Majority of parents say schools should tackle anti-gay bullying
Most parents believe that schools should discuss gay and lesbian issues and do more to prevent anti-gay bullying, a survey suggests.
According to a survey of 2,000 parents, carried out for Parenting UK, 63 per cent agreed that schools should do more to tackle homophobic bullying and stop the use of the word ‘gay’ as an insult.
Seventy-three per cent said schools should teach pupils about different types of families, while 66 per cent said gay and lesbian issues should be discussed in the curriculum.
The majority of those surveyed (73 per cent) said homophobia should be treated in the same way as racism.
Sixty-eight per cent said they had, or intend to, talk to their children about different families and gay parents.
This week, a school in north London claimed to have virtually eradicated anti-gay bullying among its students.
Stoke Newington secondary school was one of the first schools to adopt LGBT History Month five years ago.
It is now also a diversity training centre, training other teachers how they can educate pupils about homosexuality and different families.
