26/06/2007

Gay bullying 'endemic' in British schools

Almost two thirds of homosexual pupils in Britain's schools have been victims of homophobic bullying, a survey has claimed.

The School Report, conducted by the Schools Health Education Unit on behalf of campaign group Stonewall, found that almost all of those pupils (92%) had experienced verbal bullying, while 41% had experienced physical bullying and 17% had experienced death threats.

Nearly all gay pupils (97%) said that they heard derogatory phrases such as 'dyke' and 'queer' used in school.

The survey also claimed that half of teachers failed to respond to homophobic language when they heard it and said that less than a quarter of schools had told pupils that homophobic bullying was wrong.

Thirty per cent of gay pupils also said that adults, such as teachers or support staff, were responsible for homophobic incidents in their school.

Seven out of ten of those who have experienced bullying said that it had adversely affected their school work. Half of those bullied say that they have missed school as a result.

However, the report found that there were "significant benefits" when schools intervened in the bullying.

The report found that in schools that have said that homophobic bullying is wrong, gay young people are 60% more likely not to have been bullied. However, the report said that the incidence of anti-gay bullying remained higher in faith schools.

Ben Summerskill, Stonewall Chief Executive, said: "This is a damning legacy of Section 28, which deterred schools from tackling anti-gay bullying for so long. This remains one of the few sorts of bullying about which too many schools still take no action. It blights the lives not just of gay children but of thousands of pupils perceived to be lesbian or gay too."

(KMcA)


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