Half of all gay pupils in Scotland suffer at hands of homophobic bullies
More than half of lesbian, gay and bisexual pupils in Scottish secondary schools experience homophobic bullying, according to a new report.
The Stonewall Scotland study also found that a quarter (26 per cent) of them have attempted to take their own life, while more than half (54 per cent) deliberately harm themselves. Less than a third (31 per cent) said that their school responds quickly to homophobic bullying behaviour.
The organisation is now calling on schools, the Scottish Government, local authorities and Education Scotland to continue working to tackle homophobic bullying.
Stonewall Scotland director Colin Macfarlane said: “The mark of a society is how it treats its young people and so it’s unacceptable that over half of gay young Scots face a daily nightmare of homophobic bullying, and deeply worrying that many schools and teachers still fail to challenge it effectively.
“At a time when policy- makers look for ways to boost attainment and raise aspiration, it is deeply disturbing that half of lesbian, gay and bisexual young Scots say they don’t feel that they are achieving their best at school.
“We won’t rest until every single gay young person in this country can walk through their school gates every morning without fear of being bullied just because of the way they were born.”
Almost all (99 per cent) of those surveyed said that they hear homophobic language –like “that’s so gay” and “you’re so gay”, The School Report 2012 found.
Fewer than three in five (57 per cent) of lesbian, gay and bisexual pupils in Scotland report that their schools say homophobic bullying is wrong. Meanwhile, almost half (49 per cent) said they do not feel they are achieving their best at school.
The findings are specific to the 158 lesbian, gay and bisexual young Scots aged 12-19 who took part in a national survey of 1,614 young people. Stonewall commissioned the Centre for Family Research at the University of Cambridge to conduct the online survey which was carried out between November 2011 and February 2012.
The report suggests measures that schools should take, such as ensuring that teachers are trained on how to combat homophobic behaviour, and that tackling the problem is the responsibility of the entire school community.
It also proposes that the Scottish Government should encourage schools to use their flexibility within the Curriculum for Excellence to integrate sexual orientation issues into teaching and learning.
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “The Scottish Government is committed to tackling all forms of bullying, including homophobic and transphobic bullying.
“This commitment has been demonstrated through the establishment and continued support for the national anti-bullying service, respectme, which has a remit to give children and young people the skills and confidence to deal with all types of bullying.”
