Homophobic bullying is motivated by prejudices against gay people, or those people who are perceived to be gay by others. And teachers in the UK report, overwhelmingly, that homophobic bullying is the most common form of bullying in our schools. Anyone who doesn’t conform to what is expected of them because of their sex is targeted. According to Stonewall’s The Teachers’ Report, “young people who don’t conform to ‘traditional’ gender stereotypes (i.e. a boy who is not good at football, a girl who is) and those perceived to be gay also experience homophobic bullying as do those with gay friends or family. In fact anyone perceived as different may be targeted.”

When I was very young, I knew that I was different from other boys, but I didn’t know why. However, by the time I was ten, I knew that I was attracted to other boys, and throughout the majority of my years at school, I knew I was gay. Any young person in this situation knows how lonely, debilitating a desperate life can become. It can affect how well a person succeeds at school, and in later life, their self-esteem and how well they get on with their family or friends.

Research published in Stonewall’s The School Report shows that a depressingly high sixty-five per cent of lesbian, gay and bisexual young people experience homophobic bullying, while a staggering ninety-eight per cent regularly hear the word “gay” used in a derogatory way – as in, “That’s so gay” or, “You’re so gay” – in school.

Based on my own time at secondary school and my work with teenagers since, I’m not surprised to learn that fifty percent of secondary-school teachers say the vast majority of homophobic incidents go unreported. In my experience, most teachers fail to respond to homophobic language when they hear it. And, in some cases, they are guilty of it themselves!

“You’re so gay”

In July 2009, the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, Ed Balls, posted an article, “We’ve got much more to do – discrimination and prejudice are still prevalent in the playground”, to the LabourList website. In it, he talked about the epidemic of children using the word “gay” as an insult. He wrote:

Even casual use of homophobic language in schools – such as the worryingly prevalent but unacceptable use of the word “gay” as a derogatory term – can create an atmosphere that isolates young people and can be the forerunner for more serious forms of bullying.

Homophobic bullying creates an ugly climate of intimidation and can make it harder for young people to come out. And whether it's directed at lesbian, gay, bisexual, or heterosexual young people, our guidance makes clear that such bullying should be challenged wherever it takes place.

The guidance makes clear that Section 28 was repealed in 2003 and is no longer law, and that there are no legal barriers to teachers discussing issues around sexual orientation in the classroom. And it provides advice on a number of topics including: challenging the use of the word “gay” as a derogatory term; working with pupils who bully and providing support to those who are being bullied; how teachers should respond if a pupil comes out; and preventing homophobic abuse within schools by ensuring proper reporting systems are in place and creating a climate where lesbian, gay and bisexual adults and students feel safe.

Growing up can be challenging enough for young people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. Being bullied and discriminated against at school as well can make life miserable and sometimes fearful too. I want all schools to step up their efforts to stamp it out, because it's only by tackling such prejudice in schools and in the playground that we will create a truly tolerant society.

And it’s only through progressive politics and by the LGBT community continuing to make themselves heard [...] that we can build on the advances of the last 12 years and make homophobia in every part of society a thing of the past.

Balls is the same Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families who is, apparently, supporting FIT, the film by Rikki Beadle-Blair, which is to be shown in UK schools in an effort to try to combat homophobic bullying among students.

It’s depressing, therefore, that Balls is sending out mixed signals, and contradicting much of what he wrote in 2009, by allowing so-called “faith” schools to tailor their sex-education lessons to their own beliefs – beliefs that are inherently “homophobic”, “derogatory”, “bullying” and encouraging of “abuse” – and thereby helping to ensure that homophobic bullying continues in those schools! [See “News Watch” in this issue of G&LH.]

In 2007, Rikki Beadle-Blair – the writer and director, and creator of the 1990’s TV series Metrosexuality – was commissioned by Queer up North (QUN) to develop a play to help combat homophobic bullying in schools. He directed, choreographed, composed and wrote the show.

I would ask the kids how many people thought homosexuality was wrong. In every single school the vast majority, about 80%, would put their hands up. But kids would come up after the performance and say quite openly ‘I walked into this room homophobic and will leave it a changed person.

FIT is a bold and groundbreaking play for young people written and directed by Rikki Beadle-Blair.

It was developed to address the growing problem of homophobic bullying in UK schools.

FIT is about attempting to fit in and to stand out in today’s culture where everything from not liking sport to wearing the wrong trainers is “gay”. Snappy dialogue and pacy writing, combined with energetic hip-hop dance, original music and sparky comedy ensured that the play was an unforgettable piece of theatre.

FIT was produced by London’s Drill Hall, in association with Team Angelica, and experienced a very successful run during 2007 and 2008. In over 75 schools across the UK, 20,000 young people saw the play, which was accompanied by a workshop and talk with the audience, led by Beadle-Blair himself.

Now, Stonewall has adapted FIT into a feature film, interactive DVDs of which the charity aims to have sent out to every secondary school in the UK by the end of February.

Stonewall points out on its website that “[h]omophobic bullying is rife in schools. In [a] recent YouGov research for Stonewall, nine in ten teachers said their pupils experience homophobic bullying. But nine in ten teachers have never received any training on how to prevent and respond [it].”

Here are some trailers for the film. To learn more about the film, the people behind it and details about Puffta.’s plans to help tackle homophobic bullying in UK schools, see further down the page.

Meanwhile, Puffta., widely seen as the “UK’s leading website for gay teens”, is carrying out its own survey on homophobic bullying in British schools. It says, on its website:

Some studies suggest that though we’re coming out earlier than gay people in older generations, schools are more dangerous for young gay boys, and lesbians, than they were 10 or 20 years ago. While we have more openly gay people in the media, and more ways to network and keep in touch with like-minded people, there is evidence to suggest that homophobic bullying in schools is on the rise. We’ll soon be announcing some big plans to tackle homophobic bullying in schools in the UK, but before we can do that we really need to talk to you. If you’re aged 13–25 and have been to school or college in the UK then please take this quick Puffta. Homophobic Bullying Survey. It could help us to start making schools and colleges safer for everyone!