COMING OUT TO CLASS
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Media influence
QBoy's memories of school are filled with fear, intimidation and isolation. Britain might be more gay-friendly than it used to be, but even the teenagers featured, who have 'successfully' come out at school, have faced harassment and bullying.
The programme explores aspects of the media that have helped to bring gay culture more into the mainstream. There is a growing awareness among the general population of the diverse range of creative, accomplished and popular gay people on TV and in film, music and the arts. While the media can present role models for gay teens to identify with, it just as often provides stereotypical images of masculinity and femininity.
Teens seem to be more at ease with coming out, but are they well enough supported to do so safely? During adolescence, when young people are often finding their way in terms of identity and sexuality, there can be great pressure to conform, whether gay or straight. Any perceived difference can provide a catalyst for bullying behaviour. Qboy, for example, found school an unsafe and unwelcoming environment when his preference for dancing rather than football left him open to taunts and threats.
Homophobic bullying
Estimates vary as to the percentage of the population who identify themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT), but most research puts the figure at somewhere between 5 and 10%. Schools will therefore have a significant number of students who themselves are LGBT or who have family or friends who identify as such.
Section 28 (Section 2a in Scotland) of the Local Government Act 1998, left many in education feeling that they were unable to discuss homosexuality or homophobic incidents. There is now, in contrast, a legal obligation on schools to prevent all kinds of bullying – verbal, physical, or psychological. The Terence Higgins Trust's Homophobia fact sheet (1999) states:
Homophobia has a severe impact on mental and emotional health. It can cause feelings of low self-esteem and worthlessness, depression and anxiety, isolation and loneliness.
Research shows that homophobic bullying lowers educational attainment, and increases truancy rates, self-harm and suicide among young people.
Coming out to Class looks at ways in which schools can develop an inclusive, safe and successful learning environment. There is a wealth of information and support available to schools to enable them to achieve this. Please refer to Links for websites providing guidance and resources.
