Brody's Notes... New Report Says Homophobic Bullying Rampant In Northern Ireland

By Brody Levesque | BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND -- A research study jointly conducted by the LGBTQ equality rights advocacy groups the Rainbow Project and Cara-friend.org.uk, released Wednesday reveals that anti-gay bullying is a grave problem in Northern Ireland's schools.

The key findings of the report- entitled 'Left out of the Equation'(pdf) are:

• Homophobic language and bullying are prevalent in schools across Northern Ireland with 98% of LGB young people reporting hearing homophobic language in school from pupils, teachers, non-teaching staff and visitors to schools.
• 72% of survey respondents reported that when teachers heard homophobic language, they ignored it.
• 94% of survey respondents reported that they were taught nothing in sexual health education which was relevant to them as an LGB person.

The study highlights the severe inequalities experienced by lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) students in the schools of Northern Ireland. The report looks at bullying, curriculum, the role of teachers and the education structures of the schools.

The Rainbow Project’s Education Equality Officer, Gavin Boyd said: 

"This report shows that when it comes to education, young people who are lesbian, gay or bisexual are left out of the equation. They get severely bullied but frequently don’t tell anyone because they don’t believe their school will do anything about it. They hear homophobic slurs every day but teachers don’t intervene. They aren’t taught that they can have stable and fulfilling relationships. They aren’t taught how to gauge risk and protect themselves from mental and sexual ill-health. They are simply expected to suffer in silence."

The study states: 

“LGB young people are one of the most invisible, isolated and vulnerable groups in our society. Homophobic bullying is rife in schools across Northern Ireland and it continues, unchallenged, because school staff lack the capacity, confidence or will to tackle it."

"Many LGB young people experience severe emotional, verbal and physical abuse while they are at school and yet continue to suffer in silence because they do not want to ‘out’ themselves, because they believe that the school would look unfavourably upon them, or because they do not believe that the school will take any appropriate action."  

“Although many young LGB people are coming out at an earlier age, many spend their time in school trying to conceal their sexual orientation from their parents, teachers, peers and even themselves.”

Gavin Boyd said that further research carried out by The Rainbow Project found that when the Equality Commission was advised by the National Foundation for Education Research (NFER) to extend equality provisions to schools in 2006, the Equality Commission rejected the findings of the NFER report, which they had sponsored. The Equality Commission must justify why they made this decision. He added that the education structures of Northern Ireland ensure that boards of governors can neglect their legal obligations due to the lack of enforcement and accountability mechanisms. Boards of governors are failing to safeguard and promote the welfare of their LGB pupils, contrary to their legal obligations.

Boyd decried the current state of affairs saying:

 "It is an accepted truth in Northern Ireland that public bodies must promote equality of opportunity for everyone, regardless of their sexual orientation and it is only right and proper that schools should be held to the same standard. The decision of the Equality Commission has negatively impacted on the ability of LGB young people to access their right to education in a safe and welcoming environment."