40% of Gay Male Teens Bullied in Japan

A recent survey of gay and bisexual male teenagers in Japan has shown more than 40% have been bullied because of their sexual orientation.

The survey of 20,000 gay and bisexual men was conducted online by Takarazuka University’s nursing school between August and December 2014 throughout Japan.

44% of teen respondents said they had experienced bullying purely as a result of their sexual orientation. As a result of the bullying about 23% played truant and 18% resorted to self-harm as ways of coping.

A separate survey of male junior and senior high school students in the greater Tokyo area, showed that 41% had never been taught about homosexuality, which was a significant drop from the 63% recorded in a similar survey in 2005.

The survey also showed that people who had received negative information about sexual minorities had increased from 23% to 30%.

Lead researcher Yasuharu Hidaka told the Asahi Shimbun newspaper that, “It is difficult for children who are sexual minorities to signal an SOS because they are unsure who they can trust enough to talk to,”

“Faculty members should regularly send out positive messages about sexual minorities to build an atmosphere that would make it easier for the children to talk to someone about the issue.”