Failure of reporting these incidences to school staff or adults was realized (66% did not report), and a low percentage (29%) said that school staff gave ineffective intervention after reporting incidences according to GLSEN. Evidence of the negative impact of harassment of GLBTQ in high schools can be evidenced by the Michigan case survey which associated harassment with lower school performance for the victims and restricted access to education. As observed by Darline & Woest, GBLTQ students could encounter pressure to do some things that are aversive, being made subject to gossip and rumors, face exclusion from groups or conversations, being left out of activities, and be made uncomfortably. The author reports that students could adopt coping mechanisms to try and avoid others.
Internalized stereotypes result in learners developing very low self-esteem which could increase antisocial behavior which can be associated with practices such as shoplifting, dropping out of school, alcoholism, and vandalism increase as these students may act out of these negative self-images. Psychological impacts touch the behavior, attitudes, and feelings of the affected group. GLBTQ students may face psychological effects such as insecurity, feelings of humiliation, and loneliness, which are immediate, as compared to long-term effects such as psychosomatic disorders, eating disorders, fear of strangers, depression, and self-harm as macro effects of harassment. These categories of students may therefore have different trends of relating with others as compared to the non-GLBTQ students because some psychological disorders like depression and humiliation may lead to withdrawal from the rest of the society.
Most of the developmental psychological models such as those of Eli Coleman, (pre-coming out, coming out, and exploration), Hanley-Hackenbruch (prohibition, ambivalence, and integration), and the models of Sophie and Troiden Richard have been blamed on focusing mostly on gay men and lesbians as they assume a stable, core sexual orientation. Most of these models have similar stages. A national study on adolescent health revealed that half of all youth suicides were GLBT young people and that 20% of those GLBT students surveyed attempted suicide more than once. Sathrum found out that GLBT students had high rates of HIV infection, stress, more high-risk sexual behavior which can be associated with increased HIV infection, as well as higher usage of alcohol.
Anthropology has cast doubt on the contextual dependence of homosexuality and asserted that gender-appropriate behavior was not grounded in biological sex but determined by cultural context. This argument tends to agree with the view that the behavior of an individual can be shaped through social interactions within the community. However, it can only be valid by consideration of the fact that the internal characteristics of individuals also contribute to shaping their behavior. Perhaps these effects are what contribute to poor attendance and subsequent performance at school. According to the GLSEN survey of the Michigan case, safety reasons among the harassed victims made them miss at least a day of school (32% of them) and skipping class at least once in the previous month of the survey time (34% of the GLBT). Comparison data contains evidence that students in the GLBT category could experience lower participation in class activities than their counterparts not in this category. Those in the GLBT category were twice as likely to miss days of school for feeling unsafe.
The extent of harassment also influenced school participation because those that were more frequently verbally harassed were twice as likely to miss days of school for feeling unsafe (44%) than those who were less frequently harassed (22% likelihood). Lower participation of GLBT in school activities could be explained as the result of poorer performance. Since performance at high school is important to student’s success even in the future, the impacts of harassment can be experienced even in the latter stages of life since it denies the victim the right of the opportunity to freely excel at school. The macro effects of such harassment include society’s deterioration to literacy levels or lower levels of literacy in general. The Michigan survey showed GLBT students that were frequently physically harassed (because of their sexual orientation) scored a grade point average which was half a grade lower (2.3) than those less frequently harassed (score of 2.9).
The presence of supportive staff is important to mitigate the hostile climate as evidenced in the survey, where those GLBT with a higher (or those who cited) number of supportive staff were double less likely to miss school for safety reasons (37% likelihood) than those with fewer (or those who cited) supportive staff. Another reason for the presence of harassment is the low number of supportive staff or less concern among the staff. Lack of clubs to provide support and a comprehensive policy could as well be blamed for the presence of harassment. Only 18% reported the presence of comprehensive school policy including specific protections on gender-related issues of orientation and identity and only 29% reported having the aforementioned type of clubs. Harassment or discrimination may also be experienced by members of the same family.
Across the world, some differing religious perspectives on GLBTQ practices such as same-sex marriage have been expressed with some supporting some practices and others rejecting them. These directly or indirectly affect the lives and motivation of individuals of sexual orientation. Political perspectives have also been adopted with championing and advocating for more rights for the GLBTQ individuals in the society, with the formulation of rules and regulations that ensure equality among people of different sexual orientations in terms of access to social amenities such as education and health as well and giving them equal rights. Various perspectives are linked because denying GLBTQ the opportunity and rights to participate in social, political, and economical activities will impact their economic, political and social capability. In some cases, the formation of an organization such as those championing gay rights have been politically initiated.