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

with you know the implications of what it might mean to be working with lesbian and
gay families [//] and I suppose always whenever I was doing this work I would do it as
Sue Sanders, but I would always talk about Schools Out. You know I was Co-Chair of
Schools Out I would always say you know as the Co-Chair of School Out this work you
know because I was trying to make the links between the Criminal Justice System and
Education. Massive under reporting of homophobic crime, where do people learn about
not reporting homophobic crime, in schools where schools take no notice of it, so why are
we then surprised that people don’t report homophobic crime, if when they’ve been at
school, they have watched there teachers do nothing about homophobia and maybe even
perpetrate it, so why would they then assume that the police would be actually be their
friends? So [//] I would always be raising the issues with the police and the criminal
justice system about saying your concerned about the under reporting of homophobic
crime therefore you’ve got to do work with the education and therefore me being Co-
Chair of Schools Out is a really important link for you to be thinking about those [//]
through…
AM: {what are you looking at Dusty?!
SS: …um so, Schools Out therefore has been, visible within the criminal justice system
and because of my membership of the lesbian, gay bisexual and transgender advisory
group to the Met Police um I was invited to do a presentation to the CP service, amongst
others, to discuss the whole potential of the CPS thinking about producing a guide to
prosecute homophobic and transphobic, well homophobic crime at that point and was
there a need, so a group of us did a presentation to say yes there bloody well is and then I
was on the advisory group that that co wrote that and then Dr Michael Halls who’s from
Intercom Trust down in Cornwall and does the four Counties down in the South West he
and I are responsible for training all the regional homophobic crime co-ordinators, so
every year or maybe twice a year we we train we do two big days training down there and
the CPS uses me as a usually volunteer, occasionally they’ll give me a bit of money [//]
…
AM: {If you’re luck you get a cup of tea out of it!
SS: …yeah, yeah, I mean I’ve certainly worked with them on their single equality policy
which is probably one of the best um and just recently we’ve revamped the policy and um
advice on prosecuting homophobia and transphobic crime and we’ll have to update it
again because obviously we’ve just got the new law coming in.
AM: Of course yeah.
SS: So [//] (sigh), so I suppose what’s the complexity of Schools Out its the joy of it’s a
rich as the members of it and who can get themselves out there. I’ve been extraordinary
lucky to be in a very crucial point in at a crucial time to then get very involved with the
Criminal Justice System that Schools Out has been, has gained this quite prominent place
from the…
AM: {from the links that you have made?