Homophobic Bullying and Preventive Actions at School: from Laws to Gender Studies in Italy Di R
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Anno XLVIII, n. 1, gennaio-giugno 2019 ISSN 1591-3988 - ISSN 2532-0203 (on line) Homophobic bullying and preventive actions at school: from laws to gender studies in Italy di R. Castiglia, M. Garro, E. Mignosi, M. Schirinzi come citare: R. Castiglia, M. Garro, E. Mignosi, M. Schirinzi, Homophobic bullying and preventive actions at school: from laws to gender studies in Italy, in “Teorie pedagogiche e pratiche educative”, Bollettino della Fondazione "Vito Fazio- Allmayer", Anno XLVIII, n. 1, gennaio-giugno 2019, pp. 15-31. Edizioni della Fondazione “Vito Fazio-Allmayer”, Palermo CASTIGLIA R. - G ARRO M. - M IGNOSI E. - S CHIRINZI M. HOMOPHOBIC BULLYING AND PREVENTIVE ACTIONS AT SCHOOL: FROM LAWS TO GENDER STUDIES IN ITALY The evolution of thought relating to sexual orientation and the greater visibility of gay and lesbian people, at media level also, haven’t been efficient for the revisiting of homosexual rendering from public acceptance and for a cultural transformation. The violent events on young homosexual students urge to reflect on the need that trainers should introduce educational models capable of providing different models of gender identification, fighting the stereotype that tries to substitute the reality itself. The homophobic bullying is intended as a fight to safety and well-being of young students. A multi-disciplinary and network approach seems to be for health practitioners a valid starting point to develop adequate services and projects place to contain the school emergency. That contribution highlights the need to approach the homophobic bullying as a complicated factor, often by the tragic consequences, analyzing from a social, psycho-pedagogical and legislative points of view. This article is focused on the need for a cultural change, moving from a dichotomous and approval culture to another of compliance of differences especially since from an analysis conducted in Italy and from contributions collected, it urges a necessity to recall to involve the insitutions and a statement of a clear and specific protection. In this view, in prevention projects towards homophobic bullying, practitioners may have the role of facilitator of dialogue and Exchange who involves all the players included in prevention projects at bullying including victims, perpetrators and bystanders, families, educational staff and institutions. Keywords: attitude; health education; homophobic bullying; Italy; school safety; youth violence, systemic approach. INTRODUCTION The OMS (2002) defines violence as «the intentional use of physical strength or power, threatened or real, against yourself, other people or groups or communities, from which could emerge injures, death, psychological damage, develop impairments or deprivation», that could occur in different settings. In this context we want to ponder on a specific type of violence, that resulting from sexual prejudices, from the attitudes towards the sexual 15 orientation of the individual into the LG community (Lesbian and Gay). (Balsam, Beauchaine & Rothblum, 2005). These prejudices are being expressed through an evaluation or opinion headed to a social group (ingroup Vs outgroup) whose members are perceived similar among them as belonging to a specific group and deserving of disdain and hostility (Herek, 2000). A minority group like what the homosexual is seen as lower because represents subordinated on a wide social context of belonging and because scarcely considered by the surrounding enviroment (Altman, 1982). From this perspective, belonging to a minority, it means being different from an average ideal member of the community, represents a disadvantage in psychological and social terms. The concept of Minority Stress describes a mental illness which comes from the belonging to a minority (Meyer, 2003), from violence and abuse that homosexual people face because do not fall within male/female categories socially acceptable, or gender non-conformity (Kane, 2006). Among the traumatic events experienced by LG there is the homophobic bullying, a particular type of violence which jeopardises the school safety, due to prejudices and negative attitudes or on anyone who does not seem to follow stereotypes gender (Hall, 2005) and which records a repeat of direct or indirect behaviours aimed at bully an individual intending to undermine, using the physical power or the psychological violence. It provides for offence or social marginalisation, intentional and systemic, committed by one or more people against a victim who often does not react and is devastated (Farrington, 1993; Menesini, 2000). In the internet age and with a great use of mobile phones, a specific manifestation of violence shapes, the cyber-bullying (Vandebosh & Cleemput, 2008), that sees on the Italian territory, two boys involved between the ages 11 and 17, once or more times a month (ISTAT, 2014). Expressions of scorn towards homosexual are common in jungsters’ language and culture, mostly in male heterosexual adolescents, likely because the need to affirm its own gender identity through the continuous rejection of the homosexual identity, justifying so often bully actions with regards to the peers considered different (Pascoe, 2007). In accordance with an idea of hetero-normativity, homophobic bullying seems related to want differentiate in public, to distance from who is perceived as “abnormal”. There is a sense of the need to assert themselves against, rather than finding links with the other, since the crisis which is typical of a time of life rich of uncertainty and fragility where sexual identity seems coincide with the totality of the experiencing self. Burgio (2012) highlights how the discrimination device is based on stereotypes, prejudices and violence and how the educational context plays a fundamental role in the creation of a space to think, where realize fears, insecurities, where to enter in contact with their emotions and connect prejudices and difficulties. 16 The several cases of students victim of homophobic bullying have brought to light the implications which this violence could provoke within the school since it undermines the students well-being and academic performance. In fact the homophobic bullying is often connected with school absenteeism, school drop-out and declining of academic achievements by young victims of homophobia at school (UNESCO, 2012). No less serious is the impact on the health, on the psychological and social well-being in young victims that may lead to the suicide (McNamee, 2006; Russell & Joyner, 2001; Poteat, et al. , 2011). A better comprehension helps to think on the most appropriate manners of approach to the problem. 1. FROM SEXUAL PREJUDICE TO HOMONEGATIVITY According to Herek (2000) the expression sexual prejudice is more appropriate than homophobia which has tighten up the social thought towards sexual orientation since the end of ‘60 when the psychologist Weinberg (1972) coined the term. The rigid nature of the concept of homophobia is detectable in its content and it does not help to understand the distaste to gay and lesbian, since it seems related with distress and to an irrational hatred towards homosexual, to a fear related with a possible contagion, to the fear to stay in one place locked together with homosexual (Herek, 2004). The difference between sexual prejudice and homophobia hence is trackable in their structure: the first term is descriptive and refers to the wide social psychological research related to the behaviours, the homophobia is not clear about its origins, dynamics and reasons of anti-gay attitudes (Herek, 2000). The use of the concept of homophobia may help to indicate a scarce tolerance and repulsion towards homosexuality, homosexual people and actions with them connected. This lack of acceptance may lead to physical violence, omicide or gay bashing, a so severe behaviour to create an application for mobile phone (bashing.eu) through attention of public opinion is drawn to decrease the tolerance levels towards this kind of attitude. The beating of homosexual is a real problem that needs to be afforded; the large number of suicide attempts, mainly among young people, represents a risk related with sexual discrimination (Haas, et al ., 2010). On this issue the 13% of a sample of 416 individuals LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) involved in a research regarding the well-being of sexual minority claimed to have tempt the suicide (D’Augelli & Grossman, 2001), also because the dimension of solitude which, if considered under the perspective of minority stress, is linked with the stigma perceived and lived (Kuyper & Fokkema, 2010). 17 The few studies dedicated to this issue have succeeded to focus possible reasons of these attitudes on the assumption to control the cause of homosexuality, if related to the develop and learning or to the lifestyle or to an individual choice. It has been showed that the components of majority community express their positive judgment just only when there are biological or genetic origins which are out of control, for their nature (Haslam, et al ., 2006; Haider-Markel, et al ., 2008). In this regards the reasons of controllability of the cause and the dispositional and situational factors become predictors for gay and lesbian to benefit from social support (Heider, 1944, 1958; Weiner, et al ., 1988). Attitudes, sexual prejudices, dynamics and reasons seem well expressed by the multi-dimensional concept of homonegativity . It is referred to the hostility and distress specific to homophobia and all