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

SS: … (nods) from the links that I have been able to make, Paul would make lots of links
within education and we’ve spent every bloody summer, doing what I would call the
government homework. Every summer there’s a big consultation. So Schools Out will
usually put something in to for instance the Single Equality Policy, um the Homophobic
guidance [//] um oh if you look on the website, there’s a whole long list of of documents
[//] …
AM: {yes I have there’s a massive list!
SS: …yes, that we have spent hours unpaid writing about, to try, I mean we attempted to
have the DCSF stuff when everyday matters, every child matters…
AM: {Yes Every Child Matters}
SS: …I spent an inordinate amount of time trying to point out that not mentioning LGBT
was a disaster and terrible and disgusting and then they produced Every Youth Matters
and again we weren’t in that and you finally think you know, is there any point to this [//]
um [//] so I guess Schools Out has it’s public hat in getting into interesting places and
making a change [//] …
AM: {yep.
SS: …and it has a place that that we attempt to support individuals, so people will ring us
up, much less than they used to, and I think that’s probably that the unions have got a lot
better so I don’t, I don’t [//] …
AM: {so it’s in a way it’s a good sign because there’s…
SS: {…yes, yes I think so.
AM: …because there’s more places for teachers to go to?
SS: I think there’s many more places for teachers to go to now. But what is shocking and
appalling and frightening is that since 2003, we’ve only had one case that we know about
that has gone to tribunal, successfully gone to tribunal…
AM: {yes}
SS: …which is David, which is one of Ours, you know which I was there for [//] David
Watkins [//] which was in February…
AM: {special needs teacher? Yes? Yes.
SS: …that’s right [//] (phone rings) …and now I’ve lost the thread no of course.
AM: Yes we were talking about the only case to go to tribunal…