Sexual orientation and bullying: how experience affects perception

Harassment, intimidation, and bullying (HIB) are a pervasive problem in society. Individuals are bullied for many different reasons including sexual orientation (actual or perceived), social group or status, and ethnicity. All individuals perceive HIB differently and it is important to notice these differences. This study proposes a difference in perception among those who have been victims of HIB and those who have not as well as a correlation between sexual orientation and experience with bullying. Findings show a heightened sensitivity among all subjects to incidents of HIB and a positive correlation between LGBT youth and being a victim of incidents of bullying