So I was watching The Wright Stuff this morning with my usual mug of strong coffee and slice of burnt toast (it’s my favourite way to start the day) when I was taken aback by what I was hearing Mr Wright and his panel discuss. A child from a school in Essex was told to act less gay to avoid being bullied. My roommate soon found himself coffee-sodden as I violently voiced my anger. As the mini Peter Tatchell inside me simmered down I began to wonder, was this actually good advice?
I soon stopped wondering, because the answer is no. Of course it’s not good advice! You would probably get better advice from my homophobic grandad and he’s been dead 8 years (R.I.P Herbert). It’s a short term fix to an ongoing, deeply seeded problem. That problem being homosexuals are still basically considered to be abnormal by most.
The Americans recently dissolved their Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy, which forced gay serving military officers to keep their sexuality a secret. This move was publically praised by Britain who happily recruit gays and Lesbos to go die in the search for Middle Eastern oil. Yet here we are adopting a similar ‘don’t ask don’t tell’ approach to dealing with our gay school children? Surely by telling them to hide their sexuality, like the Americans did, you are basically telling them that the bullys are right and there is something wrong with you?
According to Stonewall figures, 65 per cent of young lesbian, gay and bisexual people experience homophobic bullying in Britain’s schools.
Half of those who have experienced homophobic bullying have skipped school as a result.
I do understand where this teacher is sort of coming from. If you mince merrily round the school, squeezing boy’s arses, singing the hits of Dolly Parton you may be asking for trouble. But that’s not because you are gay, that’s because you are an OTT, annoying shit who has very poor taste in music. Perhaps this teacher needs educating on what it is to be gay, rather than assuming all gays are camp, in your face, cum guzzling fairies the media so often stereo type us as.
Unusually, one of the callers on the show spoke a lot of sense. Claiming it’s a lack of understanding and education that leads to teachers dishing out ropey advice. The more we educate our teachers and kids on homosexuality, the less it will be perceived as ‘different’ and thus, less of a target for the bullies.
If you want my opinion (I don’t care if you don’t, you’ve read this far you might as well read on, otherwise you’re just a lazybones) telling children to act less gay in order to escape homophobic bullying only reinforces the idea that being gay is something negative. Changing who you are because some moron, high on testosterone and destined for the checkouts at Morrisons, makes fun of you sends out the message the bully was right to pummel your gay face. We don’t negotiate with terrorists (well officially anyway) let’s not pander to bullies.
Craig Ford