You may not know exactly what to say, but you must stop the harassment. Almost any response is better than ignoring the situation.Not speaking up teaches not only the student targeted, but also anyone within hearing range that they will not be protected from harassment.If other students do not see action, they get the message there is nothing wrong with it.Ignoring mean name-calling and hurtful teasing allows it to continue and possibly get worse.Harassment does not go away on its own.“It doesn’t matter who said it, I don’t want to hear that kind of language again.These are hurtful words and can impact anyone who overhears them.” “Using the words ‘queer’, ‘dyke’ or ‘fag’ to joke around is not OK.“It is never OK to say, ‘you act like a girl (or look like a boy)’ as a put-down.”.“Even if you didn’t mean to offend people who are gay, it is offensive to call this assignment gay (or queer) if you don’t like something, then say you don’t like it!.“Using the word ‘homo’ to tease someone is harassment and is unacceptable.”.“You may not have meant to be hurtful, but when you use the word ‘gay’ to mean something is bad or stupid, it is hurtful.” Follow-up: “Do you know why it is hurtful?”.“It’s not OK at this school to use ‘gay’ disrespectfully to mean something is bad.”.
“Remember, we don’t use put-downs in this class.”.Stop It … Keep it simple with quick responses: Download PDF Download PDF Spanish version
