 Words mean different things to different people. This one makes some of us think of carefree, happy times.
To others it describes identity, a way of living and sexual orientation, but it can also be pejorative – a casual, jokey insult between friends or a cutting comment designed to wound.
A study unveiled last week revealed that the word “gay” has become the most frequently used term of abuse in Britain’s schools, with “bitch” and “slag” following close behind. Eight out of the 10 insults teachers reported most often overhearing were homophobic expressions, and shockingly they were being used by children as young as nursery school age.
Some language experts believe using “gay” as a taunt actually has nothing to do with homophobia – Tony Thorne, the compiler of the Dictionary of Contemporary Slang, for instance, says: “It is nearly always used in contexts where sexual orientation and sexuality are completely irrelevant”. Either way, it doesn’t change the fact that there is a problem of homophobic bullying in our schools.
Last year’s Bullying Audit, carried out by Liverpool City Council, found that 7% of the city’s young people have been bullied about their sexuality. A follow-up study, by research consultancy Stormbreak, revealed an even more worrying truth – just one third of those bullied said staff had been aware of the situation and only one single individual had felt able to speak to a teacher about their abuse, and even then had not felt comfortable enough to express the homophobic nature of the bullying.
“You might not be the perpetrator or the victim, but if you allow certain behaviour to go on without intervening then you are equally as guilty,” says Paul Dagnall, inclusion support manager for Children’s Services in Liverpool.
“It can be difficult for teachers to tackle this problem, particularly if they are not made aware of it.”
As part of his role within the City Council, Mr Dagnall is chair of the It’s Not Okay group, which runs a range of violence prevention projects.
The team was set up four years ago to create Plastered, a film focusing on alcohol misuse and associated violence which was screened in all Liverpool and Knowsley schools. It is made up of representatives of Liverpool Culture Company, Children’s Services, Liverpool PCT, Connexions, Healthy Schools, City Safe, Merseyside Fire Service and Merseyside Police.
The fourth project will tackle homophobic bullying, also in the form of a film, education pack and training for teachers and youth workers, which have been created with the help of LA Productions, Aerial Trust and local young people’s advisory services The Armistead Centre and GYRO.
“We identify a group of young people that the issue is relevant to, and they work with a scriptwriter to come with the backdrop for the film using relevant language and situations that are real to them,” explains Mr Dagnall.
“We work with a professional film company and the young people often act in it or develop skills behind the scenes.“
Filming has already begun and the next stage is to decide the best way of presenting the material to pupils. The educational side of Plastered was carried out by schoolteachers, while the second project, Street Heat, tackling arson, was led by members of Merseyside Fire Service and particularly targeted young people already linked to fire-related crimes.
The most recent of the series has its own sets of challenges, not least when it comes to involving faith schools.
“There’s an assumption that all teachers will be comfortable dealing with these issues, but some of them are not so we have to give them training,” explains Paul.
“Some people are uncomfortable dealing with issues of sexuality and some would rather we didn’t deal with issues like this with children at all.
“We are working with faith schools in a sensitive way through the Headteachers Association and we’re not dealing with it through a blame culture.”
HOMOPHOBIC bullying is not a new problem, but it is currently a hot topic after a survey of 1,145 gay and lesbian secondary school pupils found that nearly one in three had suffered from it.
In January, the Government released guidance to help schools prevent this sort of victimisation and tackle it when it does occur. Teachers are recommended to remove pupils from the classroom if they use persistent homophobic language and consider expulsion if they behave violently. Like other sorts of bullying, it can have a detrimental effect on the victim’s education and exam results, and can cause mental health problems in later life. Some young people have been driven to suicide.
“We don’t want to give the impression that all young people who are gay are unhappy with their lives,” says Mr Dagnall.
“For many, their sexual orientation does not cause any problems. Homophobic bullying also happens to young people who are not gay, or who may not be at a stage where they are aware of their own sexuality, and are being bullied because they are different.”
Measuring the success of such projects can be difficult. If 2009 sees an increase in reported incidences of homophobic bullying, is that a positive move because it means young people are less afraid to ask for help or does it imply an increase in victims?
An evaluation report into Plastered included evidence the scheme had helped change the attitudes of the pupils involved, with 13.6% fewer young people agreeing with the statement “Drinking at ‘house parties’ is a laugh and a safe thing to do”, and 16.1% fewer agreeing that “Alcohol doesn’t affect your ability to look after yourself”.
Meanwhile, there was a 5.8% increase in the number of young people agreeing that “alcohol is a drug”.
Nationally, the projects have been well recognised. Plastered has been endorsed by the Government Office North West and copies were sent to 42 crime and disorder partnerships across the UK.
Other local authorities are also using the films and education packs.
Mr Dagnall sees It’s Not Okay as one legacy from Liverpool’s Capital of Culture year, and has already started planning.
“Obviously, we may have to update some of the packs over time as cultural references change, but we can keep using them in the future,” he says.
“There is a definite interest in them nationally and they could even be used internationally to promote change.
“This in itself won’t cure anything completely but it can contribute to making a difference in young people’s lives.”
Source: Liverpool Daily Post |
