TUC general secretary Brendan Barber has called on the government to include lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) equality education in the school curriculum, as the only way to address homophobic bullying in schools. According to Barber, schools need to protect their pupils from homophobic bullying, and promoting LGBT equality in the classroom is the best solution. Barber said: "While the UK's education system ought to be in the vanguard of the fight against homophobic discrimination, all too often it is in fact part of the problem. Whereas our schools and colleges have done much to counter racism and sexism, the same cannot be said when it comes to tackling homophobia. Despite some notable exceptions, too many educational establishments are breeding grounds for the worst kind of casual prejudice".
He added that a survey by campaign group Stonewall last year found that "almost all LGBT pupils reported hearing homophobic abuse. No less than two thirds reported being the victims of bullying. And perhaps most alarming of all, one in six said they had been subjected to death threats".
Barber concluded that "Schools and colleges are not doing enough. Fewer than a quarter have categorically said that homophobic bullying is wrong. And while 99 per cent of schools told the Stonewall survey they had general anti-bullying policies, just six per cent had anti-bullying policies that dealt with LGBT issues".
Comments (1)
Posted by Steve Miller | July 4, 2008 7:44 AM
As an openly gay man I can see the reasoning behind this and support this kind of education. But lets not go overboard. Lets incorparate it into the curriculum without making too much of a big deal about it.
So many in the lesbian and gay community do have a habit of protesting for protestings sake. Does it really help that people like Peter Tatchell stand with banners on street corners? I think not. If anything it highlights and further emphasises difference. Those are the old days so let them go.
Posted on July 4, 2008 07:44