80% of gay kids fear coming out - Gay Surrey seeks your help

[Gino]

We need your help – “Educate don’t Segregate” Campaign

Eighty percent of gay kids fear coming out

• Eight in ten children believe that coming out in school could put them in danger. The shocking figure, discovered by LGBT Excellence Centre Wales, has reinforced the levels of fear experienced by many gay kids whilst in education. "Unfortunately, I'm not at all surprised by these findings", said Nigel Tart of anti-homophobic bullying organisation, Schools OUT. "Whilst anti-bullying measures are crucial in the short term, we need to create a culture where staff and students feel safe to come out".

A previous survey, by gay equality organisation Stonewall, showed that the fear is well justified, with 41% of all gay kids who experience bullying receiving death threats during their time at school. "Despite this being the 21st Century, a lot of gay and trans people are intimidated into hiding their feelings at works, at school and even at home", said Federico Podeschi, Managing Director of LGBT Excellence Centre Wales.

It would seem from the above plus Sunday nights Radio 5 interview, BBC news about Schools and Education, our own surveys ( http://www.gaysurrey.org/surveys.htm ) and some upsetting emails from the community – for example..... we have a long way to go

• Quote “As a gay teacher and the parent of a child suffering from homophobic abuse as a result of my sexuality, I wholeheartedly applaud your 'educate not segregate' campaign. I am out to staff but not students, so am I limited in terms of my ability to do more than push for homophobia to be explicitly included on the anti-bullying policy”.
• I was bullied at school because I have a friend that is Gay, I told my teacher and he said they would sort it out, nothing happened and my parents said it was probably nothing so drop it. I am still being bullied and called a “queers friend”

The above is only a couple of the many emails we receive and because of a lack of funding, resources and help we have no way of pushing this campaign further, BUT, we have to find ways of being able to show we are on top of these matters and must seek help from anyone/everyone to allow Gay Surrey to achieve its goals

All the information collated so far only goes to prove we have so much work to do in Surrey and we need support to raise awareness to these issues now - at IDAHO on the 17th May and our campaign “Educate don’t Segregate”

This is a call to action, we have contacted every school in Surrey over the last year or so with no joy, attended a Schools day with Surrey County Council which proved no success, the patience of the charity is no longer there and we call for Councils, organisations and more to help us with this campaign in 2009. We simply cannot accept the fact that this is a hidden issue and one that is simply brushed under the carpet.

Email me to show your support, please.
The charities aim is to hold one general meeting to find ways in which we can get the message out, raise awareness and find avenues that can help stop young people from the fear of coming out, prevent self harm and even suicide, to name just a few

I look forward to hearing from you because we take this serious, do you ?

Gino
Chair
Gay Surrey

[Gino]

More information has been released today, Gay Surrey are speaking with the organisers of the survey to find out if they have any stats from this survey that applies to Surrey, I will let you know more when we find out.
Teachers say homophobic bullying is rife
Any pupil perceived as ‘different’ falls victim
Children experience anti-gay bullying in primary school
Nine in ten teachers never received training
A major YouGov survey of primary and secondary school teachers has revealed that homophobic bullying affects more than the 150,000 gay pupils in British schools.
The Teachers’ Report, the largest ever survey to ask teachers from both primary and secondary schools about anti-gay bullying, presents a deeply alarming picture of the extent of homophobic bullying in schools.
The report, published today, finds that it is not just gay pupils who experience bullying. Teachers reveal that boys who work hard, girls who play sport, young people with gay parents, and young people who are thought to be gay, can all experience homophobic bullying in both primary and secondary school.
Key findings are:
• Nine in ten secondary school teachers and two in five primary school teachers say pupils experience homophobic bullying, even if they are not gay.
• Secondary and primary school teachers say homophobic bullying is the most prevalent form of bullying after bullying because of weight.
• Teachers say the vast majority of incidents go unreported by pupils.
• 43 per cent of secondary school teachers and three in ten primary school teachers have heard homophobic language or negative remarks about gay people from other school staff.
• Nine in ten teachers say they have never received training about homophobic bullying.
• Three in five secondary school teachers and a quarter of primary school teachers have addressed sexual orientation in the classroom and ninety-five per cent say they would do so again.
‘This survey reveals how much remains to be done by our schools to demonstrate to all pupils that homophobic bullying is unacceptable. In July last year, 18-year old Michael Causer from Liverpool was kicked to death by a young man shouting homophobic abuse. That young man had not been educated in the 1970s, or the 1980s, or the 1990s. He attended a British secondary school during the last five years. Teachers need support to ensure this tragedy does not happen again.’
The survey of 2,043 teachers conducted by YouGov, also highlights the barriers that teachers face when trying to prevent homophobic bullying. Only two in five secondary school teachers and less than half of primary school teachers say their headteacher demonstrates a clear leadership role when it comes to tackling homophobic bullying. Two thirds of secondary school staff and three in four primary school staff believe homophobic language in broadcast media affects the frequency of homophobic language and homophobic bullying in schools.
Observations from teachers included in the research:
• ‘I teach primary age children who use the terms “poof”, “queer”, etc. when name calling.’ - Emily, teacher, primary school, (East Midlands)
• ‘I do not believe my headteacher to be supportive in the slightest of our gay and lesbian students: he is, in my opinion, as bigoted as the bullies.’ Daniel, teacher, secondary school (North East)
• ‘They need to be shown and taught about it, just like we do other countries, religions etc. Hiding won’t make it go away.’ Niamh, teacher, primary school (South West)
• ‘It is time for a major initiative to tackle issues, including homophobia, in schools as part of the national curriculum rather than as a whim of each headteacher.’ Yasmin, teacher, secondary school (Yorkshire & the Humber)

[gold6080]

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