Anti-Bullying Week runs from 14-18 November, and this year's
theme is 'Stop and think - words can hurt'. According to a YouGov
recent poll for Stonewall, 95% of secondary school teachers
reported hearing the phrases "you're so gay" or "that's so gay"
used in their schools and classrooms as put-downs. A further nine
in ten teaching and support-staff say they've never received any
specific training on how to prevent or deal with homophobic
bullying. Article 28 may be dead and buried, but the problem of how
to address issues of homophobia in schools remains.
Until quite recently, I worked in a mixed-sex secondary school as
a teaching-assistant where and homophobic language was a staple of
the school day. This phenomenon wasn't distinct to my school; it's
endemic across the UK where for many teenagers, especially
heterosexual teens, the word "gay" is synonymous with 'stupid',
'rubbish', 'crap' or 'shit'. This interchangeable use is accepted
without question - but when I did ask my students (boys and girls)
about why something was "gay"- why they were using the word in that
way - they seemed genuinely surprised that their language might be
offensive.
I was frequently told by them to 'lighten up'; that they meant 'no
offence' and asked why I was 'so bothered about it in the first
place'. Aside from feeling personally slighted by their comments
(my students were unaware of my own sexuality), it bothered me that
homophobic language has become a shared prejudice, commonly
accepted in part because it's so casually and frequently used by
their peers, and partly because it is left unchallenged by so many
adults around them. It seems that whilst racist language is
universally acknowledged as unacceptable in schools, homophobic
slang has somehow slipped through the net.
But words do hurt.
Last year, Roger Crouch's 15 year old son Dominic took his own
life after rumours started circulating around his school that he
was gay. Sadly Dominic is one of many teenagers for whom homophobic
bullying is a terrifying reality and one that can sadly make life
unbearable. Gay and lesbian teens are two to three times more
likely to commit suicide than their straight peers. They are more
likely to suffer from depression, self-harm, substance abuse and
physical abuse because of their sexuality. "I would be spat on,
kicked, punched and strangled by boys and girls on a daily basis",
said Kieran, 14. "I became very depressed and lonely and would sit
in my bedroom and cry a lot. I told my mum I didn't want to be here
any more".
For those critics of the project who view homophobic language as a
normal part of adolescence and not worthy of such focus - think
again. 63% of secondary school teachers say that homophobic
bullying has a negative impact on a student's schoolwork, with
pupils skipping lessons and lunch, suffering physical abuse and
often severe depression.
Moreover, it seems logical that if homophobic rhetoric is
acceptable then homophobia as a whole is too. Unless we address
this inherent prejudice in our school system, we are bound to breed
a generational problem where homophobia is acceptable. The burden
of fighting back against this threat cannot be shouldered by
teachers alone - Stonewall's campaign highlights the need for
teacher training to help them deal with homophobia in the
classroom. This training is urgently needed and at present woefully
inadequate -something that the government desperately needs to
address. But we can play our own part too - we can force change for
a grass root level, starting by challenging the use of the word
'gay'.
It is only when we've succeeded in banishing this rhetoric
association between 'gay' and 'bad' that we can establish a safe
and understanding environment for our teenagers to learn in - and
it is only then that the deaths of young people like Dominic Crouch
will be a thing of the past.
For more information on Stonewall's national
Anti-Bullying Week campaign click
here.
