Last week, Stonewall, along with many other LGBT people and organisations, were shocked to see BBC’s Question Time asking: ‘Is it morally right for 5 year old children to learn about LGBT issues in school?’ The way this question was framed and put out on social media was extremely troubling. LGBT people’s existence was suddenly cast as a ‘moral’ issue worthy of debate and there was widespread public criticism directed at the BBC for posing this question so starkly, including from some of their own LGBT staff. And rightly so.
The BBC have made amends when they’ve gotten things wrong in the past, such as how they framed their climate change coverage and it’s important that they listen to the concerns of the LGBT community now. It’s clear the BBC, along with many other media organisations, want to engage with LGBT issues more. It was brilliant to see them appoint their first ever LGBT correspondent. We want to see LGBT issues discussed more in the media, but to secure the trust of the community to do this, it’s also important to listen and to reflect when you’ve got it wrong.
Recently the Commons approved the regulations for teaching Relationships Education and Relationships and Sex Education in England’s primary and secondary schools. This teaching is hugely important and was a massive step forward. In primary schools, teaching about LGBT families ensures children from those families see themselves reflected in what they learn. It also helps all young people grow up knowing there’s nothing wrong or unusual about being LGBT – helping to prevent the anti-LGBT bullying that remains widespread in our schools.
Unfortunately, this positive news has been overshadowed by a debate that was had 30 years ago and that led to the creation of Section 28. This was the law that effectively stopped teachers from discussing same-sex relationships. Stonewall was founded 30 years ago to protest this legislation, our founders foreseeing the impact it would have. And the impact it had was devastating. It forced teachers back into the closet, or out of their job, and scarred a generation of LGBT people. At the time, the media ran headline after headline claiming that children would be ‘turned’ gay if they were taught about same-sex relationships in school. We’re seeing that very same language and divisive rhetoric being used today.
It’s also important to note that this debate hasn’t sprung up out of thin air. For two years, there’s been a relentless, bitter debate about trans people’s existence. There’s no doubt this laid the groundwork for the situation we’re in now.
Stonewall research shows that nearly half of LGBT pupils (45%) are still bullied for who they are in schools, while half still hear homophobic slurs ‘frequently’ or ‘often’ at school. Trans young people are at particular risk with nearly two-thirds (64%) being the target of bullying.
Growing up, the first time I heard the word ‘gay’ was when it was used as insult towards me in the school hallways. The only time my school ever even mentioned LGBT people in its teaching was when we had a class debate on whether or not same-sex marriage should be legalised. Still in the closet, I sat there soaked in shame, while my peers debated whether someone like me should be allowed to celebrate their love like every else. It devastated me.
We’ve changed as a society and LGBT people feel more able to be themselves in a way generations before could only dream about. We’ve also recently secured legislation that could usher in a new era of teaching that fosters understanding and acceptance of people from all walks of life, including LGBT people. This is something that shouldn’t be debated but celebrated.
Changing the way LGBT people are talked about in the media can have a hugely positive impact on conversations in school playgrounds, in the workplace and across the family dinner table. How the public discussion about LGBT people is framed plays a crucial part of creating a world where everyone can be accepted.