Our education system is failing LGBTI youth. It’s time for reform.

profile-image1I’ll be honest, this is probably the most personal and important article that I’ll write. Over the past seven or so months, I’ve confronted quite a lot of my own demons head on – and revisited a place that I didn’t particularly want to return to. If you ask anyone who knows me, they’ll tell you that I’m pretty confident – quite outgoing, outspoken, intelligent, opinionated. To the outside, I appear solid.

When I was in my early teens, I went through a difficult phase whereby I struggled heavily with self acceptance – I realised something that I’d probably known my entire life and I did not like it…I wanted to change, and I tried my hardest to. In retrospect, I was in the trenches of a difficult, complex and distressing internal battle – one that was very heavy for a young boy to be dealing with alone. Don’t get me wrong, there were people that I could have spoken to – but the hardest part is dealing with yourself. If you can’t get the words out of your own mouth, then how can you confide in anyone? I had people around me who loved me, and it was not their fault or failure that I could not come to terms with who I was. I was young and I was frightened. I attempted running away from the fact that I was homosexual – I tried very hard to suppress any attractions or inclinations. As a naive kid who was very much enclosed and suffocated by the heteronormative society around him – I was frightened of what my life would become. Eventually, I tripped and got lost in my head – I secluded myself; I pulled out of playing a sport that I loved because I was anxious in male dominated environments, I fell away from a group of friends that I once spent a lot of time with, I avoided social situations and felt pretty awful about myself. I hit my lowest point when I considered suicide.

From thereon out, I somehow bounced back – the intermediate period between struggle and acceptance is one that I can’t pinpoint, but I got there in the end. That didn’t mean that my own self issues were over, however. When you spend so much time hating yourself – there’s residue. Like every battle, a cleanup is required and if you do it alone, it’ll take much longer than if you do it with support. That’s what I realised when I met someone who I now consider a very close friend – Liam. Despite being from entirely different backgrounds, we somehow coalesced in our ideals, beliefs and opinions – from the beginning, I knew I’d connected unusually well with him. On the surface, we couldn’t be more different – yet I saw myself in him. We joked that I was his reincarnate – yet a couple decades too early. As a heterosexual working class man, Liam was unaware of the complexity of LGBTI issues. Heavily moved when I spoke to him about what I’d struggled with, he’s since become very passionate and understanding, and I’ve somehow managed to tackle many of my own obstacles. Through hours of conversations with my newfound friend – I underwent something of a purgative process: confiding in Liam allowed me to loosen many of my mental chains, and I’ve become a stronger person for it. Sure; I’ve had breakdowns, I’ve cried, I’ve reopened concealed wounds. I’ve ventured into environments that I’d otherwise never have placed myself in. But I’ve had someone who knows me better than myself to guide me. Thus, dealing with my own problems has allowed me to comprehend that I am in a position whereby it is my duty to ensure that future generations of LGBTI kids do not have to walk the same path that I did. Which brings me to the point of this piece – our current education system is failing LGBTI youth, and a massive reform is required.

It is one thing for a young kid to be struggling to accept themselves; it is another for them to feel trapped and excluded in an environment where they are supposed to feel safe and nurtured. The current Scottish Education Curriculum allows schools, primarily denominational, to opt-out of progressive teaching programmes that discuss topics relating to the LGBTI community, such as the Relationships, Sexual Health and Parenthood (RSHP) framework. If we truly are a forward thinking society, then we need a progressive and inclusive education system to reflect this. By refusing to acknowledge or teach LGBTI issues, what we are essentially doing is candidly ostracising LGBTI pupils. As a recent student of a Roman Catholic secondary school, I have first hand knowledge of this: when I was at my lowest point, there was no support available. Homophobic language was rampant in the hallways yet it was never addressed. I distinctly remember two girls who were in a relationship being told that they could not hold hands in the corridors, yet no one bat an eyelid at the boy and girl embracing next to them. I had Religious Education teachers discuss the “abomination” that is homosexuality. Whilst we were all made aware that there was zero tolerance for discrimination or abuse on the grounds of gender, race or religion – no one ever mentioned sexual orientation. Homophobia was a phrase that was avoided.

Ignorance is perpetuation: refusing to acknowledge the issue at hand allows it to grow. When we have 52% of LGBTI kids experiencing homophobic bullying in schools, why is it that only 12% have assemblies that address homophobic bullying? 44% of LGBTI pupils in Scotland believe that their school is not an “accepting, tolerant place” where they feel welcome; 71% regularly skip school, 49% do not feel that they are achieving their best – 54% are regularly self harming and 26% have attempted to take their own lives. This is an epidemic. It is a plague, and it is unacceptable. If ACT UP taught us one thing – it is that silence equals death.

Our government and our schools have a responsibility to address this problem, and the best way to do it is through education: all we have to do is talk about LGBTI issues and tell kids that they are alright. We need to teach our youth to embrace and love themselves. We should be teaching them about the Equal Rights Movement in the same way that we teach them about the Civil Rights Movement. There is so much energy, vibrancy, activism and victory within the history of the LGBTI community’s push for equality that it is a scandal not to educate our youth about it: perhaps if we made clear the struggle and difficulties that many brave people faced when fighting for their rights, then kids would think twice before calling each other “faggots”. Perhaps if we taught them that for every Martin Luther King, Rodney King and Rosa Parks there is a Harvey Milk, Matthew Shepard and Peter Staley – then maybe our youth would have more understanding and respect for a community that they otherwise only refer to when claiming that something is “so gay”. Do not get me started on the sexual education programmes that denominational schools are providing. In short, they largely neglect every realistic scenario that a teenager is going to face – and, of course, do not mention LGBTI sexual health at all.

This is why Liam and I have launched the T.I.E. (Time for Inclusive Education) campaign, and are petitioning the Scottish Government; urging them to address this by introducing a fully inclusive, statutory education programme that pays particular attention to currently neglected LGBTI topics. It is all well and good having frameworks in place – but if schools can choose to neglect them, then we are not solving any current issues. I understand that denominational schools are likely to object to the statutory aspect, however I feel that there is a wider issue to be tackled here. I want to be clear, from the offset, that Liam and I do not regard this as a “gay issue” or one that primarily concerns the LGBTI community. Rather, this is a humanitarian issue. Kids are self harming, many are depressed and others are killing themselves. The responsibility for tackling this epidemic lies with all of us. Had the statistics uncovered by Stonewall Scotland applied to those of ethnic origin or those with impairments, then this would have been tackled rapidly and far more effectively.

The moment for addressing this is now; the more time that we spend debating motions or prolonging action – the more young people are contemplating ending their lives. This is not an overreaction, nor the heightening of a minute issue – this is a social pandemic that is plaguing Scotland’s schools and claiming the confidence, esteem and mental wellbeing of a section of our country’s youth. The longer that we neglect the issue at hand, the more we risk it tipping over into future generations.

If we truly want a progressive society, then we have to act now. We would appreciate your support and we cannot do this without you. You can sign the petition and help us try to create a more inclusive education system for all of our children here: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/gettinginvolved/petitions/tiecampaign. Further, you can get actively involved in the campaign, by visiting our social media pages and using the #TIE.
www.facebook.com/tiecampaign
www.twitter.com/tiecampaign
[email protected]

Comments (13)

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  1. Aileen Mitchell Stewart says:

    I signed the petition as soon as I read this brave and moving account, and added the following comment:
    I was appalled at the statistics of how schools are failing to provide a safe, welcoming space for LGBTI+ young people. In 2015! As a liberal-minded, tediously heterosexual pensioner I was astonished that this situation could still exist today. I had naively assumed such bullying, casual verbal discrimination and non-acceptance had long gone, apart from the few bone-heads who, sadly, will always cloak their own fears behind abusing others and belittling difference. I am flabbergasted that schools are not addressing this. Religious beliefs should never be allowed as an excuse for failing so many young people at a difficult stage in their lives. To fail to address this issue is to fail as a school. Full stop. We urgently need legislation to ensure that all schools fully educate and wholly support their students whatever their sexual orientation or identification. Please act now to prevent even one more vulnerable young person feeling unsupported and marginalised in this way.

  2. Davy says:

    Good luck with TIE project Jordan. I think it maybe worth considering broadening it out to cover sexuality in general , and not just focus on any particular orientations.
    People fancy people for all sorts of reasons , conscious and unconscious – gender and/or biological sex can be only one factor among many others.

    It could be said homosexual identity only exists because of homophobia…..IF there was no homophobia it would not be necessary to adopt identities based only on gender attraction – people would then just fancy……. people , without any stigma attached due their gender and/or biological sex.

    Education on sexuality in general is needed for all – included those who identify as hetero-sexual….. maybe , especially for them as compulsory hetronormativity is problematic.

    To try and move away from “them” and “us”….. where “they” are the problem … and “we” are all sorted.

    Here’s link to paper by Jamie Heckert on Resisting Orientation
    https://www.academia.edu/316668/Resisting_Orientation_On_the_Complexities_of_Desire_and_the_Limits_of_Identity_Politics

    1. I think that’s a really good contribution Davy

  3. Jock Penman says:

    Excellent article, Jason. I applaud your honesty and courage. I confess to being a one-time homophobe who saw the light when I heard a story much like yours. My generation was almost totally homophobic, racist and sexist; it was the norm through the 1960’s, ’70s and most of the ’80s. We were subjected to it on an almost daily basis on TV and, if you didn’t actually know anyone who was gay, bisexual etc. you just went along with it; laughing at the jokes. Even some gay people were (publicly) homophobic!!
    I was pleased when many in the LGBTI community finally stood up and said, “This is who I am and I’m proud of who and what I am, and if there is a problem with homosexuality – then the problem is yours – not mine. You deal with it. I am not going to play your games any more.”
    I now consider myself a ‘recovering homophobe’ as it takes time to shake off the ‘education’ which you so rightly condemn, not ony for failing LGBTI people, but also for failing the rest of us who just didn’t understand.

  4. Davy says:

    The original intention of the Gay Liberation Front was sexual liberation for everybody , not just for a perceived minority to be assimilated into the conservative establishment by being allowed into the military or the conservative institution of matrimony.
    The GLF’s statement of purpose explained their revolutionary ambitions –
    “We are a revolutionary group of men and women formed with the realization that complete sexual liberation for all people cannot come about unless existing social institutions are abolished. We reject society’s attempt to impose sexual roles and definitions of our nature.”
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_liberation

  5. Davy says:

    A graphic depiction of some of Wilhelm Reich’s ideas around sexual repression
    http://www.notbored.org/reich.html

  6. Davy says:

    I was just thinking about possible similarities between sexual identities and national identities.
    I support Scottish independence primarily as a means of breaking up the imperial British state and creating the potential for developing something better – and with the eventual long term hope of a world without borders – not because I think there is anything essentially particular about those living north of a man made border compared to those living south of that border. At the end of the day it is mainly borders that determine “nations”…… As Benedict Anderson wrote , nations are imagined communities. How many supporters of Scottish independence could accurately draw the Scottish – English border on a map ?
    In order to win independence it is necessary to assert an identity based on “nationhood” ( as opposed to regional cultural identities which are not usually strictly demarcated geographically )

    Not totally unlike identities based on same gender sexual preference, which Jeffrey Weekes has referred to as a ” necessary fiction ” …. Only necessary to assert to oppose homophobic bigotry ….. But once that has been overcome , it would be no longer necessary.
    Some proponents of both national and sexual identities lose sight of that and promote those identities as being essentially instrinsic.

  7. John Moss says:

    This has to be the most nonsensical politically correct article I have read in ages.

    Let’s imagine a problem and tell everyone it is a crisis. Let’s bank on a climate of fear where people are too scared to speak openly and freely for fear of being thought policed by the self-appointed politically correct guardians of morality.

    Thing is, I hate the politically correct. And I’m not afraid of them. I don’t hide behind the ‘vast majority’ or other such devices. I can speak for myself. The author of this article can’t state the obvious, that the LGBTI are abnormal and ask us for tolerance and fair treatment. No instead the author paints a picture of a crisis, blames us for it and, in turn, automatically expects that us will fall into line with their view.

    Well, I for one am buggerd if I will.

    Alcoholic Anoymous sessions begin with members declaring that they are alcoholics. It’s the frst step towards recovery. Perhaps the LGBTI should take a leaf out of their books and admit that they are abnormal and that society would rightly consider them so which is a natural human response to their condition. That admission, a realistic acceptance of how things actually are would be a first step towards building real links with people based on honesty in order to foster compassion, tolerance and fair treatment.

    To demand otherwise is arrogant and pre-supposes that tolerance can be built upon fear enforced by politically correct.

    I would suggest the author try a new tack. Try an honest approach. Ditch the presumption that political correectnes holds sway, ditch the fear angle. Try making a case by trading minds with others to see your point-of-view.

    You never know, you might actually get what you want.

  8. Davy says:

    John Moss , I think you should take some of your own advice and admit you have a problem.
    Alcoholism is a problematic condition for those affected by it.
    The consensual expression of sexual attraction and love between adults is only a problem caused by fearful and anxious attitudes as expressed here by you.

    Would you like to dictate what is the “politically correct” way to express sexual practices , desires and fantasies for all ?

    Loosen up and relax…..nobody is going to “bugger” you……unless you want to.

  9. Graham King says:

    One thing I never see discussed by activists, politicians, educators or in general very much, is the possibility that gender development has been adversely affected by some of the innumerable artificial chemicals with which our modern environment is laden. Some (such as phthalates, used in plastic products) are known endocrine disruptors – i.e. they can mimic or block the action of hormones – and for that reason some are now barred from use in babies’ bottles etc. However, what may have been the effect previously – or still, from culprit substances as-yet unregulated? Hormonal effects can be sensitive to minute concentrations. I wonder if many instances of infertility, gender dysmorphia and distressing difficulties such as the article writer described may be due to pollutants – the facts about which (as with cancer, nicotine, and the tobacco industry) vested interests don’t want widely known. As with tobacco, potential claims for compensation daunt the imagination; the difficulty of course would be in establishing a definite causative link with any given product and manufacturer. Possibly a statistical approach, with fines assigned proportional to established toxicities and amounts of each chemical introduced by each manufacturer.

    1. Graham King says:

      (Sorry for accidentally posting prematurely while still editing comment.)

  10. Graham King says:

    One thing I never see discussed by activists, politicians, educators or in general very much, is the possibility that gender development has been adversely affected by some of the innumerable artificial chemicals with which our modern environment is laden. Some (such as phthalates, used in plastic products) are known endocrine disruptors – i.e. they can mimic or block the action of hormones – and for that reason some are now barred from use in babies’ bottles etc. However, what may have been the effect previously – or still, from culprit substances as-yet unregulated? Hormonal effects can be sensitive to minute concentrations. I wonder if many instances of infertility, gender dysmorphia and distressing difficulties such as the article writer described may be due to pollutants – the facts about which (as with cancer, nicotine, and the tobacco industry) vested interests don’t want widely known. As with tobacco, potential claims for compensation daunt the imagination; the difficulty of course would be in establishing a definite causative link with any given product and manufacturer. Possibly a statistical approach should be used, with fines assigned proportional to established toxicities and amounts of each chemical introduced by each manufacturer.

  11. Jim Crossan says:

    Jordan, you have reached into the depth of my heart . Proud of you.

    From your

    Blood/Genetic Grandfather. Jim

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