Homophobia and Discrimination on

‘horseplay’ or ‘messing around’. 217 This approach, however, might also be interpreted by
students as condoning such behaviour.
In Sweden, researchsuggests that teachers lack the tools to address LGBT issues. A
survey carried out by the Beneath the Surface project shows, inter alia, that only 8 per
cent of teacher respondents think that they have been trained to address such issues
properly. 218
Good practice: Anti-homophobic school bullying campaign: In Irel<strong>and</strong>, the initiative
Making Your School Safe carried out by The Equality Authority <strong>and</strong> BeLonG To
addressed school principals, teachers <strong>and</strong> students. It included a variety of activities,
such as posters for schools carrying the message: 'Homophobic bullying is not
acceptable in our school', booklets, fliers, etc. The project campaigned for further action
by schools, for example, developing anti-bullying <strong>and</strong> anti-harassment policies, <strong>and</strong>
codes of behaviour; including LGBT issues in school equality policies; training <strong>and</strong>
empowering staff to address homophobic harassment <strong>and</strong> bullying in school more
effectively; ensuring that guidance counsellors are properly trained in sexual identity
issues. 219
Good practice: Multiple action targeting teachers <strong>and</strong> politicians: In Sweden, a major
EQUAL 220 project Under Ytan [Beneath the Surface] was carried out between 2004 <strong>and</strong>
2007 engaging several partners, such as LGBT NGOs, National Equality Bodies, public
authorities, universities <strong>and</strong> trade unions. It engaged in a variety of activities, including,
for example, developing educational resources <strong>and</strong> methods to raise awareness in
schools, inspirational materials for school use, training to challenge hetero-normativity,
support for teachers working on sexual orientation issues <strong>and</strong> homophobia, support for
schools <strong>and</strong> local authorities implementing anti-discrimination legislation in the school
environment. 221
Impact of harassment <strong>and</strong> bullying on LGBT persons
Studies in the United Kingdom <strong>and</strong> a transnational NGO youth project covering Italy,
Spain, Pol<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> Austria—The School Mates Project 2007—highlight the negative
consequences of homophobic harassment <strong>and</strong> bullying on school performance <strong>and</strong> the
general well-being of LGBT students.
217 J. Norman, M. Galvin <strong>and</strong> G. McNamara (2006) Straight talk: Researching gay <strong>and</strong> lesbian issues in the
school curriculum. Dublin: Centre for Educational Evaluation, Dublin City University quoted in Irel<strong>and</strong>,
country report.
218 See http://www.ytan.se/?p=1892 (18.08.2008)
219 See http://www.equality.ie/index.asp?docID=593 (17.10.2008)
220 For more information on the European Commission’s EQUAL initiative see
http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/equal/index_en.cfm (10.12.2009)
221 See http://www.ytan.se/?p=1892 (18.08.2008)
Part II - The Social Situation
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