‘ Bullying follows LGB people from school to work’

Washington: Bullying may be a chronic problem for lesbian, gay and bisexual ( LGB) individuals, which continues from school to the workplace. According to a recent research, around one in three lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals who are bullied at school, have similar experiences in the workplace later in life. The study, published in the Manchester School journal, approached 400 members of the LGB community and asked them about their experience at school as well as about bullying at their workplace now. It found that 35.2% of gay or bisexual men, who had experienced frequent school- age bullying, also faced workplace harassment. Among lesbian women, the figure was 29%. When describing their experiences at school, 73% of gay men said they were constantly, or frequently bullied. Just 9.9% said they were never subject to any harassment. Among lesbian women, 59% experienced constant, frequent, or occasional bullying. The mean age of participants was 37, meaning their school years would have been approximately between 1985 and 1997. The research also examined job satisfaction. Most gay men said they were "dissatisfied" with their job ( 56%), while this was also the most common answer for lesbian women ( 47%). Author Dr Nick Drydakis, of Anglia Ruskin University, said, "This study suggests that bullying may be a chronic problem for LGB individuals. “This could be for a number of reasons. School- age bullying could be likely to lead to low self- esteem, a difficulty in forming trusting relationships, or a greater risk of poor mental health. Factors like these may make it more likely they will experience bullying in the workplace later in life,” wrote Drydakis. — ANI