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

AM: That’s probably one of the answers to the question, of why you think these
examples are so rare, is it because it’s such a challenge?
SS: [//] I think it’s (sigh) it think it’s a couple of things there I think you know it’s
interesting though there’s a teacher in Tedbrook in the Teachers TV thing who I knew
nothing about and she’s a drama teacher…
AM: {yeah}
SS: She’s in Tedbrook, I’m in Dulwich, why don’t I know her?
AM: Yeah.
SS: You know really interesting. So there’s clearly work going down that isn’t being [//]
necessarily, screamed and yelled and shouted about.
AM: Yep.
SS: For a variety of reasons, um, I mean what was interesting was, the first year that we
had LGBT History Month there was a school that did some interesting stuff, but didn’t
want their name attached to to their report.
AM: Yes, I heard about that.
SS: Um, there is good work being done which just gets quietly done and no-body sort of
shouts about it because [//]…
AM: {yep}
SS: …they don’t think it’s worth shouting about, they their concerned that if they do
shout about it there’s gonna be problems, I dunno, you know so I think, I think we have
to be careful when we make statements in saying, you know it’s patchy. I think we can
certainly say it’s patchy, we know it’s patchy (sigh) but why it’s patchy I think is
interesting and I think we also need to sort of recognise that there’s probably more work
going down than we know about.
AM: Yeah. That’s a good point. Um, you’ll probably just laugh at this question, but I’ll
ask it anyway! Um, obviously the work that is happening in schools like Stoke
Newington is, is off their own back, it’s definitely not government enforced, but given its
success, why is the Government not taking more interest and making such initiatives
compulsory?
SS: (laughs)
AM: Yes, you laugh, I thought you would!
SS: Well interestingly enough, there was a very big meeting with Kevin Brennan last
week.