Equality and Human Rights Commission

This enquiry explores homophobic bullying in schools and other settings where young people meet. It asks:

• What causes young people to bully each other about their sexuality or their perceived sexuality?
• What effects does such bullying have?
• What should schools and other youth organisations do about it?

Some background

Young people aged 18 to 24 are more likely to be the target of homophobic abuse than people of other age groups. Recent research by Stonewall has shown that:

• Homophobic bullying is widespread in British schools
• Less than a quarter of students have been told that homophobic bullying is considered wrong in their school
• Over half of Lesbian and Gay pupils don’t feel able to be themselves at school
• 35 per cent do not feel safe or accepted at school.

For more information see http://www.stonewall.org.uk/education_for_all/default.asp

Bullying behaviour can escalate to hate crimes against people with lesbian, gay and bisexual orientation (LGB). This news story about a very violent hate crime reports that such incidents are on the rise in London http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/8316646.stm.

If homophobic bullying is challenged within schools there is a better chance the behaviour won’t become more systematic or violent outside school and in adult life.

A scenario

Imagine that you attend a school where, just like 75 per cent of UK schools, there is no policy or statement that homophobic name-calling or bullying is wrong. Your PE teacher is one of the 94 per cent of teachers who fail to pick up on it every time they hear homophobic name-calling. In the changing room, one of your group is being called ‘gay’, ‘poof’, ‘bender’ and teased for any little thing that makes him different from others in the group - from his music taste to his haircut. The victim either ignores the bullies or tries to use humour to defend himself but you have noticed that he is becoming more withdrawn and is often absent from school. The teacher encourages his light-hearted response, thinking that to keep it light is the best way to support him, but also perhaps because he isn’t sure how to tackle the issue and wants to avoid a time-consuming confrontation. Imagine that you are someone who doesn’t join in because you’ve also been a victim of name-calling, not for because you are gay but because you are black. You feel uncomfortable with the name calling and the way the teacher is dealing with this. You know the bullies won’t tease you in front of this teacher because he is also black. You decide to write explaining your feelings and asking for action. What would you write? Who would see what you’ve written?

Artist inspirations

LGB people have made an incredible contribution to many areas in our society including politics, science, entertainment and the arts. However, it was not until the late 1980s that someone could be open about their sexual orientation and enjoy recognition for their work. LGB people still face inequality and discrimination at school, in the workplace, in services (i.e. in health care) and can be victims of homophobic hate crime.’. Some LGB artists include Gilbert & George, David Hockney, Andy Warhol, Robert Mapplethorpe, Maggie Hambling and Annie Liebowitz.

Keith Haring

One of the artists that challenged our ideas of what it means to be a gay person is Keith Haring, an American artist. Keith Haring started doing simple cartoon-like drawings with social commentaries along New York’s underground stations during the 80’s. He soon gained wide popularity and his work eventually ended up being exhibited at major museums throughout the world.  Keith’s drawings and paintings at first glance appear simple, but when we look carefully they are packed with symbolic messages about LGB people’s relationships . For example, see: http://www.haringkids.com/  Can you always tell if the people in the image are men or women? Does that difference matter?

Paul Harfleet

Some of the most powerful creative expressions involve gentle actions in public places. Artist Paul Harfleet is carrying out the Pansy Project in response to homophobic hate crime. He finds the nearest source of soil to where a hate crime took place and plants one unmarked pansy. The flower is then photographed in its location and posted on his website, http://thepansyproject.com/. This simple action is a gesture of quiet resistance. He points out that the name pansy comes from the French ‘penser’, to think. The flowers make you think. He began by planting pansies to mark his own experience of homophobia on the streets of Manchester though now he plants pansies for others on an individual basis and as part of various events.

Illustration with permission (select image for larger size):

The Pansy Project at Homotopia Festival 2007.