KANSAS CITY, Kan. — A new report shows an alarming increase in bullying of youth who identify as LGBTQIA+.
In the survey, released by nonprofit The Trevor Project in honor of National Bullying Prevention Month, 52% of LGBTQIA+ young people enrolled in middle and high school reported either electronic or in-person bullying in the past year.
The report said students who reported being bullied were at three times greater odds of attempting suicide.
Local experts want families in the Kansas City metro to know there are resources to help their children.
Bobby Eklofe, president of KVC Hospitals, said he knows first-hand that it can be tough for parents to recognize when their child is being bullied.
"Sometimes we assume it’s easy to share that you are getting bullied," Eklofe said. "It’s hard to admit that, it was hard for my son to admit that as we didn’t know until he was a grown-up."
Eklofe said his son Caleb, who is now an adult, was bullied as a child for being gay.
"He would have to sometimes go to the nurse's office or wait until he got home to go to the bathroom because there were kids that would not let him use the bathroom," Eklofe said.
Eklofe said his son has re-experienced bullying even as an adult. He said Caleb wanted to share his story in hopes it'll show the long-term effects bullying can have on the LGBTQIA+ community.
Brittany Broeckelman, clinical director at KVC Hospitals, said there are warning signs parents can look for.
"If they are talking about feelings of hopelessness or feelings of wanting to die like there is no point to live life, excessive crying, changes in sleeping and eating habits and withdrawing or isolating," Broeckelman said.
She said other signs can be drastic mood changes or increases in anxiety, sadness, irritability or anger.
Broeckelman said recent years have created even more avenues for online bullying.
"It just feels very difficult for a lot of our youth, and especially our LGBTQIA+ youth, to escape that bullying when it never leaves them," Broeckelman said.
Along with providing an individualized patient treatment plan, KVC works to be an affirming space for youth by teaching them resiliency skills and healthy ways to respond.
Ultimately, the work to make a child feel safe starts at home.
"Make sure that you take time in each day to spend with your children just to be aware of those signs, we know our children," Eklofe said.
Eklofe said KVC has a simple assessment guide online for parents to figure out if their child should get an assessment. He urges parents not to wait to get their child assessed.
