Just Walk Away: School Policy vs LGBTQ Students.
If you have attended a US public school, you are probably familiar with the idea of Just Walk Away.
While the rule isn't in writing and you won’t find it in a syllabus, it has more effect than those that are (no one gets bullied because of the no late-work policy). If you haven’t attended a US public school, here is what “Just Walk Away” means. It refers to the rule that regardless of who started it, both parties in a fight receive punishment. Therefore, the one being attacked should just walk away.
The victim should not fight back, even to protect themself, because that could be seen as joining the fight. I have never been in a fistfight per se. I have, however, been purposefully tripped by someone while in line. I stumbled and fell into the girl in front of me, knocking her over.
Guess who got the worst punished? Me. I got a referral (some may call it a write-up).
Now, this is not exactly the same thing as getting in trouble for self-defense. However, it does illustrate the reasoning of some school punishments: nonsense.
To be fair, many rules make sense and have punishments that make sense. For example, if you cheat on a test and get a zero, that is justifiable. You violated the core purpose of the test: to evaluate your knowledge.
That said, Just Walk Away is not reasonable, nor is it safe. But why am I bringing it up on a blog for LGBTQ+ mental health?
Keep reading…
Just Put Up With It
This section is captioned with what Just Walk Away really means. In reality, I would be floored if somebody started beating a man up, and the man asked the attacker nicely to stop and then waltzed away. Not because the action is rude or dishonorable, but because the person thought it would work.
Frankly, if someone starts a violent fight with you, they intend to follow through. In the real world, no robber is going to stop stealing your wallet if you politely ask them to. To disagree is to be naive.
Full Stop.
To be clear, it is not my, or anyone's place, to shame someone for being naive. Being innocent is not the same as being willful ignorant. It is almost always from a lack of experience. We would never sensibly shame somebody for never having been robbed. However, now that you have read this, know that asking a robber to stop will not work.
Back to business.
So, let us assume that school administrators are not oblivious to reality. If that is the case, and we all hope it is, they know asking the victimizer to stop and just leaving will not deescalate a fight.
So why do they encourage that solution? I have a few theories.
It resolves them of going case-by-case to investigate fights. It is easier to find the parties who were involved and punish everyone. That is lazy and unjust.
Administrators believe all violence is equal, regardless of motivation. That is the mindset of a Consequentialist. That means someone who thinks the morality of an act is based only on its consequences and not on context. All that matters is a fight occurred.
They see that most schools use the rule and fall in line. That shows a lack of innovation and progress.
As you can see, none of those reasons, except maybe number two, since it is a recognized moral theory, are progressive. If one or three are correct, schools need to reassess their priorities and leadership.
Putting all of these points together, we can conclude that Just Walk Away is a policy born of laziness, close-minded leadership, and lack of motivation to change. The result of the policy is bullied and harassed students being forced to just put up with injustice.
If a student successfully runs away, they will be bullied later for being a coward. If a student walks away but gets caught, their likely to deal with a more agitated attacker. If a student asks the attacker politely to stop, the attacker will not 99.9% of the time.
What do you do then if the solutions are doomed to fail? What is said to the student who tried to walk away, failed, and had to fight back?
“You shouldn’t have engaged.”
Read: You should have just put up with it.
LGBTQ Students
With all the context and explanations completed, it is time to review why this policy hurts LGBTQ students in particular.
To get started, know the facts:
7 in 10 school mental health professionals (SMHPs) say students are bullied because of their sexuality.
48% of SMHPs say transgender students would feel unsafe at their schools.
One-third of LGBTQ+ students who reported being harassed received no help.
LGBTQ+ youth are 2X as likely to be bullied on school grounds than straight/cis students.
Also, students in the LGBTQ+ community are proven to be disproportionally represented among bullied students. When discussing bullying in schools, it is improper to not include the unequal effects on the LGBTQ+ student body. If LGBTQ+ students are at high risk for bullying, then Just Walk Away is detrimental to their safety.
This is supported by the Human Rights Campaign. The HRC found that “one in four [trans students] were physically harassed at school,” and over half of LGBTQ students who reported being bullied receive no help from the school. Coupling these facts, one could assume a strong presence of unhappiness in LGBTQ+ students. Sure enough, 63% of LGBTQ+ students said they were unhappy in a 2013 study done by the HRC.
I know that was a lot of information to take in, so here is the short of it:
LGBTQ+ students are at a higher risk of being negatively affected by insufficient school responses to bullying, such as Just Walk Away and inaction from staff, than their non-LGBTQ+ peers.
This could contribute to a greater prevalence of hopelessness and unhappiness and discourage victims from seeking help. And of course, not reaching out is a poor choice. No matter what outcome you predict, it is still better to try. If someone fails to help you, do not let it reflect your self-worth. An individual's inaction is a representation of their own failures and vices.
Keep fighting for yourself.
Sadly, too many students never are told that message. They continue to feel powerless against bullies. This crisis is contributing to the extremely high suicide rates among LGBTQIA+ youth.
The Trevor Project reported 42% of LGBTQ+ youth seriously considered suicide in 2021. The study also showed that young LGBTQ+ people experienced anxiety (72%) and depression (62%) in 2021.
Fighting Back
Even if just one student faces bullying due to their sexuality or gender identity, we should stand up for them.
We cannot Just Walk Away from victims.
There are many ways you can help relieve the suffering of LGBTQ+ students. If you are in school, watch for signs of distress in your peers, join or start a GSA or GLSEN, and report bullying you see, even if it is not affecting you. Outside of school, advocate for the safety of LGBTQ+ students. Support laws and policies that protect LGBTQIA+ students. Finally, this blog is an open space to share stories and knowledge for free. Submit a blog so we can post your journey.
Sources
https://www.mhanational.org/bullying-lgbt-youth
https://www.thetrevorproject.org/survey-2021/?section=SuicideMentalHealth