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

were launched at the Royal Courts of Justice the attorney general, Barbara Follet and the
London Chief…
AM: {yes I remember you saying}
SS: …you know which is a big bloody deal. Um, previous to that it was the Metropolitan
Police and the MPA, previous to that it was the TUC and the very first one was at the
Tate Gallery thanks to Southwark Council…
AM: {yep}
SS: …because I live in Southwark and Southwark has supported my work enormously,
we had the council forum there and they supported me. So the irony is that out initial
funding came from the then department of education and skills. 17 thousand the first
year, 20 thousand the second year, but they’ve done it totally in the closet, we’ve never
been allowed to put there logo on the website
AM: {I remember that being said at the conference in February
SS: Absolutely I was so angry about I can’t tell you, yes
AM: They give you the funds, but they don’t want to be associated with it
SS: That’s right and interestingly enough Gypsy and traveller month has started, this is
the first year, in June and whose logo is on their website, DCSF, which of course is a
rainbow which is….
AM: Actually yes I noticed that, cos when the DCSF was new sort of in terms of the
reformulation of the department and I noticed on their new website that it’s a rainbow
SS: Yes
AM: I though that was a bit [//] hypocritical, one might say
SS: Yes, just a tidge, just a tidge. Absolutely. So History Month, fifth year next year, I’m
hoping to have Balls, Ed Balls the Education Minister launch it in a school in Tower
Hamlets, we’ll see. Um, I I think, I mean I get a sense going round the country and Paul
did a lot of travelling as well that [//] we’re beginning to get embedded in the equality
calendar. I think, I wouldn’t say that everybody knows by any means, um [//] and we are
not as mainstreamed as I would like, so although the BBC not this year but the last year
Radio four did about, had a whole month of Tchaikovsky in February had at least five
different, book programme, had a couple of dykes and a gay man, dessert island discs had
a couple of gay people in that month, I mean it was really quite interesting
AM: {yeah}
SS: …but it at no point said February is LGBT history Month