Get That Freak: Homophobia and Transphobia in High Schools

By Rebecca Haskell & Brian Burtch

Bullying in schools has garnered significant attention recently, but little has been said about the bullying of homosexuals and transexual students in Canadian high schools. This book fills that gap by exploring the experiences of youth who identify or are identified as "queer." Based on interviews with recent high school graduates in British Columbia, these researchers provide stories of physical, verbal, and emotional harassment in this group and offer insights into the negative outcomes that result from the experience of being bullied. On the other hand, however, these young people were not helpless victims: many learned to rely on resistance, inner strength, and true friends. In the last chapter, the authors make recommendations for handling homophobic and transphobic bullying in high schools and supporting students who experience this form of harassment.