Bullying forces gay teenagers to leave school, says expert

GAY and lesbian teenagers are being forced to leave school because they are being bullied over their sexual orientation, an expert claimed yesterday.

The BeLonG To youth project works with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender young people but has had growing numbers of 14 and 15-year-olds seeking support in the past few years.

According to the group’s national development co-ordinator Michael Barron, an increasing number of young people are coming out about their sexual identity. But these acts of courage are challenging schools and policy-makers as homophobic bullying becomes more widespread in schools.