It’s time for inclusive education
If you belong to the LGBT+ community, think back on your time at school. Think about your experiences and how you were made to feel. Were you included? Were you valued? Were you told that it was alright to be gay? Or were you the “faggot”, the “poof”, the “dyke”? Were you confident enough to be yourself? Would you have been victimised for being open?
I wouldn’t have been honest about my sexuality while at school. I went to a denominational institution that completely ignored anything that diverged from their heteronormative, religious ideal – the usual homophobic language was used time and time again by kids, yet I can’t remember one time that it was challenged. One teacher spoke of the “abomination” that is homosexuality, while another cared enough to openly share her confusion with the class as to “how the parts fit”, concluding that “gay” just couldn’t be a natural phenomenon. A scandal erupted when two girls got into a relationship; they were warned that they could not hold hands in the corridor. But hey, who cares about those two straight kids kissing next to them?
I knew that if I was bullied because of my race, religion or gender then I could speak to the school. But what if I was being bullied because of my sexual orientation? The school clearly had no time for me or my “unnatural” ilk. I struggled with self-acceptance, and when I hit my lowest point – there was no support available. Frightened of what my life would become, and unaware that “gay” was not just a slur that was thrown around in the corridors – in fact, it was a whole community full of history, activism and vibrance – I thought about suicide.
I’m not alone. Many of you will have experienced similar. In fact, Stonewall Scotland’s “School Report” of 2012 highlighted that 52% of LGBT+ youth have experienced direct homophobic bullying in Scottish schools; and a subsequent 26% (1 in 4) have attempted to take their own lives. Further, 54% are deliberately and regularly self harming. Of course, we’ll never be able to put a figure on how many have actually taken their own lives. Still – our education system is failing to address these issues, and ignorance is perpetuation.
This cannot be allowed to continue – as the above statistics highlight, what we are faced with in our schools is a social epidemic. If ACT UP taught us one thing – it is that silence equals death. In maintaining their undignified silence on the LGBT+ community, schools are essentially consenting to these issues. In continuing to neglect an entire community and its history – we are sending a clear message to LGBT+ kids at school: you are not included here. How can we really tackle homo/bi/transphobia in our schools and ensure that no more kids struggle with their identity, when the antidote is being rejected?
Its time for our policy makers to get real and start taking these issues seriously. So, along with a friend of mine, Liam, I have launched a grassroots campaign – T.I.E (Time for Inclusive Education) – to tackle this issue in Scotland. We have filed a petition with our Parliament, calling for the teaching of LGBT+ issues and topics to be statutory across all schools. Our youth have to be made aware that they are alright, and they are valued.
Whilst we are campaigning in Scotland, we are hoping to lead by example – we want to send ripples throughout the UK and encourage other campaigners to step up and do the same.
We want you to get actively involved in this campaign. You can never underestimate the power in being honest about the difficulties that many of you will have undoubtedly faced. We want you to share your experiences from your time in school, and your journey towards self acceptance. Your voice can shine a light on the failures of the education system. There is a strong possibility that we will be called to give evidence to Parliament regarding this issue – and we want to bring you with us. Once you start talking, you start making changes. If we can show that this is a live, national issue – then, collectively, we can put some pressure on decision makers to act. Share your experiences with us, by emailing stories@tiecampaign.co.uk – and get your voice heard in Parliament.
If we truly want a progressive society, then we have to act now. We would appreciate your support and we cannot do this without you. You can sign the petition and help us try to create a more inclusive education system for all of our children here: www.scottish.parliament.uk/gettinginvolved/petitions/tiecampaign
Words by Jordan Daly (pictured above)