Study: Gay girls more likely to be bullied

VICTIMS of homophobic bullying may be targeted out of specific prejudice rather than purely aggressive behaviour, according to preliminary research.

A survey of more than 800 straight and gay secondary school students has found that while one-third of gay female students and two-thirds of male gay students — albeit from a small number — said they had been the subject of homophobic bullying, straight students also suffered from homophobic name calling and the spreading of rumours.

Dr Stephen Minton of Trinity College Dublin’s School of Education and Anti-Bullying Centre revealed the research at a conference in Norway last week.