The terms lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender are defined by their sexual orientation. Lesbian and gay are the people whose sexual orientations or sexual attractions are towards people of the same sex. The term transgender refers to people whose gender identities are inconsistent with cultural norm in the society. (Suicide Prevention Resources Center, 2008). These groups of people share the same societal stigma and prejudice. Stigma refers to range of cultural and social factors that affect the healths of gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, and transgender (GLBT). In the United States, there are various types of discrimination on GLBT people, these discriminations range from rejection to exclusion from group. Although, through the intensification of various educational programs on GLBT, there has been increased on the acceptance of homosexuality in the last two decades. However, studies have revealed that there is still high stigma attached to homosexuality in the United States. Many people still view homosexuality as behavior that is morally wrong, adultery, and contrary to the norm of society. (Dean et al, 2004).
The social exclusion of GLBT students is the same in most American schools, where there are more attacks on gay, lesbian or bisexual than other peers in the schools. (Langlois 2004). Thus, to ameliorate the violence on GLBT youths in the high schools in the United States, there are need to formulate a new policy to discourage attack on GLBT youths.
Proposed policy to ameliorate discrimination of GLBT in the high schools
The paper formulates Training to Eradicate Segregation of GLBT in High schools (TESG).The proposed policy targets to eradicate various forms of segregation, harassment, social exclusion, and other form of violence on GLBT students in high schools in the United States. The government should adopt this proposed policy, and implement it in all high schools in the United States. It is essential to realize that there is misconception that violence on lesbian or gay does not cause health problem. With intensification of education on anti-violence on GBLT youths in the high schools, the incidence of high schools violence on GBLT will be reduced. (American Psychological Association, 2009).
In the amelioration of social exclusion of GBLT, there are several programs that support the Eradication of Segregation of GLBT in High schools (TESG); next section discusses one of these programs.
Describe the new policy or program, the theory of human behavior that supports the policy or program, and the research on human behavior and functioning that supports your idea?
As indicated in the previous section, the new policy is Training to Eradicate Segregation of GLBT in High schools (TESG).The formulation of new policy is purposely to train high schools students that they should stop all form of harassments on GLBT students in the high schools in the United States. To achieve this aim, Training to Eradicate Segregation of GLBT in High schools (TESG) proposes introduction of a subject curriculum in the high school named “Social Civics”. The syllabus of Social Civics will include the following:
Introduction of Social behavior.
Definitions gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, and transgender (GLBT).
How GLBT’s behaviors develop?
What is aggression?
Impact of aggression on GLBT’s students.
Impact of aggression on the society.
Benefits of refraining from aggression on GLBT’s students.
How can students develop more social interactions with GLBT’s students?
To enhance the impact of new policy on students, the freshman, sophomore, junior and senior classes will take the subject. However, the freshman, sophomore and junior class will take the subject each semester, and senior students will take the subject for the entire year.
In addition, in the proposed subject curriculum, there will be more emphasize on non-judgmental, culturally and socially sensitive approach to the GLBT people
Typically, the new policy is to eradicate various forms of segregation, harassment, social exclusion, and other form of violence on GLBT students in high schools in the United States.
The new program that supports the proposed policy is International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer Youth and Student Organization (IGLYO) organized in 2006. One of the objectives of this program is to ensure that same-sex couple enjoys the same right and protection as opposite sex couple. The program highlights that GLBT youths suffer different form of discrimination in school community.
Takács’ 2006 report on various schools show that: LGB youths reporting high levels of at-school victimization reported higher levels of substance use, suicidality, and sexual risk behaviors than heterosexual peers reporting high levels of school victimization. Also, LGB youths reporting low levels of at-school victimization reported levels of substance use, suicidality, and sexual-risk behaviors that were similar to heterosexual peers who reported low at-school victimization (p 32).
To ameliorate all sort of victimization on GLBT youths, the IGLYO program made mention of introduction of a subject curriculum in the high schools that address gay and lesbian experiences in the school community. Although, the IGLYO pointed out that there were several curriculum subjects such as English, PSHE/sex education, Religious education, Biology, and sociology where homosexuality was raised in different way. However, only 8% of students interviewed asserted that mentioning homosexuality in these subjects were helpful, and 59% of students interviewed pointed out that homosexuality was not mentioned in an helpful way in these curriculum subjects. (Takács, 2006, University of Colorado 2006).
In addition, the theory of human behavior that supports the proposed policy is Behavioral learning theory. The new policy supports behavioral learning theory because learning there can bring a permanent change of behavior through the application of behavioral learning theory. (Huitt, Hummel 2003).
Meanwhile, with introduction of a curriculum subject in the high schools, there can be permanent change in the behavior of the student towards the GLBT students. It is essential to realize that behavioral learning theory species that permanent change in behavior can be brought about from learning experience. From learning experience acquired from new curriculum subject, there will be permanent changes of students towards GLBT students. (Huitt, Hummel 2003).
Thus, implementation plan is essential to show how the policy will be carried out. Next section provides implementation plan for TESG.
Discuss how this proposed policy or program would be implemented. How would you convince others that this new policy or program would be effective? What resources would be needed to make it happen? How would you acquire those resources?
This section defines the new policy, how this proposed policy would be implemented, and the methods to convince policy makers to introduce a subject curriculum in the high schools. This section also examines the resources needed for the implementation of this policy, and the methods to acquire these resources.
Training to Eradicate Segregation of GLBT in High schools (TESG) is a new policy target to eradicate various forms of segregation, harassment, social exclusion, and other form of violence on GLBT students in high schools in the United States. Typically, the new policy is related to GLBTQ population because the new policy aims to train students of high schools to refrain from all forms aggression on GLBTQ population. With training of students in the high through introduction of Social Civics, more students will develop favorable social behavior to GLBTQ population.
Implementation of new policy
The implementation plan of the new policy will be as follows:
First, there is need for funding for the implementation of this policy. The funding will be needed to provide publicity, and lobbying in the Federal house of representative in order to pass this proposed policy into law. There will be publicity of the new policy to convince the policy makers in the United States to employ more teachers who can provide potential positive role models for GLBT students. The publicity will be form of campaign, and the campaign will be carried out through television, radio, internet, and newspapers.
In the implementation plan, staff will be needed for the effective launching of the new policy. The essence of recruiting more staffs is to enhance the implementation plan. The staff will assist in distribution of posters, information pamphlets, and other materials for the information dissemination of the new policy.
Information in the posters, pamphlets, and other materials will be will be to promote the public awareness of the new policy.
It is essential to realize that in most high schools in the United States, there are lack openly GLBT teachers, and these have perceived as general problems. Teachers who are gay or lesbians should be able to voice their mind out without intimidation. Part of the proposed policy will suggest that there must not be harassment of lost of jobs if a teacher declares himself or herself to be gay or lesbian, and any school found to intimidate any teacher because of his sexual orientation may be forced to pay for damages incurred to GLBT teacher. Thus, by convincing the policy maker to protect the GLBT teachers in high schools will enhance acceptance of TESG in the high schools in the United States, and there will be amelioration of harassment of GLBT students in the United States. (Department of Public Chicago, Erich et al 2005).
How to convince the others about the new policy
Part of the implementation plan is to convince others that this new policy would be effective. To convince others, the new policy will create an interesting weekly program in the television that will educate the others about the effectiveness of new policy. Typically, the new policy will educate the community on the negative impacts of harassment on GLBT youths, and how harassments could jeopardize the educations of our youth in the United States. The weekly program in the television will educate others on the advantages of news policy to eradicate all form of harassments on GLBT students.
The proposed policy will publicize key statistics about the number of school dropouts because of harassment in the school, and if there is increase in the number of dropout in the schools, the negative effects will be social unrest, and there will be increase in the anti-social behaviors in the United States. (University of Toronto (2004).
Funds needed for the new policy
For the effectiveness of the new policy, there is need of fund to make the new policy realizable. This fund will be used to launch campaigns in radio, television, newspapers, internet on the new policy.
To acquire Fund needed for the implementation of proposed policy, the new policy will seek fund from government grants, especially grants will be sourced from the government agencies such as Department of Health Resources & Services Administration; National Institutes of Health; Administration for Children and Families; Indian Health Service,
In addition, the new policy will source fund from different foundations that promote anti-sex discrimination in the society. For example, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, AstraZeneca Foundation, Lilly Endowment Inc, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and other foundations that promotes anti-sex discrimination in the society.
Finally, The new policy will also seek for fund from different business organizations that promote social responsibility. The companies such as Humana Inc, Intel Corp, Eaton Corp, Nike Inc, Dominion Resources Inc, and other organizations that promote social responsibility.
Meanwhile, there is need for evaluation of the effectiveness of the new policy in bringing about the desired changes.
How would you evaluate the effectiveness of the new policy or program in bringing about the desired changes in the program, issue or condition?
This section provides the evaluation of the effectiveness of the proposed policy to bring desired changes. In the evaluation system, the new policy will implement various tools to ensure effectiveness of new policy. The tools such as follows:
- Survey, questionnaire, and interviews.
The new policy will use survey, questionnaire, and interviews to sample the opinion of GLBT students and this will be used to ascertain the effectiveness of the new policy. The new policy will use internet to distribute survey questions, and questionnaires to large group of people, and students to ascertain the effectiveness of new policy.
The Survey and questionnaires will also be distributed to large number of schools’ teachers and schools administrators to ascertain the effectiveness of new policy in the schools and rate of harassment.
- Format of the Questionnaires and interview.
As being indicated in the previous section, the reponses from questionnaires will be used to measure the effectiveness of the new policy.
The format to use for questionnaire is as follows:
Q1: Aggression on GLBT is reducing due to the implementation of new policy.
A: 1) Strongly agree 2) Agree 3) somewhat agree 4) Not agree 5) strongly not agree.
The students, schools teachers, and school administrators will be interviewed, and they will be selected from the total number of 50 high schools. For effective implementation of interview, consultant will be used to conduct the interview. For example, Zoomerang, QuestionPro or POLARIS could be used to conduct the interview.
The format for interview will be unstructured interview, where the respondents are allowed to offer their opinion on the questions asked. An example of interview’s question will be as follows:
Q1: Is new policy effective in reducing aggression on GLBT population?
The feedback from the interviews and the responses from questionnaires will be use to measure the strength of a new policy.
- To measure the strength of the new policy.
To measure the strength of the new policy, the feedback from survey, questionnaires and interview will be used. There will be qualitative and quantitative techniques to analyze the data and the feedback will be used to ascertain whether the new policy is working. The opinion of the students, teachers, and schools administrators will be used to measure how the new policy has been able to educate people about the GLBTQ. The data collected will be analyzed and converted in statistical form using bar chart for visual presentation.
How will this program or policy bring change
For the new policy to bring changes there is need for continuous education of people through media, such as television, radio, and internet to publicize high schools that have bad record of harassment on GLBT students. This publicity will increase educational awareness about the reduction of harassment on the GLBT population. The publicity of the new policy should take at least 6 months to bring change.
As indicated in the previous section, it is revealed that lack of knowledge on the impact of violence on the GLBT youths is an essential factor that leads to increase in violence on GLBT. With implementation of the proposed policy in the high schools in the United States, there will be decline on the violence on GLBT. Thus, the evaluation of the proposed policy can be measured by the percentage of reduction of violence on GLBT students in the United States. It is essential to realize that with introduction of subject curriculum in the school, students in the high schools will develop more knowledge on the impact of aggression on the GLBT students, and how this aggression can lead to societal problems if there is increase in the school’s dropout. Thus, many students will have sympathy with GLBT, and there will be reduction of aggression on GLBT students.
Conclusions
This paper highlights various types of harassments that GLBT students a re facing in the in the United States’ high schools. The effects of these harassments range from health problems, suicidal attempts, and school dropouts. Due to various problems that GLBT students are facing, this paper proposes a policy that can ameliorate the harassments on the GLBT students in the United States. The proposed policy is Training to Eradicate Segregation in High schools (TESG). This policy will be designed to introduce a subject curriculum in the high schools that will educate the students on the effect of harassments on the GLBT students, and its effect on the society. The proposed policy will attempt to discourage schools from intimidation of gays or lesbians’ teachers in the high schools, and schools should employ more teachers who are open about their sexual orientation because these teachers will serve as models for GLBT students.
The proposed policy in this paper is very essential for consideration by policy makers in the United States, because implementation of this policy in the high schools will ameliorate the harassment of GLBT students in the United State.
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