Are Schools Really Safe Places in Australia?

Are schools really safe places in Australia?

An international comparison of policies and strategies that support same-sex attracted and gender-diverse students

Michelle McCormack ISBN 978-0-9924349-5-3 (paperback) ISBN 978-0-9924349-6-0 (PDF)

Front cover illustration - Grace Hughes Authorised by John Dixon, General Secretary, NSW Teachers Federation, 23-33 Mary Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010. Are schools really safe places in Australia?

An international comparison of policies and strategies that support same-sex attracted and gender-diverse students

Michelle McCormack

Eric Pearson Study Grant 2016

FOR THE NSW TEACHERS FEDERATION ERIC PEARSON STUDY GRANT 2016 CONTENTS 26. 24. 20. 16. Scotland 12. England 10. Singapore 6. Australia 4. Introduction 3. Acknowledgements Conclusion andRecommendations United States Foreword —Professor Kerryn PhelpsAM 3

FOREWORD

Governments, private school admin- Unfortunately, there is a huge dispar- istrators, parent groups and student ity between the need for resources bodies have a fundamental duty of and their availability. care to create an environment of Knowing the potentially devastat- physical and emotional safety for ev- ing consequences of sexuality-based ery student in school. bullying on vulnerable children and As a long-term advocate for so- adolescents it distressed me to see cial justice and equality for LGBTI+ the Safe Schools Program initiat- members of the community, I am ed by the Australian government very much aware of the need for suffer from the consequences of schools to provide safe environ- hysterical misinformation and over- ments for all students regardless of reaction, and the subsequent reac- their religion, ethnicity, sexuality or tionary de-funding of the program. It gender identification. is clear that just bundling LBGTI+ dis- When I was president of the Aus- crimination into other existing anti- tralian Medical Association in the first bullying programs will result in the years of this century, we developed invisibility of LGBTI+ elements. a ground-breaking position state- In her report, Michelle McCor- ment for the medical profession on mack looks at international expe- sexuality and gender diversity. This rience with schools-based LGBTI+ recognised that despite strong advo- anti-bias programs and makes some cacy and sacrifice and some prog- practical recommendations for the ress there was still unacceptable in- direction of further research so that justice, prejudice, inequalities under effective programs can be agreed the law, and serious health conse- upon and implemented in schools quences as a result of homophobia. across Australia. Even when teachers and school I congratulate Michelle on her ini- leaders have their hearts in the right tiative and commend her report to place, without specific training many you. schools lack the competence to handle these issues as they arise. Professor Kerryn Phelps AM ERIC PEARSON STUDY GRANT 2016 4 INTRODUCTION than 20years’ teachingexperience As anassistant principalwithmore • • • • • • This report willlookat: and whichdonot. which strategies andideasworkbest tails andevidence that demonstrate holders, thisreport willprovide de- experts, educators and key stake - ious modelsandinterviewswith Through comparisons betweenvar- school staff andfamilies. tersex andgender-diversestudents, learning environments for SSA,in- cated tocreating safe andinclusive national coalition of schoolsdedi- Safe SchoolsCoalitionAustraliaisa and theUnitedStates of America. in Singapore, theUnitedKingdom tersex andgender-diversestudents port for same-sex-attracted (SSA), in- comparison toothermodelsof sup- tion Australia(SSCA)wasanalysedin In thisreport, theSafe SchoolsCoali- strategies andprograms inplace. the effectiveness of thevarious This provided great insightinto as SSA,intersexorgender-diverse. families withchildren whoidentify experts, same-sexfamilies and interviewing teachers,education integral partof thisreport was incorporation of safe policies.An funding models strategies development opportunitiesand teacher trainingandprofessional of programs inschools the actualactiveimplementation and change strategies andpoliciesof support families inschoolsettings teachers andchildren of same-sex der, intersex andqueerstudents, lesbian, gay, bisexual,transgen- state andfederal recognition of the program’s closure. Thereview Abbott signedapetitioncallingfor cluding former primeministerTony after 43 Coalition backbenchers in- was announced on26February2016 A review of the Safe Schools Program schools. Schools program from Queensland ment inrelation toremoving theSafe petition with the Queensland parlia- Lobby lodgeda10,891-signature In July2015, theAustralianChristian tinue todoso. have criticisedtheprogram andcon - bers of theLiberalandNational Party Australian ChristianLobby andmem- particularly theChristianRight.The opposed bysomereligious groups, study grant,theSSCAprogram was Shortly after Iwasawarded this same-sex family. support mysonsasmembersof a dents suchasIonce wasandwould a program that would supportstu- tiative heartening: here, finally, was found theSafe SchoolsCoalitionini- young primary school-age sons, I As a lesbianwith a wife andthree students andteachers. SSA, intersexandgender-diverse transphobic bullyingandabuseon pact of ignorance, homophobiaand seen first-handthedevastating im- in bothruralandcityschoolsIhave did not did on 30June2017. government funding due to cease be wound up this year with federal Schools Coalition(SSC)program will seems almostcertain that theSafe Despite thefindings of this review it 2016). material (Louden, William:11March primary schoolstudentsviewingthe harm wasexpectedtocome from resources were inappropriate and no findthat any of the official 5

NSW and Tasmania will drop the program after June and replace it with general anti-bullying programs. The Victorian and ACT governments will fully fund their versions of Safe Schools within their respective juris- dictions. In Western Australia, prior “Violence against — denigration of — young to the March 11, 2017 election which people by virtue of their perceived or actual sexual orientation and gender identity/expression it won, the Labor Party confirmed is perpetrated at alarming levels and it is always that it would follow Victoria and the wrong. LGBT students report three times high- ACT and adopt the program if elect- er rates of violence with the threat and reality ed. There is uncertainty over future graver still for trans students... In some coun- funding in the other states. tries, 99 per cent of students report witnessing homophobic abuse... Studies tell us that: “Two very fundamental human processes • 10 per cent of students are SSA accompany the journey from childhood to • 4 per cent of students are gender- adulthood — a journey that we all made. These diverse or transgender profoundly human processes — self-learning and self-realisation — are integral to human • 1.7 per cent of students are intersex. development and they intimately shape how we become as adults. It is what we learn and (Hillier, L. et al. 2010) how we become ourselves over the course of We know that bullying and discrim- our adolescence that shapes critical terms and conditions for the adult journey ahead of us... ination adversely affect the mental health of students and cause lower “So how can we tolerate, for even one more attendance at school, resulting in minute those norms, practices, laws or policies poor academic achievement. that render our most intimate selves — our in- nate and intimate identities — into a cause of As educators, we have a responsibil- self-loathing, a basis for ostracising, a reason ity to care for the social, emotional for exclusion, an excuse for violence, make of and educational wellbeing of all our consensual love and diverse gender identities students and teachers. a crime? We cannot simply ignore SSA, inter- “And yet, in this we are failing on a global scale — across Europe and the Caribbean. In the Pa- sex and gender-diverse students or cific and the Middle East. In Africa, Asia and in teachers at the whim of certain sec- the Americas. tors in our community. “And for this, young people are paying with We must take up the cause and fight their lives.” to retain the Safe Schools Coalition in Australia. We owe it to our SSA, inter- — Kate Gilmore, Deputy High Commissioner, United Nations Office of the High Commis- sex and gender-diverse students. We sioner for Human Rights, at the International owe it to our students from same-sex Ministerial Meeting on Education Sector Re- families. We owe it to our question- sponse to Violence based on Sexual Orienta- ing students. We owe it to our SSA, tion and Gender Identity/Expression, 17 May intersex and gender-diverse teachers. 2016 We cannot afford to be quiet now — there are lives at risk, and the wellbeing of our nation’s youth depends on programs such as the Safe Schools Coalition. ERIC PEARSON STUDY GRANT 2016 6 AUSTRALIA and isolation in schools. Theseex- phobic behaviour, discrimination perience homophobic andtrans- young peopleacross Australiaex- Research tellsusthat thousandsof ty andrespect. healthy andtobetreated withdigni- of allpeopletobesafe, happyand there isashared beliefintheright ed. Across religions andcultures harmful andshouldnotbeaccept- all agree that bullyingof anykindis and wellbeingof studentsandwe Australian schoolsvaluethehealth provide direct supportfor schools. organisations across thecountry to and haspartnered withexperienced of Safe Schools Coalition Australia lians (FYA) isthenational convenor The Foundation for Young Austra- staff andfamilies. tersex andgender-diversestudents, inclusive environments for SSA,in- in schoolstocreate safer andmore organisations workingwithand- The SSCAisanational networkof nity inschools. nation againsttheLGBTIQ commu- lenging thebullyingof anddiscrimi- The program isfocused onchal- government. June 2014 bytheAbbottCoalition the time.Itwasformally launchedin Wong, theALPfinance minister at sought in2013bySenator Penny Federal fundingfor theprogram was 2010. menced inVictoriaon21October by theSafe SchoolsCoalition,com- This voluntaryprogram, developed with thewidercausesof bullying. Schools Framework, whichdeals sources aspartof TheNational Safe lition Australia(SSCA)provides re- In Australia,theSafe SchoolsCoa- United States inthelate 1970s. services were establishedinthe youth groups inthefields of social The first community-based LGBTIQ • • following key areas: Schools canrequest support in the school. support andresources tosuittheir sional judgementsaboutaccessing principals and teachers make profes- Australia isvoluntaryandschool ment withSafe SchoolsCoalition School membershipandengage- schools. graphic locations andfaith-based schools, schoolsindiversegeo- ing governmentandindependent range of diversecontexts includ- SSCA workswithschoolsfrom a families. gender-diverse students,staff and same-sex-attracted, intersexand inclusive schoolenvironments for tical ideastocreate safer andmore staff withknowledge,skillsandprac- sources andsupporttoequipschool The SSCAoffers arange of free re- achievement (Newman,2014). and wellbeingtheiracademic ous consequences for their health periences cananddohaveseri- the school. der orgender-diverse studentat the genderidentity of atransgen- support intheprocess of affirming school communities that request operations. SSCAstaff alsoassist sive practice across theschool’s and teacherswithadvice oninclu - tation to support school leaders provide SSCA expert staff are available to confidence. give school staff insight, ideas and and feedback from schoolsto tional andinternational research Training materials drawuponna- ing around more complex issues. sions through toin-depthtrain- range from introductory ses- to theneedsof theschooland staff. Sessionscanbeadapted for teachersandotherschool Tailored professional learning guidance andconsul-

SSCA has a range of high-quality resources for school staff to respond to homophobic and transphobic behaviour and actively support and include gender diversity, intersex and sexual diversity in school communities. They also have an age- appropriate teaching and learning resource aligned to the Australian Curriculum for school teachers to use. The program has run in every state of Australia and the ACT. As of mid-February 2017, the Safe Schools Coalition website (safeschoolscoalition.org.au/) states that 304 schools were members of the program and 177 organisations were supporters of the coalition. A total of 18,128 staff have been trained and there are 403,392 students in member-schools. National Safe Schools Framework The Safe Schools Coalition Australia (SSCA) aligns with the National Safe Schools Framework, which assists Australian schools to develop safe, supportive and respectful teaching and learning communities that promote student wellbeing. The National Safe Schools Frame- work provides schools with a vision and a set of guiding principles and practical resources and strategies that assist school communities to develop and promote inclusive wellbeing policies for students. Building on the original 2003 framework, a revised framework was en- dorsed by all ministers for education in December 2010. The federal government collaborates with state and territory governments to support the framework as part of a national approach to make sure our school communities are safe and supportive. The following are guiding principles for safe, supportive and respectful school communities. ERIC PEARSON STUDY GRANT 2016 8 AUSTRALIA government would overhaulSafe ria, DanielAndrews, announced his Late in2016, thePremier of Victo- Safe SchoolsCoalitionVictoria • • • • • • Australian schools: approach. whole-school andevidence-based school community through a commit todevelopingasafe safe to keep themselvesandothers develop understandingandskills actively supportyoungpeopleto versity isvalued safe schoolcommunity where di- in developing andmaintaininga of allschoolcommunity members encourage theactiveparticipation responsibilities fil the school’s childprotection ing communities that alsoful- supportive learningandteach- oping andsustainingsafe and accept responsibility for devel- tive learning for studentwellbeingandeffec- supported at schoolisessential acknowledge that beingsafe and and besafe at school the schoolcommunity tofeel safe affirm therights ofallmembers of

organisations. trained andthere were 44supporter members, 12,264 teachers had been the SSCVwebsite,286schools were By mid-February 2017, according to ing policiesandguidance. Department of Education and Train- discrimination legislation aswell to make sure theycomply withanti- workalsosupportsschools(SSCV) Safe SchoolsCoalitionVictoria properly supported. in ensuringallLGBTI studentsare ing parents heispersonallyinvested spite theprospect of abacklash,tell- offered toprimary-agedchildren de- Schools Program willcontinue tobe James Merlinohassaidthat theSafe Victorian State Education Minister sign up. 40 percent of publicschoolsyetto by theendof 2018totheremaining that it iscommitted torolling itout Schools beingwatered downand the overhaulwouldnotresult inSafe The Victoriangovernmentinsisted in Victorianschools. of Education wouldruntheprogram he announced that the Department founder, Roz Ward. Soon afterwards, Schools and cut ties with the SSCA and care from Safe Schools that that Schools Safe from care and “It is because of all the support support the all of because is “It

my little princess is able to be No harm was expected to come tive MPs who have demanded the pro- her true self not only at home from primary school students gram be defunded. and with friends but at school. viewing the material. The review Opponents of the SSCA argue that the We are truly forever grateful for commented that these students program’s core aims — to give support everything you do. Thank you might not comprehend some so much.” — Parent, Victoria, and guidance to students struggling with terms such as transphobia or ho- safeschoolscoalition.org.au questions of sexual identity and to allow mophobia. them to feel safe at school — remain in- Louden Review The level of interaction between tact. By reducing the content in the SSCA On 26 February 2016, the federal schools and parents was found to program and materials, however, it is in government announced that there be appropriate. fact leaving these students more vulnerable and more at risk of not being able to would be an independent review of “I just wanted to say that I real- the current resources provided to ly appreciate what you guys are access that support and guidance. schools under the SSCA program. doing. I wish this was around So, what we are seeing into 2017 is that by Conducted by the University of West- when I was in high school and “gutting” the content of the Safe Schools ern Australia’s Professor Bill Louden, I hope the government funds Program, Prime Minister Malcolm Turn- your organisation. the aim of the review was to: bull and the Coalition federal government 1. Advise the extent to which (the re- “During my school years, I was are effectively throwing LGBTIQ students excited about the High School sources) are: and teachers under the bus without a formal, graduating & going care for their wellbeing or safety. • consistent with the intent and ob- to Uni, but ended up leaving jectives of the program during my HSC year because of bullying and threats because • a suitable and robust resource for of my sexuality. The school did schoolteachers and students nothing to support me even after I spoke to my year advisor • age-appropriate and principal. Was told to stop • educationally sound ‘faking it’ and to ‘change’ so life would be easier for me. • aligned with the current Australian “With your program, you will be Curriculum. able to reach out to future stu- 2. Review the extent to which par- dents to stop this from happen- ents and school communities are ing.” consulted about the use of these Keep it up.” - Student, NSW, safe- resources and the adequacy of such schoolscoalition.org.au consultation. 2016-2017 developments The review involved interviews with The Turnbull government has made a small sample of schools that use dramatic changes to the Safe Schools the Safe School Program, and in- anti-bullying program that have been de- terviews with students, principals, scribed by some as “gutting” its content. health education and curriculum area leaders. The changes drastically reduce the lesson content, restrict it to secondary The review did not find that any schools, shift the program to a govern- of the official resources were in- ment website, remove all links to other appropriate. It found that the con- material and sites and add a requirement tent in guideline documents was that students get parental consent and consistent with the aims of the schools get parent-body consent before program and that the language opting to use its materials. and content was suitable. The federal Education Minister, Simon All lesson plans were found to be Birmingham, said this was a “strong but consistent with the aims of the measured response” to the concerns program as were all of the posters. raised by Christian groups and conserva- ERIC PEARSON STUDY GRANT 2016 10 SINGAPORE these students.” about howbest toprovide support for isations whohave spoken to teachers been membersfrom local gay organ- fiction andnon-fiction, there have said, “Our schoollibraryhasLGBTIQ Commenting onhisworkplace, Ben ‘silent’ intermsof providing support.” talked aboutandtherefore it’sstillvery teachers generally. Itisnotusually LGBTIQ studentsare ontheradarof genuinely don’tbelievetherightsof pore, Benstated, “To behonest,I Of thesituation generallyinSinga- diverse, intersexandSSAstudents. and culturalchangefor gender- UK governmenttoprovide support egies andpoliciesprovided bythe staff are able todraw uponthestrat- At theBritishInternational School, ture existingwithinSingapore. very muchasecret LGBTIQ subcul- lim, ChristianandHindu)there is religiously conservative families(Mus- in Singapore. Manystudentsare from or nosupportfor LGBTIQ students He commented that there waslittle their familiesare recognised. diverse, intersexandSSAyouth recognition and in what terms gender- charters, etc.are availabletoaddress I asked Benwhat policies,legislation, the BritishInternational School. terview Benjamin Farr, whoteachesat Whilst inSingapore, Iwasabletoin- ing. again mysearches showedupnoth - and theirfamilies—time gender-diverse, intersexorSSAyouth type of affirmative action programs for I searched extensivelyonlinefor any protection existsfor LGBTIQ status. not enforced. Noanti-discrimination is illegalalthoughthelawgenerally is illegal.Malesame-sex sexual activity tion of children bysame-sexcouples recognised underthelawandadop- idents. Same-sexrelationships are not of thelegalrightsof non-LGBTIQ res- LGBTIQ peopleinSingapore lackmany teachers were notinvited toattend. ed trainingsession for staff that most his schoolhad heldaone-off, limit- SSA studentsortheirfamilies, Bensaid towards gender-diverse,intersexand community that promote negativity concerns from theschoolbodyand In order toaddress complaints or er ifnecessary). lation toheadof yearorheadteach- nels (complaint toteacherandesca- dealt withthrough thegeneralchan- or theirfamiliesinBen’sschoolare diverse, intersexandSSAstudents Complaints orconcerns from gender- dress theseissuesorconcerns. doubtful that localschoolswouldad- homosexuality inSingapore, Benis As itisillegaltonormaliseorpromote gender-diverse youth. or suicideamongSSA,intersex and bullying as a cause of ill-health known strategy toidentifyisolation the agenda.Therefore, there isno issue andtherefore it’snothighon Ben’s schooldoesn’thaveabullying There isageneralconsensus that and SSAyouththeirfamilies. suicide of gender-diverse,intersex specifically dealswithbullyingand Ben isunaware of any policythat for teachersonSSAstudents. professional development workshop ger thanoneyear, andithashelda who havebeeninarelationship lon- a marriedcouple status for those recognises gaycouples andprovides The schoolhasapolicywhereby it curriculum andpolicydocuments. and Economic Education (PSHE) within thePersonal, Social,Health ciples andpoliciesare embedded At Ben’sschool,safe studentprin- intersex andSSAstudents. specifically identifygender-diverse, of anydocumentsorpoliciesthat verse, intersexandSSAstudents,nor a frameworktosupportgender-di- policies inSingapore that provide Ben isnotaware of anyschool-based

Singaporeans need to feel empowered to form structures such as Minus18, Australia’s largest youth-led network for gay, lesbian bi and trans teens

In Singapore, no professional develop- port for gender-diverse and SSA stu- students who have been harassed ment opportunities exist for teaching, dents and their families. over their sexual orientation have school and district/area staff in relation lower educational aspirations and The limited support structures in to inclusiveness and support for gender- reduced school achievement (New- place in Singaporean schools pre- diverse and SSA students and for their man, 2014). sumably, given the results of over- families. seas studies, result in poorer psy- For all students (including gender- There is no funding available for im- chological wellbeing and increased diverse, intersex and SSA students) to plementation of student and staff absenteeism of gender-diverse, feel safe and valued and to reach their development in relation to programs intersex and SSA students in that full potential, schools must provide an that address inclusiveness and sup- country. Overseas studies show that inclusive and positive school experience. ERIC PEARSON STUDY GRANT 2016 12 UNITED KINGDOM (2014) Additionally, • put outbyStonewall,found that: Schools in 2012 in Schools • gender youngpeople,found that: young peopleincluding 956 trans- The Teachers’ Report Teachers’ The Britain‘s in People Young Gay Experienc of es The Report: School The 92 percent inScotland alone. and fullequality”for LGBT people, toward “respect of human rights Europe, with86percent progress the UKreceived thehighestscore in rope’s 2015review of LGBTI rights, and IntersexAssociation (ILGA) Eu- bian, Gay, Bisexual,Transgender the world.InInternational Les - the highestdegrees of equalityin for whom the UK provides one of legal rightsasnon-LGBTIQ citizens, ed Kingdomhavemostof thesame Today, LGBTIQ citizens intheUnit- • • • that: and bisexual young people, found wall, of more than1600 lesbian,gay the UKLGBT rightscharity, Stone- bridge University, commissioned by or bisexual. ing perceived tobe—lesbian,gay called namesfor being—orbe- schools are bullied,harassedor teachers saystudentsintheir nine outof 10secondary school enced name-calling and28per people say they haveexperi- three-quarters of transyoung school. lesbian, gayandbisexualissuesat are never taught anything about lesbian, gayandbiyoungpeople more thanhalf(53percent) of in school “that’s sogay”or“you’re sogay” 99 percent hearthephrases bullying inBritain’sschools people experience homophobic lesbian, gayandbisexualyoung more thanhalf(55percent) of , asurveyof more than7000 Metro Youth Chances Chances Youth Metro , asurveybyCam- (2014), also - accept othersfor whotheyare. and enabling themtolearnhow making allchildren feel welcome and tacklingbullyingis crucialto tainment. Celebrating difference as well as their attendance andat- affecting youngpeople’s wellbeing ing are widespread inUKschools, languageand bully- phobic (HBT) Homophobic, biphobicandtrans- accepted familyrelationship. in schoolsof homosexualityasan tion of homosexuality or teaching er repealed —bannedthepromo- Sir IanMcKellen. Section 28 —lat- ment Actanditsfounders include section 28 of the UK Local Govern- activists andothers lobbying against in Europe. It was started by political organisation notonlyintheUKbut — isnowthelargest LGBT rights curred againstpolice harassment spontaneous demonstrations oc- City’s Greenwich Villageinwhich Stonewall riotsfameinNewYork named after theStonewallInnof Stonewall —formed in1989and affect self-esteem. and genderidentitycanseverely messages around sexualorientation and thereinforcement of negative LGBT peoplefrom thecurriculum lies. Insomecases,theexclusion of have skippedschooltoavoidbul- ed theirschoolwork;halfsaythey mophobic bullyingsayithasaffect- students whohaveexperienced ho- of LGBTIQ students.Sevenoutof 10 demic achievementandaspirations vere impactonthewellbeing,aca- has shownthat bullyinghasase- As isthecaseinAustralia,research • • people haveattempted suicide. 27 percent of transgenderyoung of discrimination sons duetodiscrimination orfear people saytheyhavemissedles- 32 percent of transgenderyoung attacks cent haveexperienced physical

Stonewall delivers training to teachers through Train the Trainer courses. These courses give executive staff or other interested staff in schools the knowledge, tools and confidence to train their colleagues on tackling homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying. It also helps them to understand how to support lesbian, gay, bi and transgender young people. The Stonewall Getting Started Tool- kit (Secondary Schools) provides a framework and a set of practical tools to help tackle homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying. It is based on five key steps to enable schools to embed work to tackle this bullying across the school’s policies and procedures. Each step includes a set of tools, templates and checklists to help ac- complish this. The “Moving Further” section of this toolkit provides a set of simple, practical steps that schools can take to embed work on LGBT issues across the curriculum and celebrate diversity across the whole school community. I met Cheryl (name and school with- held), who teaches in a large, mixed comprehensive secondary school with 1200 pupils. She has also vol- unteered for Stonewall. I asked whether her school had had iStock/Tomazi any involvement with Stonewall. Top: Same-sex In 2013, the school joined Stone- traffic lights in wall’s School Champions program London; bottom left: and planned assemblies, events and The Mendip School; bottom right: a an awareness week on homopho- Stonewall poster bia. The school decided this was a priority even though there was some resistance from staff and pupils; the resistance was put down to ignorance rather than blatant homophobia. When staff were asked to volun- teer to participate in the Stonewall training Cheryl put up her hand ERIC PEARSON STUDY GRANT 2016 14 UNITED KINGDOM dents witha SexandRelationships that theschool provides its stu- staff andtheschool community There is an understanding among Education (PSHE)intheschool. brella of Personal, SocialandHealth policy andcomes underthe um- ships Policy that isastand-alone The schoolhasaSexandRelation- secondary schoolstudents. schooling for vulnerableandat-risk is analternative tomainstream erset, England. The Mendip School Mendip PartnershipSchoolinSom- Ian Martinisheadteacherof the of hercareer. valuable professional development training has been by far the most Cheryl remarked that theStonewall the school. and supportfor LGBT students in and provide evenmore resources This willfoster theserelationships evant community supportagencies. students, parents, teachersandrel- community conferencing involving In 2017, the school is planning more sourced andchallenging. gave herviewthat itwaswell-re- Trainer course runbyStonewalland Cheryl hastaken partinaTrain the nation. and are stillworkingtowards elimi- able toreduce theuse of thephrase She reports that they havebeen try andeliminate itfrom theschool. the negativity of thisphraseandto they wantedtoraiseawareness of Cheryl andotherstaff decidedthat ly usedamongstpupilsasaninsult. phrase “that’s sogay”iscommon - Similar toAustralianschools,the assemblies andin-classworkshops. out tothepupilsthrough aseriesof training. Themessagewasfiltered commenced somestaff awareness to school,co-wrote apolicyand cation Conference thenreturned She attended theStonewallEdu- and wasexcited bythechallenge. the Stonewall program. School inWiltshire, havealladopted near Bristol and Holbrook Primary London, StKeyna PrimarySchool ny HammondPrimary School in Primary schoolssuchas TheJen- dures. the school’spoliciesand proce- work totackleHBT bullyingacross order toenableschools to embed based on thesamefive key stepsin bullying inprimaryschools.Itis bic, biphobicandtransphobic(HBT) tical toolstohelptacklehomopho- vides aframeworkandsetof prac- toolkit for secondary schools, pro- The ers, studentsandtheirfamilies. sexuality issues.Thisincludesteach- to dealingwithgenderdiversityand and openapproach whenitcomes ship Schoolusesaveryfair, honest Ian states that theMendipPartner- sure for everyschool. and therefore prohibitive asamea- it might be considered expensive cial althoughhedidcomment that er trainingtobeextremely benefi- formed. Ianfound Stonewallteach- he considers allstaff tobewellin- around LGBTIQ studentsandthat had received some levelof training Ian alsostated that allteachers school’s BehaviourPolicy. ated andisaddressed through the Homophobic bullyingisnottoler- the needsof allstudentsare met. families. Itthusaimstoensure that dents andstudentsfrom same-sex ports severalgayandlesbianstu- The Mendip School proudly sup- ing closelywithparents andcarers. The schooliscommitted towork- health. es abouttheirsexualandemotional make positive and informed choic- students thepersonalresources to year groups of students.Thisgives program suitedtospecificagesor kit (Primary Schools) (Primary kit Stonewall Getting Started Tool Started Getting Stonewall , similartothe - 15

Some of the similar problems the schools encountered were parent questioning and resistance to the program, as well as staff reserva- tions about parent concerns. Nevertheless, they all reported positive outcomes including the cre- ation of a network of supportive schools and stronger anti-bullying programs and messages. Perhaps most significantly, there emerged a greater awareness of issues affecting GLBT students and a committed effort to safer, happier and more inclusive schools. It is very clear, through this small amount of research, that England certainly delivers far superior programs and reaches more students and teachers than Australia. Stonewall offers outstanding programs and support to students, teachers and schools. Stonewall has worked with more than 12,000 schools from across England, Scotland and Wales. Compare this with the 304 member- schools of the Safe Schools Coalition in Australia — we have a lot of work to do here. A win for LGBTIQ students and teachers in England.

Top: Stonewall research on homophobia in primary schools; bottom: Stonewall calls for unstinting acceptance ERIC PEARSON STUDY GRANT 2016 16 SCOTLAND ple and have the skills and knowl- understand the rightsof LGBT peo- Organisations andprofessionals will Outcome 3:Capacitybuilding tive contributors. als, responsible citizens and effec- cessful learners,confident individu- in order that theycanbecome suc - vironments for LGBT youngpeople munity are safe andwelcoming en- Schools andthewiderlearningcom- Learning (CLD)andcolleges Outcome 2:Schools,Community opportunities. with access tonon-formal learning friendly andinformal environment, ise withtheirpeergroup inasafe, opportunities tomeetandsocial- LGBT youngpeoplewillhavegood Outcome 1:Young People next three tofiveyears. tegic outcomes for itsworkoverthe LGBT Youth Scotland has four stra- in everycommunity.” Scottish familyat home,schooland embraced asfullmembersof the LGBT community sothat theyare gender youngpeopleandthewider er lesbian,gay, bisexualandtrans- The charity’smissionisto:“Empow- isation for LGBT peopleinScotland. youth andcommunity-based organ- LGBT Youth Scotland isthelargest also hasLGBT Youth Scotland. the entire United Kingdom, Scotland As wellasStonewall,whichservices tions itoffers LGBT people. superiority isduetothelegalprotec- Wales, for LGBT legalequality. This try inEurope, aheadof Englandand was recognised asthe“best”coun - In both2015and2016, Scotland in Europe. garded oneof themostprogressive the UnitedKingdomandare nowre- erally slightlysuperiortotherest of (LGBT) rightsinScotland are gen- Lesbian, gay, bisexual,transgender and Colleges.Asoutlinedinthe Schools, CommunityLearning (CLD) port istheStrategic Outcome 2is: Of particularrelevance tothisre- management. ing goodpractice inleadershipand and enterprisingcharity, sustain- LGBT Youth Scotland isaneffective Outcome 4:Effective charity services. edge to develop more inclusive enough togain aparent’s perspec - Whilst inEdinburgh Iwasfortunate port for LGBTI students inScotland. programs provide some strong sup- partnerships, policies,strategies and With thesupportof Stonewall these authorities andschools. ment (CLD)Standards Council, local Community Learning andDevelop- For Every Child(GIRFEC) Team, tish government’sGettingItRight with Education Scotland, theScot- Scotland hasformed strong relations To achievethesegoals, LGBT Youth • • • • • lowing outcomes specificallyaimto: LGBT Youth Work Scotland Youth Youth Scotland Work Youth LGBT Work Strategy 2014-2018, Strategy Work tion sessionswithinschools. become involvedinpeereduca- opportunities for youngpeopleto ensure that there are increased of work the leadorganisation inthisarea LGBT Youth Scotland’s positionas with localauthoritiesandcement develop strategic relationships school environments and to be part of the change in allies withinschoolstotake action create programs that allow straight opment) andtraining (Continuing Professional Devel- of schools staff through CPD improve theskillsandconfidence and experiences equately reflect LGBTI identities ensure that curriculum areas ad- thefol-

Scotland nails its colours to the mast by flying a gay pride flag alongside national flags tive of what school is like for their to any issues in relation to their fam- cent as positively as any other and children. ily set-up and believe that they are that this negates the needs for any treated like everyone else. special strategies and policies. The I interviewed a lesbian couple, Lee real issues would potentially come Cockburn and Emily Noble, both They haven’t been made aware of from individual parents and their be- employees of the police service of any policies specifically for gender-di- liefs and opinions, inbred into their verse, intersex or SSA students and Scotland and the parents of two children, of narrow-mindedness. boys aged six. their families. The school hopes to up- hold a general anti-bullying policy to Lee believes, as an officer of the law, “Even though our boys are only six the attempt to prevent any individual be- that complaints or concerns about school is supportive in relation to our ing bullied for any reason, and Lee and gender-diverse, intersex or SSA stu- family and it offers positive behaviour Emily support this: they don’t think dents and their families are treated management in relation to anything there needs to be a specific policy to very seriously and she would expect from bad behaviour, acceptance, un- address bullying of LGBT students as the school to do the same but she derstanding, preventing racism or is- they feel that this in itself would be hasn’t needed to put relevant poli- sues with all families that might be a alienating for such students. cies to a test. little difficult,” Emily Noble said. They have seen no examples of any Lee and Emily would take the matter When asked what strategies and pol- strategies or policies implemented to to the highest level if they thought icies there are to support gender- support them as a family. They feel the school supported or promoted diverse, intersex or SSA students they that they are considered a legitimate any sort of negativity towards them replied that there were none. They couple in the school community in or their family — or towards anyone have not suffered or been exposed every right and accepted 100 per else, for that matter. ERIC PEARSON STUDY GRANT 2016 18 SCOTLAND form thefuture generation. feels proud tosay that these children homes away from theschool. Lesley traditions andcultures at eachother’s each otherandshare inmanydifferent Primary 4andare veryaccepting of through thisjourneyfrom Primary1to and parents whohavebeentogether comprises quiteadiversesetof pupils ents orsexualorientation. Theschool regard tothegenderof pupil’spar- plaint shouldbetreated differently with with inthestandard format asnocom- Any complaints orconcerns are dealt is thenorm. children havebeenraisedtobelieve a child’sfamilynetworkandwhat knowledge andunderstandingabout to beshared inorder tohavegood lish as much information as is willing believes that itisimportanttoestab- Starting from first contact, theschool keeps itevolvingasrequired. do next?”supportsthispolicyand know?” and“What are wegoingto “How are wedoing?”,“How dowe al changefor all.Self-evaluation of school provides supportandcultur- The Anti-BullyingPolicy ishowthe tolerance andlivingasone. defeats thepurposeof acceptance, Policy: noneare stand-alone asthat the school’sgeneralAnti-Bullying and theirfamiliesare embeddedin diverse, intersexandSSAstudents egies andpolicies)for gender- All supportmechanisms(strat- valued. on themasindividualsandtofeel that everyone receives equal focus Time” andaweekly“Me Museum”so cussed andshared through “Circle individual pupil’sfamilyset-upisdis- are celebrated andembraced. Each ality andtheiruniqueset-upall ilies are recognised bytheirindividu- all asequalsandpartof society. Fam- She saidherschoollookstopromote primary schoolclassroom assistant. I also spoke withMrsLesley Sharp,a would bethe firstparliamentinEu- come toanofficial vote, Scotland This means that shouldthematter strategy onhomophobicbullying. ance for teachers andanational to backtrainingandcurricular guid- from allpartieshadsigneditspledge that 66 Scottish parliamentary MPs In February2017, TIEannounced sues intheschoolcurriculum. transgender andintersex(LGBTI) is- clusion of lesbian,gay, bisexual, Scottish parliamentsupportthein- The majorityof members of the bia withinclusiveeducation. mophobia, biphobiaandtranspho- group that aimstocombat ho- in 2015, TIEisaScottish campaign FoundedInclusive Education (TIE). ly neworganisation calledTimefor in diversity, alertedmetoarelative- in Scotland whospecialisesinwork Seona Fleming,apolice constable the startof termfor thecoming year. plus theusualschoolholidaydates at are provided ascheduleof thesedays into theschooltermsandparents for trainingpurposes.Theseare set pupils are off but the teachers are in in-service” dayssetasidewhenthe There are alsoanumberof “insetor diverse, intersexandSSAstudents. inclusivity andsupportfor gender- relation to programs that address in eachfinancialyear for trainingin Council provide for fundingwith- The Local GovernmentandLocal in policyorstrategies. good understandingof anychanges opment, thusensuringstaff have a that gotowards professional devel- courses (compulsory orvoluntary) ent, whileotherscomplete online active, witharound 30personspres- in-person courses that canbeinter- are compulsory. Somestaff attend they are interested in.Somecourses couraged toapplyfor courses that development andallstaff are en- through continuous professional The schoolprovides opportunities

rope to express majority support for inclusive education in schools. TIE research shows that 42 per cent of students who said they were bullied for being LGBT had attempted suicide If you were bullied for being at least once or more than once; 97 LGBT, did you: per cent of students said that they believe that if their school were inclusive of LGBT issues and identities that Attempt suicide once? would have helped them. Attempt suicide more than once? At a time when the Australian gov- Self-harm once? ernment is withdrawing funding for Self-harm regularly? Safe Schools, I believe we need to 27% look to countries like Scotland that are clearly leading the way in this 45% area. They are funding the research and gaining the support to give LGBTI young people equality and respect, 15% which is their right. 13%

If you were bullied at school for being LGBT, do you think that it would have helped if your school was inclusive of LGBT issues and identities?

yes no 3%

97%

Data from the report, Attitudes Towards LGBT in Scottish Education (2016) prepared by the British Association of Social Workers ERIC PEARSON STUDY GRANT 2016 20 UNITED STATES ly allowsits lesbian,gay, bisexual, education systemthat toofrequent- who cametogether to improve an group of teachersinMassachusetts in 1990byasmallbut dedicated tion Network(GLSEN)was founded Gay, Lesbian andStraightEduca - tion. the HumanRightsCampaignFounda- and Welcoming Schools,aproject of (GLSEN), Gay-StraightAlliance (GSA) bian and Straight Education Network used inschoolstheUS. Gay, Les- Paul spoke aboutthree main programs Analyst, NEAHumanandCivilRights. met withPaulSathrum, SeniorPolicy ciation (NEA)inWashington DCand a visittotheNational Education Asso- Whilst visitingtheUnitedStates Imade must gotoachievetrueequality. grown complacent howfarwestill and toremind thosewhomayhave less fortunate whocamebefore us we havecome, toremember those gay pride are to recognise how far pride parades.Thosecelebrations of at The StonewallInnbyholding world recognises that historic time The LGBTIQ community around the back againstpolice harassment. trons of the StonewallInnfought On Saturday, 28June1969, thepa- rage from thisincident. the movementrose outof theout- tivism beganbefore this,muchof police violence. AlthoughLGBT ac- trans womenof colour experienced an LGBTIQ barwhere predominantly Inn inNewYork City. Stonewallwas occurred in1969at The Stonewall from theanniversaryof theriotsthat celebrated since June1970, comes LGBT PrideMonth,whichhasbeen protection from thisdiscrimination. wide, leavingmanystates withoutany al lawoutlawingdiscrimination nation- but the United States still lacks a feder - marriage betweensame-sexcouples 2015, allstates license andrecognise from state tostate. As of June26, LGBT rightsintheUnitedStates vary to endhomophobia andtransphobia. der identityand expression, and work related to sexualorientation andgen- support eachother, talk aboutissues a safe place for studentstomeet, school ormiddlethat provides dent-run club,typically in ahigh Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA)is astu- from bullyingandharassment.“ grow inaschoolenvironment free that LGBTQ studentscanlearnand “Every day, GLSENworkstoensure implemented. icies are considered, passedand sive andinclusivesafe schoolspol- makers toensure that comprehen- “GLSEN partnerswith decision- community. tors tousethroughout theirschool appropriate resources for educa- “GLSEN authors developmentally education. dence-based solutionsfor K-12 original research toinform evi- “GLSEN conducts extensiveand pion LGBT issuesinK-12education. improve schoolclimate andcham- district offices in communities— to ment of Education toschoolsand try —from Congress andtheDepart- working inhallwaysacross thecoun- “GLSEN accomplishes itsgoalsby can learnandgrow. ing school environment where they students deserveasafe andaffirm- identity orgenderexpression. All of their sexualorientation, gender and treated withrespect regardless dent, in every school, is to be valued “At GLSEN, theaimisthat everystu- On itswebsite,GLSENstates: ing schoolsfor LGBTQ students. focused onensuringsafe andaffirm- ing national education organisation small group hasgrown intothelead- Now, more than25yearslater, that against, orfallthrough thecracks. students to bebullied, discriminated transgender, queerandquestioning

Developing out of similar programs to increase understanding of LGBTQ dating from the mid-1980s, GSA people and the importance of groups have cropped up at hun- LGBTQ-inclusive policies and practic- dreds of schools across the US and es; this became the HRC Foundation. the world. In a school environment Whilst in the United States I had the very where LGBTQ students are often good fortune of meeting Aimee Gelnaw scared for their safety in class, GSAs provide the student body with or- MEd, a founding member of the Wel- ganised advocacy efforts, including coming Schools Committee (2004). She bullying prevention, awareness- is currently a member of the Welcom- raising, and in generally providing a ing Schools National Advisory Coun- place where queer students can feel cil, which serves as a key advisor in the safe. Having a GSA in schools has development and implementation of demonstrated a positive correlation the Welcoming Schools initiative, a pro- to the wellbeing of LGBTQ students. gram of the Human Rights Campaign, and provides leadership in educating the Welcoming Schools, a project of broader educational community about the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) the importance of supporting LGBTQ Foundation, is a comprehensive ap- students and families. proach to improving school climate in elementary school environments Aimee Gelnaw began her LGBTQ activ- with training, resources, and lessons ism in 1990 when she was instrumental to help schools in: in founding Lambda Families of New Jersey, a statewide social and education- • embracing family diversity al support network for LGBT families. • creating LGBTQ-inclusive schools It was at this time that Aimee also • preventing bias-based bullying began to advocate for LGBT families in early childhood programs • creating gender-expansive schools and schools. She co-founded Family • supporting transgender and Week in Provincetown, Massachu- non-binary students. setts, a weeklong social and educa- To create safer elementary school tional event now annually hosting climates, HRC Welcoming Schools approximately 450 families. She ex- Facilitators provide professional de- panded her focus and advocacy as velopment training to schools and a member of the national board of districts across the nation, equipping directors of the only national non- adults with tools they need to help profit group dedicated to advocacy, elementary students succeed. education and support of LGBT families (first named GLPCI — Gay Les- In 2004, Greater Boston PFLAG (a bian Parents Coalition International, group of parents, families, friends then Family Pride Coalition, and cur- and LGBTIQ people) called together rently Family Equality Council). a group of community members, including an elementary school princi- After chairing the board for several pal, a social worker, teachers, same- years, Aimee was appointed as execu- sex parents, safe school trainers and tive director of Family Pride Coalition Top: The author (right) and her wife, a social-emotional program consul- where she served from 2001-2005. Lynne, at their wedding in New York tant to look at how LGBTIQ topics During her tenure, Aimee continued City, with sons Tom, Angus and Finlay; affected elementary students. general advocacy while still maintain- middle: The National Education ing her passion and commitment to Association office in Washington Simultaneously, in 2005, the Human assuring safe and welcoming schools DC; bottom: a GLSEN poster for Rights Campaign realised that the for children and families. IDAHOT, the International Day Against organisation also needed a public Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia education and outreach component Another project begun through ERIC PEARSON STUDY GRANT 2016 22 UNITED STATES • and safe schoolsfor LGBT families: thored, related to creating welcoming ism, Aimeehasauthored andco-au- ple of thework,throughout heractiv- The following titlesare justasmallsam- Australian schools. recommendations implementedin for theAustraliancontext andfor the has undertaken could be considered Some of thepivotalresearch Aimee degree insocialwork. rently pursuingasecond Master’s childhood developmentandiscur- Aimee hasaMaster’sdegree inearly other organisations andschools. cy Assistance Centre andcountless Schools, theNewYork CityLitera- go Children’s Museum,Welcoming consultations withGLSEN, Chica- Aimee hasengagedinextensive Haywood, California. and ChabotCommunityCollegein sity of North Carolina, Greensboro ton andhasbeenoffered at Univer- cisco andWheelockCollegeinBos- ongoing at CityCollegeof SanFran- Childhood Settings”.Thiscourse is al andTransgender Families inEarly in theCircle: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexu- course curriculum,“Making Room was thedevelopmentof thecollege grant fundingduringAimee’stenure Families want theirchildren’s • • • • Program (LGBT) Transgender and Bisexual, Schools Solu and Strategies At-a-Glance Schools and Parents your in Parents Lesbian and Gay Gay, Lesbian, for Environments tions for Addressing Bullying in in Bullying Addressing for tions Conversation Compassionate The Families Our Include to Pol Change icy Creating Doors: More Opening Gay & Lesbian Doors: Opening of Children Including Belonging: Settings Childhood Early in Families Creating Welcoming and Inclusive -

- cades inthe humanservices field. Patty hasspent more thanfour de- as TriVersity. Delaware GLBT Centre, nowknown mer executive director of theUpper maszewski, original founder andfor- In NewYork, ImetwithPatty To- schools. are feeling safe andwelcome intheir or studentsfrom same-sexfamilies most importantly, LGBTIQ students communities engaged.Perhaps teachers empowered andschool has beenundertaken andactioned, velopment of policies, research that grams inactionschools,thede- So, what weseeasaresult are pro- these stepstowards inclusivity. teachers, helpingfamiliesandtaking change, providing training,enabling Aimee Gelnawwhoare drivingpolicy same-sex families.Itispeoplesuchas for LGBTIQ studentsor from to makingschoolssafe andinclusive There isnoone-size-fits-all solution and progress. ences, outcomes, commitments countability andcelebrating differ- es andpractices, incorporating ac- evaluating andrevising approach- professional supportfor assessing, all gradelevels,providing ongoing mentally appropriate program at development, institutingdevelop- etc.), implementing professional tors, politicians,lawenforcement, bers (counsellors, coaches, doc- it bebyengagingcommunity mem- strategies toachievethis,whether Aimee describedseeminglysimple Caspe, andLopez 2006). Caspe andLopez 2006;Weiss, bourd 1992;Redding etal.2004; and families”(GalinskyWeiss - relationship existsbetweenschools their education andwhenapositive when theirfamiliesare involvedin research showsthat children thrive places that respect them. “Extensive schools tobesafe andwelcoming 23

She has delivered countless LGBT 1. COLAGE: Children of Lesbians Cultural Competency workshops and and Gays Everywhere. The organ- training to schools, human services isation was founded in 1988 by a agencies and universities and col- group of young people who had leges. She is a member of the New Gay or Lesbian parents. COLAGE Jersey Department of Children and holds and annual event in Mas- Families LGBTQ Youth Committee. sachusetts called Family Week, where same-sex families congre- Triversity was founded by Patty in 2009 gate for a week of fun, workshops, to serve the needs of the GLBT com- socialising, swimming and love. munities in the tri-state areas of New COLAGE has a strong online com- York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. munity that provides a forum to TriVersity’s mission is to provide a ask questions, share stories, post space and programs that welcome, videos or related articles. In these support and empower the LGBTQ spaces, members are from all over community living in and visiting the the country and world and often tri-state region; to promote accep- don’t have any other ways to ac- tance of LGBTQ individuals through cess families such as theirs. This education and; to be an advocate for way, they can create community, social change that embraces diversi- support each other, and become ty and eliminates oppression based strong advocates for themselves on sexual orientation and gender and their families. identity. 2. OLWEUS: A whole-school, bully- Triversity presents events started by ing prevention program that has Patty such as the now well-known been proven to prevent or reduce Ally Prom dinner dance which, she bullying throughout a school set- said, “provided an opportunity for ting. The OLWEUS program was LGBTQ students to be themselves, developed by Dr Dan Olweus to be with whom they wanted and and designed to be a long-term, to express themselves in a way that system-wide program for change. they felt comfortable. It was our way The program is targeted at four of letting them know that we are levels: classroom, school, individ- there to support their journey to be- ual and the community. coming happy and healthy adults.” 3. Stopbullying.gov: A US federal This ongoing event is a legacy Pat- government website managed by ty will leave knowing she has helped the US Department of Health and countless GLBTQ students and their Human Services. It provided ser- families. A simple idea for Australian vices, contacts and resources to schools perhaps? help identify, educate about and prevent bullying. Top to In New Jersey, I spent some time with bottom: lesbian couple Kathryn Oldfield and 4. Teaching Tolerance: A project of Aimee Karin Nieuwenhuis, who have two the Southern Policy Law Centre. Gelnaw; Patty Tomaszewski; young adult children, Tess and Tim. This very comprehensive website provides educational mate- Michelle Kathryn and Karin have been togeth- rials based on school climate, McCormack er for 25 years and provide a per- classroom strategies and reflec- (second from left) and wife, spective of schooling from a same- tive teaching. It includes film kits, Lynne (left) sex family experience. Along with links to relevant publications, and with Kathryn their knowledge of GLSEN, GSA and teaching tolerance webinars and Oldfield Welcoming Schools they also made publishes a quarterly magazine, and Karyn mention of four other smaller but Teaching Tolerance. Nieuwenhuis significant organisations: ERIC PEARSON STUDY GRANT 2016 24 CONCLUSION ANDRECOMMENDATIONS quences are for LGBTIQ pupils.The sures workwellandwhat theconse- school responsiveness, what mea - particularly intheareas of bullying, LGBTIQ students inBritishschools, survey provided responses of young completed anonlinesurvey. This from England,Scotland andWales Cambridge. Init,1614 respondents by Stonewallandthe University of is similartoStonewall’s2012 Undertake research inAustralia that Step 1 lie asanation. where our strengths and weaknesses new research toworkoutexactly Steps 1-3 involve undertaking some sex familiesinourschools. teachers andstudentsfrom same- providing for our LGBTIQ students, look at otherwaysof engagingand gram nationwide Australianeedsto 304 member-schoolsof thepro- government andthat there are only is beingdefundedbythefederal Given that theSafe SchoolsProgram be operating inAustralia. This isthebasisonwhichweshould 4. 3. 2. 1. Goals of Anti-BiasEducation: have stated that there are FourCore Derman-Sparks andEdwards (2010) Report Report

actions. prejudice and/ordiscriminatory with others or alone, against powerment andtheskillstoact, each child willdemonstrate em- stand that unfairness hurts to describe unfairness and under- ognise unfairness, havelanguage each child will increasingly rec- connections ferences anddeep,caringhuman curate languagefor humandif- and joywithhumandiversity, ac- each childwillexpress comfort pride andpositivesocialidentities self-awareness, confidence, family each childwilldemonstrate (2012) astudyundertaken School School

is similartoStonewall’s Undertake research inAustraliathat Step 2 partners. ommendations toschoolsandkey report then provided a series of rec- School Report, Report, School Families Britain’s Schools (2014). (2014). Schools Britain’s vice and,quitesimply, actasavisi- provide theirpersonalstory and ad- The Australian role models would actions. in otherpeople’sstories, livesand differences andfindinginspiration munity andisallabout celebrating role modelsfrom theLGBTIQ com- delay. Itisabookletthat focuses on and should be undertaken without ment toLGBTIQ youthinAustralia Models wouldbeanencourage- A project similartoStonewall’sRole Step 4 Australia. of proven successful programs in Steps 4and5involvethereplication sues effectively. schools donotdealwiththeseis- and itdemonstrated clearlythat existence of homophobiainschools The studyprovided insightintothe as children from same-sexfamilies. of 4 and27abouttheirexperience and youngpeoplebetweentheages searchers interviewed82children across Britain,interviewed.Like from primaryandsecondary schools The research saw 1832 teachers mophobia, biphobiaandtransphobia. powerful tool in the fight against ho- Teachers andschoolsare themost in Bullying Homophobic Report: ers is similartoStonewall’s Undertake research inAustraliathat Step 3 partners. schools, secondary schoolsandkey vided recommendations toprimary report in2010, whenre- this report thenpro- The Teach The Different Different The The -

ble presence in the community. The families with LGBTQ parents. project could include media person- The results of this research provided alities, television personalities, sports compelling evidence that HRC Wel- stars, community heroes etc. coming Schools is making a differ- In 2012, the Safe Schools Coalition ence in children’s lives and the lives Victoria and Minus 18 compiled a of their families and communities. similar publication that included What is needed in Australia is a com- statements by celebrities Matthew prehensive project such as this. A Mitcham and Ruby Rose. Perhaps it program backed by training, resourc- is time for an updated edition. es, and lessons that targets students This would be a relatively simple from Kindergarten to Year 12, obvi- project to undertake and complete. ously with age-appropriate content. It would then provide inspiration and There are many more ideas and rec- support to younger members of the ommendations that could be con- LGBTIQ community. sidered but we need to focus on Step 5 setting clear, attainable goals for the short term. Steps 1-4 are achievable The nation needs to take a good short term goals. Step 5 will take lon- look at adopting a model such as ger to achieve but will be driven by the Human Rights Campaign, Wel- the results from Steps 1-4. coming Schools Project, a “comprehensive approach to improving school climate in elementary school environments with training, resources, and lessons to help schools in embracing family diversity, creating LGBTQ-inclusive schools, preventing bias-based bullying, creating gender-expansive schools, and supporting transgender and non-binary students” (welcomingschools.org/). Aimee Gelnaw, a key advisor in the development and implementation of the Welcoming Schools initiative, would be an excellent advisor for Australia. The project has a comprehensive website that provides resources, books, lesson plans, defi- nitions, challenging questions and school tips. Dr Laura Szalacha from the Univer- sity of Illinois at Chicago coordinat- ed an evaluation of the Welcoming Schools Project in which 12 schools in five districts in California, Massa- chusetts and Minnesota participated. Every school in the pilot program reported a positive difference in seeing that students of every age bene- fit from classroom discussions about gender roles and expression and ERIC PEARSON STUDY GRANT 2016 26 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS answer mynever-ending questions. in this area and for her willingness to wealth of experience andknowledge Aimee Gelnawfor herincredible UNITED STATES steering meintherightdirection. in Scotland, for her assistance in for PaisleyandRenfrewshire South Mhairi Black,Memberof Parliament and developments. knowledge of schoolstaff priorities Lesley Sharpefor hertimeand family. from theperspectiveof asame-sex riences of theirchildren at school sharing theirfamilyandtheexpe- Lee CockburnandEmilyNoblefor land. from aschoolperspectiveinScot- their advice andinsideknowledge Anne Robertson and Rose Byrne for stant friendshipandsupport. burgh andGlasgow, andfor hercon- of the GLBTIQ community inEdin- Police for herincredible knowledge Seona Flemingfrom theScotland SCOTLAND munities inLondon andManchester. and insightintotheGLBTIQ com- edge of programs suchasStonewall Driscoll for theirwealthof knowl- Victoria SmithandLaurence ing meintotheirschools. first-hand experiences andwelcom- for providingIan MartinandCheryl ENGLAND and teachers. ing inSingapore for GLBTIQ students derstanding andinsightintoschool- Singapore for providing meanun- the British International School in Cate Kell-Clarke andBenFarr from SINGAPORE the opportunity. to theNSWTeachers Federation for worked withmeonthisreport and Many thankstoeveryonewho You are myeverything. their never-endingloveand support. on thisjourneywithme. Alsofor Angus andFinlayfor coming along My wife Lynne and our boys friendship. contacts and,mostimportantly— whilst intheUS. Offering advice, the beginningproviding assistance Jodi Moore, for beingthere from process. a sounding-board throughout this Department of Education Vanessa Murphy, principal, NSW a criticalfriend. and re-reading mywritingandbeing My friend,Yvette Novak, for reading nity here inAustralia. role modelsof theLGBTIQ commu- their tireless workaspioneersand Jackie’s supportivefriendship.For writing theForeword, andhers Professor Kerryn PhelpsAMfor AUSTRALIA you toeachof them. possible tonamethemall.Thank and writingthisreport anditisim- along thewaywhilstresearching There are manyotherpeopleImet ington DC. ucation Association (NEA)inWash- Paul Sathrum from theNational Ed- community isimmeasurable. work theyhavedonefor theLGBTIQ these womeniswidespread andthe for theirfriendship.Therespect for their friendswithme.Iamsothankful wenhuis for sharingtheirfamilyand Oldfield and Karin Nieu- Kathryn children everywhere. and atireless championfor LGBTIQ a pioneerof theLGBTIQ community ious and super friend. Also for being Patty Tomaszewski for beingahilar- for being Tom, 27

USEFUL RESOURCES

1. HRC Welcoming Schools welcomingschools.org/ 2. Safe Schools Coalition Australia safeschoolscoalition.org.au/ 3. Stonewall UK www.stonewall.org.uk/ 4. LGBT Youth Scotland lgbtyouth.org.uk 5. Time for Inclusive Education Scotland tiecampaign.co.uk/ 6. Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network glsen.org/ 7. COLAGE colage.org/ 8. OLWEUS violencepreventionworks.org/ 9. Teaching Tolerance tolerance.org/ REFERENCES

1 Caspe, M. & Lopez M.E. (2006) Lessons from Family-Strengthening Interventions: Learning from Evidence-Based Practice. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Family Research Project. http://www.hfrp.org/publications-resources/browse- our-publications/lessons-from-family-strengthening-interventions-learning-from-evidence-based-practice 2. Derman-Sparks, L. & Edwards J.O. (2010) Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), xiv. 3. Galinsky, E. & Weissbourd, B. (1992) “Family-Centered Child Care”, in Issues in Child Care, eds Spodek, B. & Saracho, O.N., 48. New York: Teachers College Press. 4. LGBT Youth Scotland. (2015) Getting it Right for LGBTI Young People in Scotland: LGBT Scotland’s Youth Work Strategy 2014-2018. https://www.lgbtyouth.org.uk/files/documents/LGBT_Organisational/LGBTYS_Youth_Work_ Strategy_2014-2018_Final.pdf 5. Guasp, A. (2012) The School Report: The Experiences of Gay Young People in Britain’s Schools in 2012. Stonewall and Centre for Family Research, University of Cambridge. https://www.stonewall.org.uk/sites/default/files/The_ School_Report__2012_.pdf 6. Guasp, A, Ellison, G. & Satara, T. (2014) The Teachers’ Report 2014: Homophobic Bullying in Britain’s Schools. Stonewall. https://www.stonewall.org.uk/sites/default/files/teachers_report_2014.pdf 7. Hillier, L. et al. (2010) Writing Themselves in 3: The Third National Study on the Sexual Health and Wellbeing of Same Sex Attracted Gender Questioning Young People. Melbourne: Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University. http://www.glhv.org.au/files/wti3_web_sml.pdf 8. Louden, W. (2016) Review of Appropriateness and Efficacy of the Safe Schools Coalition Australia Program Resources. Australian Department of Education and Training. https://docs.education.gov.au/system/files/doc/ other/review_of_appropriateness_and_efficacy_of_the_ssca_program_resources_0.pdf 9. Newman, L., GLSEN, the Matthew Shepard Foundation & Candlewick Press. (2014) He Continues to Make a Difference: Commemorating the Life of Matthew Shepard: Supporting LGBT Students A Resource for Educators. https://www.glsen.org/sites/default/files/FINAL%20RESOURCE%20Matthew%20Shepard.pdf 10. Redding, S. et al. (2004) The Effects of Comprehensive Parent Engagement on Student Learning Outcomes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Family Research Project. http://www.hfrp.org/publications-resources/browse-our- publications/the-effects-of-comprehensive-parent-engagement-on-student-learning-outcomes 11. Weiss, H., Caspe, M. & Lopez, M.E. (2006) “Family Involvement in Early Childhood Education”. Family Involvement Makes a Difference, No. 1 (Spring). Cambridge, MA: Harvard Family Research Project. http://www.hfrp.org/ publications-resources/publications-series/family-involvement-makes-a-difference/family-involvement-in-early- childhood-education ERIC PEARSON STUDY GRANT 2016 28 NOTES ERIC PEARSON STUDY GRANT

Eric Pearson was President of the NSW Teachers Federation from 1974 to 1975 and was also President of the Australian Teachers Federation. He had a distinguished teaching and lecturing career and was head of the Department of Education at Sydney Teachers College. Mr Pearson commenced his teaching career in small country schools. When World War II broke out he saw active service in New Guinea and Borneo. After the war, he returned to teaching and undertook further study, gaining a PhD from the University of London. Eric Pearson died on June 8, 1977.

The Eric Pearson Study Grant, originally called the Eric Pearson Memorial Trav- el Grant, was established as a fitting tribute to his outstanding contribution as a scholar and unionist. The investigations arising from the Eric Pearson Study Grant have contributed significantly to the work and ongoing development of the NSW Teachers Federation. The first award was made in 1980 to Gus Plater, a teacher and activist from the Armidale Teachers As- sociation, who investigated the social impact of micro- processor technology and its impact on schools and unions. Areas of investigation have covered a range of contemporary issues affecting teachers and the role of the union. Examples include the study by Joan Lemaire (2009) into bullying, Kerry Barlow’s (2007) comparison of professional learning in TAFE, Nicole Calnan’s (2010) examination of the importance of professional learning in the work of teacher unions, Maurie Mulheron’s report on the 30 year war against public education and Carly Boreland’s 2015 report on the commericalisation of schools. Eric Pearson Study Grant 2016

FOR THE NSW TEACHERS FEDERATION