LGBTQ+ teens face higher odds of violence, bullying

MANILA, Philippines — Compared with their heterosexual peers, adolescents in the Philippines’ LGBTQ+ community are facing significantly higher odds of domestic violence and bullying.

Based on a study by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies, the odds of LGBTQ+ adolescents experiencing domestic violence and bullying are 1.7 and 2.1 times higher, respectively.

Of those odds, gender non-conforming girls had higher odds of facing domestic violence, while gender non-conforming boys had higher odds of experiencing bullying.

Around 34.8 percent were exposed to domestic violence.

While only 4.2 percent experienced repeated and intentional bullying, the proportion rises to 19.2 percent when applying an initial, broader measure of bullying.

The study has a sample size of 3,966 Filipino adolescents aged 16 and above in 2022.

Of the number, around 14 percent identified themselves as a sexual minority and around 4.9 percent, gender minority.