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

Stand Up For Us was therefore, the first policy to explicitly address homophobia in
schools and to acknowledge heterosexism/heteronormativity. It sets a background of
understanding for LGB(T) issues and explores ways in which schools can challenge
queerphobia by taking a whole school approach. This policy then, on the back of Section
28’s repeal, had potential to build platforms for change, and given the subsequent
introduction of general guidance such as Sexuality the New Agenda (Creegan et al.,
2007), which set out how local authorities can successfully engage with LGB
communities 17 ; and Gender Equality Duty and Schools (Migniuolo, 2007), which
specifically set out to eliminate sex discrimination and promote equality in schools, one
would have expected that by 2007 the situation for LGBT people in schools would have
improved considerably.
The School Report (Hunt and Jensen, 2007) highlights that this however, was not the
case; this most recent research demonstrates that in spite of Section 28’s repeal and the
introduction of policies such as Don’t Suffer and Stand Up For Us ‘homophobic bullying
is almost epidemic in Britain’s Schools’ (Hunt and Jensen, 2007: 2). The report was
compiled by Stonewall 18 in collaboration with the School Health Education Unit and
surveyed 1145 LGBT young people. It investigated what homophobic bullying looks
like; who inflicts it; how and when it was responded to; the consequences of it; and what
works well in challenging it. It found that queerphobic bullying took many forms; these
are highlighted in figure 1. and that 65% of ‘young lesbian, gay and bisexual people
17 Note, this guidance does not address transgender communities.
18 Stonewall was formed in 1989 as a response to Section 28. Stonewall puts equality on the mainstream
political agenda and is now recognised as the national lobbying organisation for gay, lesbian and bisexual
equality across all areas of life, working with a range of agencies to address the needs of lesbians, gay men
and bisexuals in the wider community (see Stonewall, 2008).