School to Bullied Lesbian Teen: It's Your Fault, Don't Be So Gay

With so many bullied gay and lesbian teens taking their own lives, one would think schools would be more tolerant and protect the victims. But not in Sweden. A lesbian teenager at a school in southern Sweden reported that she was being bullied to her teachers, they told her it's her own fault and she should "tone down" her gayness because other students were "confused and scared" by it. Oh, hell to no! The girl, who has to switch schools because of the bullying, has since filed a discrimination complaint against the school with the Swedish gender equality agency.

According to the girl's report, the incidents began when she was assaulted in 2010 by a fellow student who had hit her in the head, causing a minor head fracture. “She threatened to shove pliers into my eyes and then she took hold of the pliers and delivered three hefty hits against my temples and the area close to my eyes,” the girl wrote in the report. When she later consulted the school about the incident, teachers told her it was all her own fault. According to the report, the school told her: “You’re the one to blame. It was your own fault. You provoked her,” adding that she should have “just hit back.” After online research, the girl discovered that the school must report any mistreatment that occurs during school hours, and confronted the school, only to be told that it was up to her to make a report. The case is now being handled by the DO, but before any compensation decisions are made, the school will be given the chance to comment, according to [the Swedish Equality Ombudsman] case officer Sara Stenberg.

source: The Local