Sexual Orientation, Gender Nonconformity and Bullying Victimization Among Students in Norwegian Secondary Schools

Sexual minority status and gender nonconformity (GNC) place youth at heightened risk for victimization. This cross-sectional study examined whether sexual orientation and GNC were associated with bullying victimization among 1,897 cisgender students (ages 13–15) from 40 Norwegian secondary schools. Students identifying their sexual orientation as lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, or questioning (LGBQQ) were compared with heterosexual peers. LGBQQ students reported higher rates of harassment related to sexual orientation and gender expression than heterosexual students. However, in analyses of general bullying, GNC rather than sexual orientation showed the strongest association for both boys and girls. Among boys, bullying victimization levels were highest among heterosexual boys reporting high gender nonconformity. Among girls, bullying was associated with GNC regardless of sexual orientation. These findings highlight the need for prevention efforts that address gender expression as a key factor associated with youth victimization.