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

AM: Yeah. I think that probably covers the second part of the question as well which I
was going to ask, why do you think the Government’s not making these kinds of
initiatives a compulsorily part of the curriculum?
CG: I think it’s because of that um that environment in schools about talking about the
issues is still quite sensitive um but you know slowly but surely we are making progress.
If you look at the, like I said the PSHEE curriculum for key stages 3 and 4 for the new
curriculum that comes in in September 2008. There are, there are now definitions around
homo, talking about homophobia and homophobic bullying. Within citizenship there’s
reference to talking about same sex um relationships and civil partnerships, but, and
whilst this is not at any stage where these things are mentioned is it statutory, it’s a step in
the right direction and there’s a very big move there’s a PSHE association which is
lobbying to make PSHE statutory in schools, so we’d love to see that happen at some
stage. And even then, if it were to become statutory [//] talking about those issues is still
optional because it’s not been written in stone as definitions, you may want to talk about
these issues, but they’re still not you know concrete there.
AM: Yeah.
CG: But it’s a step in the right direction and there are a lot of schools that are really
embracing this and saying you know we want to do it, its there, the QCS says we can do
it, we are going to do it.
AM: That’s’ great, a step in the right direction.
CG: Definitely.
AM: moving on to young people. The development of their own sexuality, which is the
primary focus of my research really. Given that some young people are often unaware of
their own sexuality and their general identity during their school years, why and how do
you think they are actually singled out for this type of bullying?
CG: Well, much like any form of bullying, you can be homophobically, biphobically,
transphobically bullied just for being different. It’s not about being gay, it’s not about
being bisexual, it’s not about being trans. Um, I’ve worked in bullying for many years, I
used to work in disabilist bullying and [//] disablist words would be banded around just
directed at somebody for being different or not part of the group. Especially when we talk
about homophobic bullying, which which also encompasses biphobic bullying and to an
extend transphobic bullying um you know it’s those boys who aren’t particularly sporty,
the girls who are particularly sporty, who aren’t part of the group um you know who [//]
the intelligent ones in the class, who have a gay brother, who have gay parents, um they
can be, the can experience homophobic bullying. So it’s not always about those who are
perceived as gay. It’s not always those who come out as gay. Um [//] and a lot of the time
we know that you know the um, the language that young people use poof, queer, gay as
derogatory terms um a lot of the time they use it as a derogatory term without actually
thinking about the meaning of the word. Um you know school trainers, school textbook
or trainers get called gay, um you know gay is sort of that word that is often used to refer
to something as being crap or rubbish. Um, so it’s, it’s quite a complex area really. It’s