TUC calls for school lessons on gay rights

Plea to cut out bullying

Published:

PREJUDICE: There is move to teach pupils about homosexuality.

ACTION: TUC general secretary Brendan Barber.

SCHOOL pupils should be taught about gays to help cut out homophobic bullying, a leading trade unionist was to claim today.

The TUC was to be told that promoting all forms of equality was the best way to tackle abuse.

And it was expected to urge the Government to teach children about gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transsexuals as part of equality education.

TUC general secretary Brendan Barber was to tell a conference today that the education system was often part of the problem of homophobic discrimination.

Mr Barber was to reveal a survey by campaign group Stonewall showed the “huge scale” of the problem, with most lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual pupils reporting that they had heard homophobic abuse.

He was to tell the conference that schools and colleges were not doing enough to tackle the problem.

The general secretary was to point out that schools and colleges had done much to counter racism and sexism, but not enough had been done to tackle homophobia, leaving pupils victims of “the worst kind of casual prejudice”.

A spokesman for the Government’s Equalities Office said: “Homophobic bullying in schools is widespread and 40% of lesbian, gay and bisexual adults who were harassed at school have attempted suicide.

“The Equality Bill will place a duty on schools to tackle homophobia, which will send a clear message to parents and pupils that anti-gay bullying is completely unacceptable.”