Non-Normative Gender and Sexual Identities in Schools: - Schools Out

AM: Sure, within schools, how important do you feel it is for combating these problems
for staff to recognise that firstly bullying is actually happening?
CG: Oh I see. Um yeah it’s very important. We we you know we hear of schools and we
speak to schools who say well one we don’t have any gay children in our schools and we
don’t have any homophobic bullying in our schools. Um if they are not aware of the
issues in general then there’s no way then that they are going to be able to tackle it. And
this is why we are really pleased that we’ve been able to you know work with the
government to you know highlight the issue, that we’ve been able to publish our own um
our own research on it. Um [//] it’s difficult, you know schools, some schools are more
receptive than others and sometimes it’s left to that gay teacher in the school to sort out
the issue, whereas we very much talk about the whole school ethos…
AM: {sure}
CG: …and this leadership from the top. You know where if you haven’t got the whole
school community participating then you are not going to be able to bring about any
change. Um [//] this comes back party to the issues of monitoring homophobic incidents
and you know while we don’t you know put pressure on schools to do that. If they can do
that and recognise that they have to you know, that there are things that they can do to
safeguard all of their young people, then that’s really great and that sort of starts that
dialogue and like I said there is legislation in place. I mean the Education Inspections Act
2002 says about safeguarding all children and young people and that includes all of those
young people who may be lesbian, gay, bisexual, who may be transgender you know who
may be questioning their sexual orientation. So there is an awful lot there that suggesting
that this is something you have to be doing and there is an awful lot of resource and
support out there to now be able to do that.
AM: Right, sure. As well as recognising the bullying, what about the fact that
heterosexuality shouldn’t be assumed and that also male female binaries shouldn’t be
assumed? Again is this something that teaches aren’t recognising? Should be
recognising?
CG: I think yeah. I don’t think teachers are particularly at ease with with with [//] taking
the stance that’s ort of the non-assumption of heteronormativity and heterosexuality. Um,
I think at this point and this whole movement towards talking about LGBT more on the
school agenda, it’s more about talking about those issues and making [//] sort of
indirectly making young people understand that heterosexuality isn’t always the norm,
but without, I don’t think they feel comfortable at present to be you know standing there
and saying you know we don’t assume that anybody straight. It’s sort of, we are talking
about the fact there are different communities out there, almost like they talk about, you
know Black History Month they talk about bme, within LGBT History Month we talk
about those other communities you know that are out there.
AM: So, they are still kind of seen as other?
CG: I think so and while that’s not ideal, we are not naive to the fact that you know you
cant expect schools to take all of this on at once. Um especially if you look at issues