A survey of LBTQI mothers has revealed that many of them and their children have experienced prejudice due to their sexuality, including at schools. The findings have been revealed this week in a newly published survey conducted by British Polling Council member Kantar and commissioned by DIVA magazine.
Most survey respondents (86%) were based in the UK. Of those with children, 36% claimed to have experienced homophobia from other parents, while 36% also reported their children had been victims of homophobia at school due to their parents’ sexual orientation.
The findings follow a survey published in November from the anti-bullying charity, Ditch the Label. It found that 22% of secondary school pupils in Britain recorded being bullied at school in the preceding 12 months. The survey discovered that bullying on the grounds of homosexuality was one of the most common forms, with 34% of respondents who recorded being bullied citing this. Repeated surveys from Stonewall meanwhile have found LGBT bullying to affect many pupils and to be worse for those within the faith school sector.
Chair of the Accord Coalition, the Rev Stephen Terry, said ‘This latest survey fits with a pattern of research highlighting that prejudice and bullying on the grounds of sexuality in the school system still negatively affects many. Tackling it needs to be taken seriously by all schools and the findings further question the wisdom of the Government not to do more to promote LGBT inclusion.’
Accord has made several criticisms of the Government in this area over the last year. This includes over the Government:
- deciding not to require primary schools to address the existence of LGBT people via Relationships Education, which becomes compulsory in September 2020
- advising that independent schools teach about LGBT people but only where the schools consider it ‘age appropriate’, undermining efforts by Ofsted to ensure schools do not airbrush out the existence of LGBT people
- not doing more to challenge hostile demonstrations outside Anderton Park School in Birmingham regarding it promoting acceptance towards LGBT people – the situation only deescalated after the local authority won court injunctions last June and November against the protests taking place outside of the school
