Looking at the UK more broadly, research by Stonewall shows that 45% of lesbian, gay and bi students have been bullied for their sexual orientation, 64% of young trans people have been bullied at school, and 80% of secondary school teachers have not received specific training on tackling homophobia in schools. But why is this inclusive education just limited to Scotland? It’s not the case that LGBTI+ people stop existing once you cross the border, so why should disparities in school curriculums suggest this? Teachers are encouraged to improve their knowledge of LGBTI+ issues and will be given the tools to actively and effectively support their students. The beauty of the plan for queer education is that it serves multifold purposes: LGBTI+ pupils discover more about their community, while cis-het students learn more about why transphobia and homophobia are wrong. The fact that the Scottish government has acknowledged this problem and is actively looking for ways to improve the lives of LGBTI+ students is certainly laudable. Importantly, evidence shows us that transgender young people are having the toughest time in school and teachers lack the confidence to support them effectively.” As Cara Spence, Head of Programmes at the charity LGBT Youth Scotland, has written: “Young people have consistently told us that education is the area where they experience the most discrimination and LGBT young people continue to be bullied simply for being who they are.
These findings are not exclusive to TIE, and have been echoed by other groups and charities.
The investigation also found that there was little understanding in schools about prejudice against people with variations of sex characteristics and intersex bodies. The research found that nine out of ten LGBTI+ Scots experience homophobia at school, and 27% reported they had attempted suicide after being bullied. TIE’s research within Scottish schools underscores the necessity for measures to be taken to improve the situation for LGBTI+ students. Although it’s been many years since Chris in my S1 Maths class called me a “weirdo lesbian,” life can still be a nightmare for LGBTI+ school pupils.Īt least this is what findings by Time For Inclusive Education (TIE), an advocacy group instrumental in bringing about the recent changes to Scottish education, would suggest. Moreover, the government’s decision was also a vital move to target the very real problem of LGBTI+ discrimination in schools. Finally, queer kids will be growing up within an education system that centres their experience, rather than perpetuates their marginalisation. Perhaps this is why I felt so overwhelmed in November when I learned that Scotland would be the first country in the world to introduce LGBTI+ education in schools, covering history and identity, while also making a concerted effort to combat homophobia and transphobia.
It was only later, when I was older and in contact with queer people and spaces, that I was able to learn about LGBTI+ history and the achievements of the community to which I now proudly belong. When using a search engine such as Google, Bing or Yahoo check the safe search settings where you can exclude adult content sites from your search results Īsk your internet service provider if they offer additional filters īe responsible, know what your children are doing online.While I knew I was into girls, it also felt like something I could never be open about - at least until my days of polyester school shirts were finally behind me. Use family filters of your operating systems and/or browsers Other steps you can take to protect your children are: More information about the RTA Label and compatible services can be found here. Parental tools that are compatible with the RTA label will block access to this site. We use the "Restricted To Adults" (RTA) website label to better enable parental filtering. Protect your children from adult content and block access to this site by using parental controls. PARENTS, PLEASE BE ADVISED: If you are a parent, it is your responsibility to keep any age-restricted content from being displayed to your children or wards. Furthermore, you represent and warrant that you will not allow any minor access to this site or services.
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