Think Before You Speak (campaign)

Last updated
Think Before You Speak
FoundedOctober 2008
TypeEducational Charity
FocusYouth and young adult awareness about homophobia and bullying
Location
Origins Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN)
Area served
United States
Product Public service announcements and campaigns
MethodOnline, radio and print campaigns, Field organizing, Entertainment community
Website www.thinkb4youspeak.com

The Think Before You Speak campaign is a television, radio, and magazine advertising campaign launched in 2008 and developed to raise awareness of the common use of derogatory vocabulary among youth towards lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning (LGBTQ) people. [2] It also aims to "raise awareness about the prevalence and consequences of anti-LGBTQ bias and behaviour in America's schools." [3] As LGBTQ people have become more accepted in the mainstream culture, more studies have confirmed that they are one of the most targeted groups for harassment and bullying. An "analysis of 14 years of hate crime data" by the FBI found that gays and lesbians, or those perceived to be gay, "are far more likely to be victims of a violent hate crime than any other minority group in the United States". [4] [5] "As Americans become more accepting of LGBT people, the most extreme elements of the anti-gay movement are digging in their heels and continuing to defame gays and lesbians with falsehoods that grow more incendiary by the day," said Mark Potok, editor of the Intelligence Report . "The leaders of this movement may deny it, but it seems clear that their demonization of gays and lesbians plays a role in fomenting the violence, hatred and bullying we're seeing." [5] Because of their sexual orientation or gender identity/expression, nearly half of LGBTQ students have been physically assaulted at school. [6] [7] The campaign takes positive steps to counteract hateful and anti-gay speech that LGBTQ students experience in their daily lives in hopes to de-escalate the cycle of hate speech/harassment/bullying/physical threats and violence. [8]

Contents

The campaign was created by the New York office of Arnold Worldwide, part of the Arnold Worldwide Partners unit of Havas, and the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN). [2] [9] The campaign is the Ad Council's first LGBT awareness campaign and is trying to achieve an ending to the use of what they consider offensive phrases such as "that's so gay". [10] Television commercials for the campaign include singer Hilary Duff as well as comedian Wanda Sykes. [2] In 2008 the campaign won the Ad Council's Gold Bell award for "Best Public Service Advertising Campaign". [2] [9]

Background

A U.S. government study, titled Report of the Secretary's Task Force on Youth Suicide, published in 1989, found that LGBT youth are four times more likely to attempt suicide than other young people. [11] This higher prevalence of suicidal ideation and overall mental health problems among gay teenagers compared to their heterosexual peers has been attributed to minority stress. [12] [13] Depression and drug use among LGBT people have both been shown to increase significantly after new laws that discriminate against gay people are passed. [14] Institutionalized and internalized homophobia may also lead LGBTQ youth to not accept themselves and have deep internal conflicts about their sexual orientation. [15]

"Approximately 25 percent of lesbian, gay and bisexual students and university employees have been harassed due to their sexual orientation, as well as a third of those who identify as transgender, according to the study and reported by the Chronicle of Higher Education." [16] "LGBT students are three times as likely as non-LGBT students to say that they do not feel safe at school (22% vs. 7%) and 90% of LGBT students (vs. 62% of non-LGBT teens) have been harassed or assaulted during the past year." [17] In addition, "LGBQ students were more likely than heterosexual students to have seriously considered leaving their institution as a result of harassment and discrimination." [18] Susan Rankin, a contributing author to the report in Miami, found that "Unequivocally, The 2010 State of Higher Education for LGBT People demonstrates that LGBTQ students, faculty and staff experience a 'chilly' campus climate of harassment and far less than welcoming campus communities." [18]

Homophobia arrived at by any means can be a gateway to bullying. As seen in the nine LGBTQ youth suicides in September 2010, severe bullying can lead to extremities such as suicide. [19] It does not always have to be physical, but it can be emotional, viral, sexual, and racial, too. Physical bullying is kicking, punching, while emotional bullying is name calling, spreading rumors and other verbal abuse. Viral, or cyber bullying, involves abusive text messages or messages of the same nature on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media networks. Sexual bullying is unwanted touching, lewd gestures or jokes, and racial bullying has to do with stereotypes and discrimination. [20]

Bullying is often dismissed as a "rite of passage", but studies have shown it has negative physical and psychological effects. "Sexual minority youth, or teens that identify themselves as gay, lesbian or bisexual, are bullied two to three times more than heterosexuals", and "almost all transgender students have been verbally harassed (e.g., called names or threatened in the past year at school because of their sexual orientation (89%) and gender expression (89%)", according to GLSEN's Harsh Realities, The Experiences of Transgender Youth In Our Nation's Schools. [21] These issues have become more mainstream in the 2000s (decade), and even more so in the months of September and October 2010 when a series of suicides got national attention. In August 2010 the US Department of Education (DOE) hosted the first-ever National Bullying Summit. [22] President Barack Obama has posted an "It Gets Better" video on The White House website as part of the It Gets Better Project, it became the second most-viewed video on the White House YouTube channel. [22]

"More than 34,000 people die by suicide each year," making it "the third leading cause of death among 15 to 24 year olds with lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth attempting suicide up to four times more than their heterosexual peers." [21] In 2004, 1,985 American adolescents under the age of twenty committed suicide, an increase of 18% from the previous year. [23] Though it is impossible to know the exact suicide rate of LGBT youth because sexuality and gender minorities are often hidden and even unknown, particularly in this age group. Further research is currently being done to explain the prevalence of suicide among LGBT youths. [24] [25] [26]

The Campaign

Kevin Jennings, who is openly gay and is the Assistant Deputy Secretary for the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools at the U.S. Department of Education, has experienced bullying himself at school and has hoped for this campaign for over ten years. [7] [27] [28] The campaign aims to reduce homophobic slang among youth, and educate parents and teachers on how to create a safe space for LGBT teens. [29] GLSEN and the Ad Council have reported that over half of all students have heard homophobic remarks being made often at school, and 9 out of 10 LGBT students have been harassed at school over the last year. [30] The campaign encourages students to get involved by starting a Gay-Straight Alliance, educating their peers, and working to create a safer environment for LGBT students. [31] This is the first campaign on LGBT issues since the Ad Council was founded in 1942. [9] [32] The campaign uses the slogan "When you say 'That's so gay,' do you realize what you say? Knock it off." [1] Previously the council has run other anti-discrimination campaigns like "A mind is a terrible thing to waste," for the United Negro College Fund, and "Expect the best from a girl and that's what you'll get" to promote gender equality.

GLSEN spent approximately $2 million dollars to produce the campaign, which was released along with GLSEN's 2007 School Climate Survey. [33] It includes three television public service announcements (PSAs), six print PSAs and three radio PSAs. [34] The ad was the first ever campaign by the Ad Council, "which directs and coordinates public service campaigns on behalf of Madison Avenue and the media industry", to address any GLBTQ issues. [7] The campaign was done pro bono by the New York office of Arnold Worldwide. [7]

In researching the possibility that public service directors, who decide which pro bono campaigns their media outlet will run, they found only a "very small percentage" who would not run the campaign but mainly due to their audience was much older. [7] They also tested how to deliver the messages to "tough and media savvy" kids "that speaks to young people in a tone they do not deem patronizing or condescending." [7] Their goal became "to show the situation in a new light ... to point out this language can be hurtful and let the kids make their own decisions." [7]

After the first year of the campaign had been reached, the second harder-hitting phase addressing the consequences, "sometimes life-or-death", of anti-gay language was launched. [35] [36] The first phase focussed on showing the television PSAs to get young people to see how their language can be hurtful, the ads combined for "more than $9 million worth of media exposure for the campaign's message since its launch in October 2008." [35] The second phase will be more viral and enable people to embed banners and materials on websites and in their social media use. [35] All the materials are downloadable from the campaign site. [36] The Ad Council reports a high recognition of the television spots among teens (41% of teens aged 13–16 nationwide reporting that they have seen or heard at least one PSA) and a recent survey conducted by the Council shows "significant shifts in key attitudes and behaviors regarding the use of anti-LGBTQ slurs." [35] Another downloadable feature is a meter that tracks the occurrence of common LGBTQ slurs such as fag and dyke "in real time—on the popular micro-blogging site Twitter." [36]

See also

Related Research Articles

Gay bashing is an attack, abuse, or assault committed against a person who is perceived by the aggressor to be gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ+). It includes both violence against LGBTQ people and LGBTQ bullying. The term covers violence against and bullying of people who are LGBTQ, as well as non-LGBTQ people whom the attacker perceives to be LGBTQ.

GLSEN is an American education organization working to end discrimination, harassment, and bullying based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression and to prompt LGBT cultural inclusion and awareness in K-12 schools. Founded in 1990 in Boston, Massachusetts, the organization is now headquartered in New York City and has an office of public policy based in Washington, D.C.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gay–straight alliance</span> Student groups supporting LGBT youth

A gay–straight alliance, gender–sexuality alliance (GSA) or queer–straight alliance (QSA) is a student-led or community-based organization, found in middle schools, high schools, colleges, and universities. These are primarily in the United States and Canada. Gay–straight alliance is intended to provide a safe and supportive environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and all LGBTQ+ individuals, children, teenagers, and youth as well as their cisgender heterosexual allies. The first GSAs were established in the 1980s. Scientific studies show that GSAs have positive academic, health, and social impacts on schoolchildren of a minority sexual orientation and/or gender identity. Numerous judicial decisions in United States federal and state court jurisdictions have upheld the establishment of GSAs in schools, and the right to use that name for them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBTQ culture</span> Common culture shared by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people

LGBTQ culture is a culture shared by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals. It is sometimes referred to as queer culture, LGBT culture, and LGBTQIA culture, while the term gay culture may be used to mean either "LGBT culture" or homosexual culture specifically.

The origin of the LGBTQ student movement can be linked to other activist movements from the mid-20th century in the United States. The Civil Rights Movement and Second-wave feminist movement were working towards equal rights for other minority groups in the United States. Though the student movement began a few years before the Stonewall riots, the riots helped to spur the student movement to take more action in the US. Despite this, the overall view of these gay liberation student organizations received minimal attention from contemporary LGBTQ historians. This oversight stems from the idea that the organizations were founded with haste as a result of the riots. Others historians argue that this group gives too much credit to groups that disagree with some of the basic principles of activist LGBTQ organizations.

Ally Week is a national youth-led effort encouraging students to be allies with the LGBT members of their community in standing against bullying and harassment. It takes place in K-12 schools and colleges. It is led in the same spirit as Day of Silence: to educate on anti-LGBT harassment issues. Ally Week is usually held in September or October.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Questioning (sexuality and gender)</span> Process of self-exploration

The questioning of one's sexual orientation, sexual identity, gender, or all three is a process of exploration by people who may be unsure, still exploring, or concerned about applying a social label to themselves for various reasons. The letter "Q" is sometimes added to the end of the acronym LGBT ; the "Q" can refer to either queer or questioning.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Janet Jackson as a gay icon</span> Aspect of American singers reputation

Janet Jackson is an American pop and R&B singer and actress. Jackson garnered a substantial gay following during the 1990s as she gained prominence in popular music. Recognized as a long-term ally of the LGBTQ community, Jackson received the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Music Album for her Grammy Award-winning sixth studio album The Velvet Rope (1997), which spoke out against homophobia and embraced same-sex love. In 2005, Jackson received the Humanitarian Award from the Human Rights Campaign and AIDS Project Los Angeles in recognition of her involvement in raising funds for AIDS Charities and received the Vanguard Award at the 19th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in 2008. In June 2012, Jackson announced she was executive producing a documentary on the lives of transgender people around the world titled Truth, saying she agreed to sign on to help stop discrimination against the transgender community.

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Research has found that attempted suicide rates and suicidal ideation among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) youth are significantly higher than among the general population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBTQ sex education</span> Sex education relevant to those who are LGBTQ

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Education and the LGBTQ community</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of LGBTQ topics</span>

The following outline offers an overview and guide to LGBTQ topics:

LGBTQ psychology is a field of psychology of surrounding the lives of LGBTQ+ individuals, in the particular the diverse range of psychological perspectives and experiences of these individuals. It covers different aspects such as identity development including the coming out process, parenting and family practices and support for LGBTQ+ individuals, as well as issues of prejudice and discrimination involving the LGBTQ community.

Due to the increased vulnerability that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) youth face compared to their non-LGBTQ peers, there are notable differences in the mental and physical health risks tied to the social interactions of LGBTQ youth compared to the social interactions of heterosexual youth. According to the article "Social Media: A double-edged sword for LGBTQ+ Youth", the study showed that "in comparison to cisgender youth, transgender and gender binary youth had a higher risk of depression and anxiety" from social media exposure. Youth of the LGBTQ community experience greater encounters with not only health risks, but also violence and bullying, due to their sexual orientation, self-identification, and lack of support from institutions in society.

Suicidal ideation and suicidal thoughts are often the precursors of suicide, which is the leading cause of death among youth. Ideation or suicidal thoughts are categorized as: considering, seriously considering, planning, or attempting suicide and youth is typically categorized as individuals below the age of 25. Various research studies show an increased likelihood of suicide ideation in youth in the LGBT community.

Bullying of lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) people, particularly LGBT youth, involves intentional actions toward the victim, repeated negative actions by one or more people against another person, and an imbalance of physical or psychological power.

People who are LGBT are significantly more likely than those who are not to experience depression, PTSD, and generalized anxiety disorder.

References

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  2. 1 2 3 4 ""That's So Gay" Commercials Nab Ad Council Award". The Advocate . 2008-12-08. Retrieved 2009-04-18.
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  4. ↑ SPLC’s Intelligence Report: Gays Targeted for Hate Crimes Far More Than Any Other Minority in America, November 22, 2010.
  5. 1 2 Mark Potok, "Gays Remain Minority Most Targeted by Hate Crimes", Intelligence Report, Winter 2010, Issue Number: 140.
  6. ↑ Jeremy Biglow, "LGBT activists say: 'That's so gay' is so very passe", The Corsair, May 28, 2010.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Stuart Elliot, "A Push to Curb the Casual Use of Ugly Phrases", New York Times, October 7, 2008.
  8. ↑ Ellen Greenblatt, Serving LGBTIQ Library and Archives Users: Essays on Outreach, Service, Collections and Access, McFarland, 2010, ISBN   0-7864-4894-6, ISBN   978-0-7864-4894-4, pages 71-6.
  9. 1 2 3 Stuart elliot, Accounts, People, Miscellany, New York Times, November 23, 2008.
  10. ↑ "GLSEN and Ad Council Launch First Campaign to Address Anti-Gay Language Among Teens" (Press release). Archived from the original on September 29, 2011. Retrieved 2013-11-02.
  11. ↑ Report of the Secretary's Task Force on Youth Suicide
  12. ↑ "Definition of Bisexual suicide risk". Medterms.com. 2012-06-14. Archived from the original on 2011-12-08. Retrieved 2013-11-02.
  13. ↑ Meyer IH (September 2003). "Prejudice, social stress, and mental health in lesbian, gay, and bisexual populations: conceptual issues and research evidence". Psychological Bulletin. 129 (5): 674–97. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.129.5.674. PMC   2072932 . PMID   12956539.
  14. ↑ Hatzenbuehler, Mark L.; McLaughlin, Katie A.; Keyes, Katherine M.; Hasin, Deborah S. (1970-01-01). "The Impact of Institutional Discrimination on Psychiatric Disorders in Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Populations: A Prospective Study by Mark L. Hatzenbuehler, MS, MPhil, Katie A. McLaughlin, PhD, Katherine M. Keyes, MPH and Deborah S. Hasin, PhD". American Journal of Public Health. 100 (3). Ajph.aphapublications.org: 452–459. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2009.168815. PMC   2820062 . PMID   20075314 . Retrieved 2013-11-02.
  15. ↑ Gibson, P. (1989), “Gay and Lesbian Youth Suicide”, in Fenleib, Marcia R. (ed.), Report of the Secretary's Task Force on Youth Suicide, United States Government Printing Office, ISBN   0-16-002508-7
  16. ↑ Wienerbronner, Danielle (September 15, 2010). "LGBT Students Harassed At Colleges Nationwide, New Report Says". Huffington Post.
  17. ↑ "Additional Facts About Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Youth". Archived from the original on November 1, 2011. Retrieved 2013-11-02.
  18. 1 2 The Miami Herald (2012-01-30). "Steve Rothaus' Gay South Florida". Miamiherald.typepad.com. Retrieved 2013-11-02.
  19. ↑ David Badash (2010-10-01). "September's Anti-Gay Bullying Suicides - There Were A Lot More Than 5". Thenewcivilrightsmovement.com. Archived from the original on 2013-11-02. Retrieved 2013-11-02.
  20. ↑ "Students learn about bullying". Archived from the original on September 1, 2011. Retrieved 2013-11-02.
  21. 1 2 "Additional Facts about Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Youth". Archived from the original on November 1, 2011. Retrieved 2013-11-02.
  22. 1 2 Shepherd, Shawna (March 10, 2011). "White House conference tackles bullying". CNN. Retrieved March 10, 2011.
  23. ↑ Tanner, Lindsey (February 5, 2007). "Kids' suicides rise, CDC report finds". USA Today.
  24. ↑ "Sexual Orientation and Youth Suicide" Archived 2006-01-04 at the Wayback Machine by Dr. Gary Remafedi, October 6, 1999, retrieved 2 May 2006.
  25. ↑ "Youth suicide risk and sexual orientation - Statistical Data Included" by Rutter, Philip A & Soucar, Emil, Summer 2002, retrieved 2 May 2006.
  26. ↑ Articles Relating to Suicide by GLB Youth, retrieved 3 May 2006.
  27. ↑ Archibold, Randal C. (October 27, 1999). "Public lives: A gay crusader sees history on his side". The New York Times . p. B2.
  28. ↑ SPECIAL REPORT: Growing Up Gay Archived 2011-07-28 at the Wayback Machine , WJBF-TV News, November 15, 2010.
  29. ↑ "The Campaign". 2008-10-08. Archived from the original on 2008-10-11. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
  30. ↑ "Get Informed". 2008-10-08. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
  31. ↑ "Join or Start a GSA". 2008-10-08. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
  32. ↑ San Jones, "Ad Council, GLSEN team up to stop negative gay speak", Out & About Newspaper, November 1, 2008.
  33. ↑ "Think Before You Speak". 2008-10-10. Archived from the original on 2008-10-12. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
  34. ↑ Joseph M. Zappala, Ann R. Carden, Public Relations Writing Worktext: A Practical Guide for the Profession, Taylor & Francis, 2009, ISBN   0-415-99753-4, ISBN   978-0-415-99753-9, p. 203.
  35. 1 2 3 4 "Significantly more teens think 'That's so gay' is an inappropriate phase", GLSEN Newswire, December 15, 2009.
  36. 1 2 3 GLSEN Ramps Up 'ThinkB4YouSpeak' Campaign Against Anti-Gay Language in Schools, School Library Journal, December 14, 2009.
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