Essay - To what extent is the British education system inclusive of LGBT+ students? - Opinion

To what extent is the British education system inclusive of LGBT+ students? – Abby Buckingham

Education is a human right that every child, regardless of background, race, gender or sexuality, should have access to. In England it is the law that you must receive one and, until you reach university, it is free and easy to access. However, that does not mean it is perfect. Being accepting of the diversity in Britain is a crucial part of life and something that children, and a few adults, need to be properly educated on. If they grow up rejecting certain minorities then the society they create as a future workforce will be the same. Equally, if they are not educated on these minorities then they will not have the knowledge they need to treat people respectfully. For example, it should be common knowledge that you should not walk in front of a worshipper who is praying as it disrupts the path to their god. However, the exclusion of all religions barring Christianity in Britain’s education system does not cater to this. Another example of a minority group that is left out is the LGBT+ community.

The LGBT+ community is a loosely defined group of people who are gay, bisexual, transgender etc. They are people are do not conform to the normalised, straight boy/girl ideal we have in Britain; every child is expected to grow up, marry someone of the opposite gender and possibly have children. No adult ever seems to ponder the possibility that their child may have a sex change, abandon the idea of having a gender altogether or fall in love with someone of a different sex or gender. This leaves out the children who grow up wanting to choose one of these options and does not educate them on how to do so. One area in which the system is especially flawed in is teaching about gender.

Children are taught from birth that there are two genders/sexes: male and female. New/pregnant parents are always asked the same question: do you want a boy or a girl? This affects children throughout their entire school life; studies have shown[1] that girls in schools lack confidence in their abilities and boys in schools lack a way to express emotion. This all stems from gender roles and how boys and girls in school have different coloured drawers/hooks, hang their coats in different places and are referred to by different names, e.g. ‘darling’ vs. ‘buddy’. However, the Oxford dictionary defines gender as ‘Either of the two sexes (male and female), especially when considered with reference to social and cultural differences rather than biological ones. The term is also used more broadly to denote a range of identities that do not correspond to established ideas of male and female.’ [2] This shows that gender and sex are, in fact, different. Sex is what a person is born as biologically, and gender is what a person identifies as regardless of how they were born. If children were taught from this from the start then it would immediately show them that they are not limited to their genitalia; they can be someone else biologically and someone else culturally if that is what they want. They can choose to identify as non-binary and change their pronouns to they/them if they feel their gender restricts them or they can change their gender completely and start living as the opposite sex if they feel that they were born the wrong gender, they can also do this biologically if they choose to have a sex change. Giving children these options would open their minds and teach them that they are free to be themselves, regardless of who they were born as. Instead, children have to grow up confused and frightened when they realise that they don’t fit in because they don’t conform to what they’ve been taught since they were born: there are two genders.

Not only would teaching about sex/gender benefit LGBT+ students, but also their classmates. The School Report (2017)[3], a survey by Cambridge University of more than 3,700 lesbian, gay, bi and transgender young people, found that: ‘three quarters of transgender young people say they have experienced name-calling, 28% have experienced physical attacks and 32% say they have missed lessons due to discrimination or fear of discrimination.’ These are all shocking statistics that point to one word: bullying. A lack of education on LGBT+ topics deprives not only LGBT+ students of essential information, but also the people around them. Young students are not taught that it is acceptable to be lesbian, gay, transgender etc. and therefore acquire all their knowledge on the subject from the people around them and the media. This is dangerous as not only are the areas in the UK that are particularly homophobic, for example Denbighshire, north Wales, Dundee and Scotland[4], but also because the media is a very tricky place. Arguably the most powerful man in the world, Donald Trump, chose to announce his ban on transgender troops over Twitter[5] sparking several transphobic and homophobic tweets agreeing with the prejudiced ban and defending what the president did. This is just one example of a homophobic event taking place on the media. With it being so easy for children to access this, it is dangerous for it to be the only education they receive on LGBT+ matters. Including lessons in schools on LGBT+ history would be hugely beneficial as it would teach students that it is perfectly normal to be LGBT+ and so there is no reason to be ashamed of it or to shame others for it. The effect bullying has on students is devastating; according to Stonewall[6] one 12-year-old girl once said: “'I felt like whatever I was doing was worthless. Even if I did well in school, it wouldn't matter to people because all they would care about is me being gay.” If homophobic events, such as the ban, were included and put in a negative light it would teach students to stand against them and not to make the same mistakes. Therefore, destigmatising the negativity associated with being homosexual, transgender etc.

However, that does not mean progress hasn’t been made, particularly for older students. Many colleges and universities now have what is referred to as a ‘pride society’ in which LGBT+ students and allies can come together and discuss ways to make schools more inclusive of them or to just make friends and get to know someone like them. This is extremely beneficial as it shows young people that they are not alone and that they always have a friend and someone to turn to if they begin to fear who they are. It also gives students a chance to get away from families who may not be accepting of them and potential advice on how to deal with the situation. Teachers who are unware of what it is like to be LGBT+ may struggle with how to help a student who is suffering because of it, so giving young people role models who are like them/pointing them in the direction of fellow LGBT+ students is an easy solution to that, especially if they are a similar age. But this does not mean teachers can’t help; schools have also begun educating their staff on the fact that more and more young people have gained the confidence to come out and that they need to be prepared to deal with that as parents may not be willing. These lessons have not been met with complete praise but the fact that they exist is more than LGBT+ students have ever had; they now have many people they feel they can turn to and are properly educated on the issues. This will help prevent students from being forced into the closet, hating themselves for who they are and trying to change themselves. Suicide and self-harm rates for LGBT+ students are remarkably high (according to Stonewall[7], 27 per cent of trans young people have attempted suicide) but more progress and inclusion like this may help change that, especially if more people in schools are made aware that this is the case.

Whereas, another way in which LGBT+ students are excluded is through sex education. In March 2017, it was made compulsory for schools to cover safe sex for all couples, not just heterosexual. However, it includes a ‘get-out clause’ that lets schools leave out LGBT+ issues from their curriculum or teach about them in a way that is harmful and bigoted. Peter Tatchell[8], human rights advocate, confirmed this by saying “They will be allowed to either ignore LGBT issues or to teach that same-sex relationships are immoral, unnatural, abnormal and sinful. In either case, it will have a damaging effect on LGBT pupils.” He later talks about the effects; “We already know that some faith have serious problems with homophobic bullying and that they often fail to challenge it. The government's proposals offer no remedy to ostracised and bullied LGBT kids in religious-run schools.” Not only does a lack of sex education contribute to bullying, but it also puts LGBT+ students in danger as they are not made properly made aware of STD prevention or what to do if they find themselves in a compromising sexual situation. It is rare to hear about the rape of male by another male or female by another female, however there is evidence that rape is more common for LGBT+ people. The human rights campaign[9] has found that ‘44 percent of lesbians and 61 percent of bisexual women experience rape, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner, compared to 35 percent of heterosexual women’ and that ‘26 percent of gay men and 37 percent of bisexual men experience rape, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner, compared to 29 percent of heterosexual men’. Telling students that it is possible for an LGBT+ person to experience sexual/domestic violence would make them less afraid to speak up and ensure that the future police force and judicial system would take it just as seriously as they would for a heterosexual couple.

However, another way in which progress has been made is through students themselves. The relationship between age and homophobia is a prominent one; a study by The Tab[10] three years ago showed that most of the elderly said they wouldn’t want a gay child and that almost all over 65s felt that homophobia wasn’t an issue. This was a very different result to the one that young people produced; 100% of them said they wouldn’t mind if their child was gay and 85% admitted homophobia was still an issue. This shows that this current generation’s young people and students are more inclusive of the LGBT+ community and more aware of the problems they still face. This makes room for a larger amount of student LGBT+ campaigns, a larger number of students fighting for LGBT+ education and rights and a larger group of young people prepared to ally with the LGBT+ community. This shows that young people are aware/can easily be made aware of the gaps in the British education system and are willing to fight to change it. For example, The LGBT Campaign[11] is a group of Labour party students who fight for equality for LGBT+ students within education and society. They are directly linked to the government and therefore actively working with a group of people who have the power to make legislative change to improve the education system. This is just one example of many LGBT+ student groups standing up for themselves and trying to educate others who don’t understand what it is to be LGBT+. This shows that even if the government isn’t willing to expand the education system then students are willing to fight for it, meaning what they learn for themselves and what they discuss/debate together will be more inclusive and diverse. Therefore, they will be inadvertently building a better education for themselves.

To conclude, despite the progress being made, LGBT+ students are still excluded from the British education system to a large extent. There are improvements being made and there are policies being put in place to help LGBT+ students but this needs go further. The government/schools need to introduce more campaigns to include young LGBT+ students, for example; gender-neutral toilets for students uncomfortable with using ‘male’ or ‘female’ ones, or LGBT+ councillors who are available to help students figure out their identities or encourage them to come out safely. Just small changes like this would make a world of difference for all students as it would completely normalise the idea of having LGBT+ people within society. This means that when this current generation grows up, becomes a workforce and votes in a group of people to run the country, there will be no stigma or confusion surrounding the LGBT+ community.