REDUCING VIOLENCE TOWARD GAY AND LESBIAN STUDENTS
This paper presents a logical defense of the proposition that changing the nature of schools' approaches to discipline and violence by encouraging a sense of community and collective responsibility and by increasing the overall social competence of students (at a very early age) may operate to make schools safer for gay and lesbian students. In this regard, Herdt has stated that empirical research supports the notion that openly gay and lesbian students are often subject to verbal and/or physical attack.
Regarding these attacks against gay and lesbian students, Herdt states that the attacks are almost always linked to socially sanctioned homophobia which he defines as a hatred and/or fear of homosexuals. Herdt further states that one reason for the development of homophobia is ambivalency or identity conflict on the part of the perpetrator of violence regarding personal sexual/gender issues. In other words, to the extent that an indiviudal is conflicted regarding his own sexual or gender identity, the more likely it is that he will perpetrate violence against his gay and lesbian peers.
To the extent that gender issues may play a role in the development of homophobia and subsequent attacks against gay and lesbian youth, one method for reducing such attacks may be to assist children, at very early age levels, to feel more secure regarding their gender identity. The question here is: What factors might operate to help students feel more secure with respect to their gender identity? According to Fernie, Davies, Kantor and McMurray, as students find success in negotiating their distinctive social memberships as peers, students, and gendered persons at preschool and school, they evidence greater levels of social competence. In other words, social competence may be a factor that stabilizes gender identity.
In relation to social competence, one point made by Fernie, Da...