Most LGBT youth hide their identity to protect themselves from bullying, glaringly obvious study finds
LGBT+ young under 25 were surveyed, and the results, while startling, aren’t surprising. (Stock photo via Elements Envato)
Homophobic and transphobic bullying are commonplace in Britain’s school, nearly 4,000 LGBT+ youth, have said according to a glaringly obvious study.
In the hallways and cafeterias of schools up and down Britain, half of queer young people reported facing abuse from fellow pupils, research from the British LGBT Awards published yesterday found.
Moreover, just one in four LGBT+ people under the age of 25 said they felt able to come out in school, and eight in 10 pupils were pelted with verbal abuse.
Research leads called the findings of the report “startling”, noting that as much as progress is going ahead in some areas, “there are still many barriers left.”
Around seven in 10 LGBT youth fear coming out, study says.
The findings comes as the government examines reforms to the sex and relationship curriculum to become more LGBT-inclusive.
From September 2020, inclusive relationships and sex education will be statutory, and guidance states that “schools must consult parents in developing and reviewing their policy”.
Every primary school child will learn about different types of families, including those with same-sex parents, while secondary school students will learn about sexual orientation and gender identity.
But protests in Birmingham presented a relentless test for lawmakers and activists in favour of inclusive education reforms. Parents carried placards and even pulled children from primary schools which taught LGBT+ lives in the classroom.
Among the 3,795 surveyed, around 70 per cent are fearful of coming out. A unnerving statistic that comes as nine in 10 of participants believe LGBT-inclusive education should be on the national curriculum.
Furthermore, outside of the classroom, nearly three in 10 participants said they had been the victim of cyberbullying.
British LGBT Awards founder Sarah Garrett said in a statement: “As we know, the current generation of young people are vastly different to those before them.
“Their input into this important survey has revealed some startling results and shows that young LGBT+ people in Britain today face new and greater challenges than before.
“Although great strides have been made, there are still many barriers that the LGBT+ community face, which have been highlighted by these results.”
