Stonewall launches campaign to help educate high schools

Britain’s largest gay rights charity Stonewall launched a campaign today to tackle homophobic language in UK schools. The campaign began appearing on Twitter, while a series of posters have been sent to schools to combat inappropriate language, but it’s not just schools that the campaign should reach.

Posters shouting “Gay. Let’s get the meaning straight.” and “That’s so gay. Let’s be honest, it’s probably not.” are aimed at educating teenagers around the country in hopes of making schools safer environments for gay and lesbian teens. Stonewall’s research shows that 99 per cent of gay and lesbian young people hear the phrases “that’s do gay” and “you’re so gay” in their schools. More troubling, hearing these phrases causes great distress in 84 per cent of teens.

The campaign is also fronted by out singer Will Young, who said “the word ‘gay’ is currently used as one of the worst insults by young people of all ages in Britain’s schools.” Young continued in the release from Stonewall, “It’s clear from the shocking levels of self-harm and suicide among gay young people that we’re failing an entire generation. It’s time to take a stand and put a stop to this deeply damaging use of homophobic language.”

While Stonewall has initially targeted the campaign in 2,500 UK secondary schools, about half of the nation’s such schools, the charity welcomes everyone participate in the campaign either by tweeting with the hashtag #getoverit or by sharing the posters in your workplace. In fact, this type of homophobic language is not confined to UK schools as many adults who should know better still use these inappropriate phrases in the workplace.

Today also marks ten years since Section 28 was scrapped in England, having been repealed in 2000 in Scotland. Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988 added an amendment that stated a local authority “shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality” or “promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship”. As schools fall under the control of local authorities, the act barred the teaching in schools of anything that might promote gays. While the act didn’t carry the ability to enforce the law, it acted as a way to self-censor many schools and saw the closure of my student support groups.

More to come…