The past decade has seen a rapid transformation in public opinion and legal
norms around sexuality, same - sex marriage, transgender rights, and religion in the public square — changes that have caused anxiety for a great number of traditional religious believers, including Christians, Muslims, and Orthodox Jews.
The harassment at River High reflected another theme related by teachers
around the country — that gender roles and
sexuality are tied together, and students who are viewed as outside the
norm of traditional notions of gender are targeted for harassment.