Comments on: Schools to be sent DVD on homophobic bullying

By: AngieRS

AngieRS — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 10:24:02 +0000

And now Cameron is calling for more faith schools. Well, that’ll work. Let them pick and choose who they want in their school while the hard to teach go to dumps with poor teaching staff and then faith schools get held up as a shining example.

By: AngieRS

AngieRS — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 00:57:05 +0000

You can tell, can’t you.

By: theotherone

theotherone — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 18:58:15 +0000

nice, they so love us Queers don’t they?

By: AngieRS

AngieRS — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 03:08:23 +0000

From what I understand, the government are encouraging christianity in schools but go to freethinker.org to read about the alpha course being run in schools.

By: theotherone

theotherone — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 21:48:03 +0000

they’re running the Alpha [we can cure homosexuality] course in schools? And what the fvck is the Government doing about this? Sweet fvck all!

By: Paul, UK

Paul, UK — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 16:44:57 +0000

When I was at school only 5 years ago, there was no support at all. People who came out usually got ridiculed back into the closet. I came out later during 6th form, and as the thick kids had all left, people began standing up for me. Had the support been there, I could have had someone to talk to. I wouldn’t have spent years in denial and then years stressing about being discovered.

I think this is a very worthwhile idea

By: AngieRS

AngieRS — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 15:57:13 +0000

Wonder whether they’ll show this before or after the Alpha course reportedly running in many state schools these days.

By: RT

RT — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 15:27:17 +0000

Legz Akimbo “Everybody Out!”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4yYhnkxdfI

By: theotherone

theotherone — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 13:10:17 +0000

tim: patric Harvey’s law (nice guy, I’ve met him twice at functions) is a good piece of legislation in that it;s carefully thought out and covers all bases.

The ‘inability’ of the UK government to protect children – or adults for that matter – is astounding and, I can’t help but think, deliberate.

The religious intolerance laws where a reintroduction of Clause 28 by the back door.

By: Tim Hopkins

Tim Hopkins — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 09:06:37 +0000

Hello theotherone. In Scotland (where I know you are), at the moment the law does not recognise either homophobic or transphobic hate crimes. Once Patrick Harvie’s hate crime act comes into effect in 2 or 3 months time, hate crimes based on transgender identity or sexual orientation will get equal recognition along with racist, religious and disability hate crime.

And unlike the workplace discrimination law, the Scottish hate crime law uses a very inclusive definition of transgender identity, so it would cover the case you suggested – that would be, legally, a criminal assault aggravated by prejudice on grounds of transgender identity.

But you’re right that schools, both in Scotland and the rest of Britian, are not required to do enough on either transphobic or homophobic harassment, and those are both shamefully specifically excluded from the UK Govt’s Equality Bill.

And, as you say, only transsexual people are protected by UK anti-discrimination law. The Equality Bill will extend that to people who are mistakenly thought to be transsexual, but it probably won’t help at all if the discrimination is based on another transgender identity rather than on the person being thought to be transsexual.

By: Mihangel apYrs

Mihangel apYrs — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 22:56:10 +0000

if in 2010 teacers are still “ill-equipped”, they and their colleges need their arses kicked. Maybe they need their salaries reduced by 10% and the colleges tehir grants also, since they’re not protecting OUR cbildren

By: theotherone

theotherone — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 21:43:14 +0000

no it couldn’t be shown under clause 28 but under the religious tolerance laws there’s huge problems showing it too:

1. A teacher can refuse to show it.
2. A child’s parents can withdraw said child from any class showing it
3. Any school showing it could be taken to court under the Religious Tolerance laws.
4. Any school with a particularly ‘religious ethos’ is free to teach anything it likes about any issue including Queer sexualities, Evolution or the price of fish.

In addition the law states that comments regarding Gender Presentation are not Homophobic Bullying therefore if a pack of vicious young thugs calls someone a poof and kicks them repeatedly in the head then they’ve broken the law; if they call the child a Sissy and kick him repedidly in the head then they’re law abiding citizens.

The same thing applies in the workplace (well if you’ve got used to coming down hard on Gender Variance in schools it’s cruel to withdraw this pleasure in later life as the trauma may make you upset) where you can not be disciplined for saying someone’s a Transexual or making comments about their Gender Presentation if they are not, infact, a Transexual.

Good old Labour eh?

By: BrazilBoysBlog

BrazilBoysBlog — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 20:47:14 +0000

Seriously, if this changes attitudes and makes teens think, then all power to Stonewall for doing it. Good job.

Interesting question though… Would this video have been allowed to have been shown in schools at all under the Tories Section 28?

Worth remembering.

By: tsuchan

tsuchan — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 19:02:46 +0000

Cleggy (1): Are they supposed to be gay? In that case, I wish they’d reinforce the stereotype that we’r supposed to be fashion conscious and not stick us in 1980s track-suits.

By: Cleggy

Cleggy — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 18:36:20 +0000

Why are they enforcing stereotypical views that all gay’s like drama and acting?