Some Facts and What You Can Do” will be discussed by two UT faculty members Thursday, March 28, at 7 p.m. at Park Church, 1456 Harvard Blvd., Toledo.

PFLAG-Toledo-LOGOThe free, public talk is part of the spring lecture series sponsored by the Toledo chapter of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, a national nonprofit organization that celebrates diversity, promotes equality, and offers education and dialogue.

Dr. Susan Telljohann, professor of health education, and Sherry Tripepi, lecturer in social work, will talk about bullying and its consequences, as well as ways to prevent and deal with it as part of Equality Toledo’s Safe School Project.

“Presenting to the Toledo chapter of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays is especially important because LGBT youth and adults are at higher risk of being teased, bullied and harassed compared to the general population,” Telljohann said.

She and Tripepi pointed to a recent eye-opening survey by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network that found:

• Nearly 81.9 percent of LGBT students reported being verbally harassed.

• 38.3 percent were physically harassed and 18.3 percent said they were physically assaulted.

• 63.5 percent indicated they felt unsafe because of their sexual orientation and 43.9 percent sensed they were in danger because of their gender expression.

• About 30 percent reported missing a day of school in the past month because they felt unsafe compared to 4.5 percent of the general student population.

“It is important for all individuals — parents, teachers, community members — to understand the problems associated with bullying and ways they can help prevent or stop it because of the many negative physical and emotional consequences that victims face,” Tripepi said.

For more information on the lecture, email susan.telljohann@utoledo.edu or sherry.tripepi@utoledo.edu.

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