A new national survey suggests middle schools can be downright hellish for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender kids. Among its findings:

* 91 percent of LGBT middle school students said they often or frequently heard the term "gay" used in a derogatory way.

* 82 percent said they often or frequently heard homophobic epithets from other students.

* 63 percent said they heard the school staff make homophobic remarks.

Sponsored by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, the survey is billed as the "first national research to look specifically at the experiences of LGBT students in middle school."

The New York Times Magazine recently ran this cover story about "coming out" in middle school.

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