James Dawson: 'Don't dilly-dally over mandatory PSHE lessons while LGBT kids are dying'

James Dawson has backed calls for mandatory PSHE (Personal, Social & Health Education) in all schools in the face of stark statistics on the state of mental health among LGBT youth.

In a new column for The Guardian the This Book is Gay author argues that LGBT teens are suffering in silence with depression, self-harm and substance abuse while politicians “dilly-dally” over the need for sexuality and gender classes in schools.

Pointing to statistics from last year which indicate that while 42% of young LGBTQ people sought medical help for depression or anxiety compared to 29% of straight, cisgendered youths; 52% had self-harmed (compared to 35%) and 44% had considered suicide compared to 26% of heterosexual, cisgendered respondents, Dawson says that cases like Leelah Alcorn – the 17-year-old trans teen who tragically took her own life last month (December) – could be avoided.

“Of course, what we really need – and it is a need – is mandatory PSHE lessons in ALL schools on sexuality and gender,” he writes. “This should be enforced as part of safeguarding procedures. If parents assume schools are teaching this stuff, and schools hope parents do, it’s no wonder children are falling between the cracks.

“Perhaps schools should assume that LGBTQ people will find it hard to talk to their families about sex and gender so should step up as the first port of call for anxious youths (I wouldn’t have gone to my GP for instance – it was a small town and she knew my mum).”

He goes on to say: “I honestly believe that while politicians, education secretaries and lords dilly-dally over mandatory PSHE, worrying about upsetting those with delicate, hysterical sensibilities, young people are suffering, harming themselves and dying.

“Stonewall, Diversity Role Models and similar organisations are doing wonderful work sending members of the community, such as myself, into schools to be beacons of It Gets Better, but that only reaches schools that already care enough to seek us out. This has to be every school, for every child: the ones who are LGBTQ, and the ones who live alongside us.

“This has to stop. We can’t keep adding names to that sad, awful list. I’ll say it again: sexuality and gender did not kill these young people; fear, isolation and hopelessness did.”

James Dawson: ‘Don’t dilly-dally over mandatory PSHE lessons while LGBT kids are dying’

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