Skool’s Out! Are you?

Gay and lesbian role models remain thin on the ground in schools, writes FRANK BARNES.

In 2002, as part of the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras, the Crime Prevention Division, the Anti-Discrimination Board and the Department of Education and Training held a forum on homophobic bullying and harassment in schools. The forum went on to win the outstanding community event of the Mardi Gras that year. The publication Skool's Out -- A Report from the Skool's Out Forum on Homophobic Bullying and Harassment in and around Schools 2002 was subsequently published and after representation from Federation copies have been sent to all high schools. Hopefully they are not lying on somebody's desk but are being used to help develop strategies to overcome homophobia in our schools.

In a recent article in Time the author was talking about the city of Laramie in Wyoming which is in the aftermath of the horrific murder of Mathew Shepherd a few years ago. Mathew was murdered simply because he was gay and he was left tied in a crucified form to a wire fence. Subsequently there has been an excellent play The Laramie Project about the events and the aftermath and people in Laramie today are still striving to overcome the problems highlighted around this incident. For some reason the film and/or video is yet to be released. Mathew's mother Judy believes that all gay and lesbian people should be 'out' so that sexuality becomes meaningless. This doesn't work in a society that is based on the "don't know, don't tell' philosophy that is the official position of the American military.

In the macho Australian society it is still extremely difficult for lesbian and gay people to 'out' themselves and it is particularly difficult in small communities. This is why there is a particularly high incidence of youth suicide in rural Australia.

The Department of Education and Training has genuinely tried to put some programs in place in our schools but these are not enough. Children need role models but you still need to be brave to come out as a gay or lesbian in a school.

History has erased the stories of lesbian and gay people. When the Holocaust is discussed, the pink triangle is almost never mentioned. In our staffrooms when people discuss their families most ignore the fact that as a gay or lesbian person you also have families that you would probably like to discuss but are generally afraid to do so.

Over the years we have been effective in changing most of the laws and a few attitudes but it is still not satisfactory if one person is afraid to come out or if one person is bullied simply because of their sexuality or perceived sexuality. We have recently re-established the Federation Special Interest Group for gay and lesbian members. We are operating through a Yahoo group. If you would like to be part of this group please phone me on (02) 9622 9201 or fax (02) 9622 9368 or e-mail mail@nswtf.org.au.

If you have Skool's Out! in your school, please make sure that it is accessible and being used. If not, for example if you are in a primary school or a TAFE college, ask the Department of Education and Training to provide you with a copy.

Frank Barnes is an Organiser in the West of Sydney and is the convenor of the Gay and Lesbian Special Interest Group.

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Last Modified: 15 Nov 2005