Service Providers

Information for teachers

First some of the myths:

We can't do anything because of Section 28...

Section 28 (which never had any influence over schools anyway) was repealed on 18th November 2003.

We don't have any gay pupils here...

Put another way it means the staff don't know about the gay pupils. This could mean a homophobic climate where they fear to come out. Research suggests that between 1 and 4% of the adult population may identify as gay, so in a school of 1000 pupils there may be 40 or more who identify as gay, and many more who are wondering.

However addressing issues of sexuality is a whole school challenge. An important part of being a good citizen in today's diverse society is an acknowledgement and celebration of that diversity. However the word 'gay' is the most commonly used term of abuse among young people in school, often applied to any person or object which is naff, bad or broken. Challenging such prejudice is not only an essential form of support for those young people who are thinking they might be gay and might be internalising this negativity, but also helps all young people question their developing sense of values and priorities and harbours a sense of respect for others.

Challenging homophobia might be an important plank in achieving 'Healthy School' status.

So how can Healthy Gay Hampshire help me develop work on sexuality?

we can help you integrate issues of diversity in the school curriculum by helping you to identify the objectives of the work and suggesting strategies for working with governors, parents and teaching colleagues.
we can supply ideas for integrating sexuality in a cross-curricula approach
we can help you identify and plan age appropriate teaching materials
we have a range of useful resources you may find useful, including both academic books, as well as materials with printed teaching materials.
we can provide support with a broader approach to preventing homophobic bullying, e.g. with a survey or an audit of monitoring such bullying.