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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

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Original poster

How accepting is your dc’s school of gay people?

32 replies

palmette · 18/01/2019 00:11

My ds is now at university, but has recently told me that his secondary school was awful for homophobia. He said he hated every year of sixth form and couldn’t wait to be around more accepting people I didn’t realise how bad a normal comp could be in 2016.

How are your dc’s secondary schools? Are they accepting of lgbt people?

OP posts:

superram · 18/01/2019 00:17

We have openly gay kids and staff and an lgbt group and trans kids.

lljkk · 18/01/2019 09:01

DS's school has openly gay kids & trans kids; a diversity club, and awards at end of yr for promoting diversity.

It's not the demographic profile you'd expect for diversity tolerance, tbh, UKIP county.

pointythings · 18/01/2019 16:52

Ours is really good - DD2 is out and has not had any trouble and there are other gay and trans kids too. Ditto staff. Any homophobia gets stamped on, school is very hot on pastoral care and tackling bullying.

Passmethecrisps · 18/01/2019 16:57

We have openly gay kids and a fair number of tans kids at different stage. Staff who I am aware are gay but not sure what the kids know. Can’t be certain if there is homophonic bullying. If there has been in the last six months no one has reported it

MaisyPops · 18/01/2019 19:44

We have openly gay staff and students. We promote tolerance for sexuality.

I don't doubt there's probably a bit of 'umm I'm a boy and I won't be soft and show my emotions', but see that more as male stereotypes rather than being the sort of 'i'm not a puff' that would have been the case during my school years from insecure boys.

LordProfFekkoThePenguinPhD · 18/01/2019 19:46

Ours is fine - no one gives a monkeys apprently. They even had ferret and vile in for a talk.

potatoscone · 18/01/2019 20:12

Nobody cares in our high school.

pouraglasshalffull · 18/01/2019 21:01

Same at my school, openly gay students and teachers and once a term we have a "flexible learning day" where the usual lessons are broken down and each year does something different for the day (enterprise, sex ed, STEM etc), a lot of the session include awareness around the LGBTQ community. Plus we have lots of posters dotted around school emphasising the normality of it

thereallifesaffy · 18/01/2019 21:19

DC's school was awful. A local
Preacher came in to chat about something to assembly. And he managed to tell the kids that being gay was a sin. DS, being a firebrand marched straight to the Head and complained.

thereallifesaffy · 18/01/2019 21:21

And a young friend of ours who has since come out says he had a terrible time with low level bullying at the same school.

steppemum · 18/01/2019 21:58

dd1 is 13, she is openly gay at school, and there is a LGBT club.
One of the teachers is helping organise the local pride march next year, and has given the girls leaflets (in the LGBT club)

So, I think it is pretty open!

leaveby10 · 18/01/2019 22:30

Gay staff and students...very accepting/celebrating awareness etc.

Mominatrix · 19/01/2019 06:14

Openly gay teachers and students at my elder son's school. It is a extremely selective public school with an alpha reputation, yet they are accepted and homophobia is not acceptable there.

Openly gay and trans students at my younger son's very selective private school. It has more of a creative reputation and so the environment is very accepting of being different.

Tiredemma · 19/01/2019 07:09

Ds 2 goes to a specialist performing arts school. Very very much accepted.

Notcontent · 19/01/2019 23:04

Seems to be accepted at my dd’s private girls school. Lots of openly gay and bi girls apparently!

LordProfFekkoThePenguinPhD · 20/01/2019 08:46

‘Tis the trend these days

NicolaStart · 20/01/2019 15:10

Very sorry to hear that your Ds has such a miserable time.

Dc go to two S London comps and have friends who have been open about their gay sexuality since age 14. No one thinks twice about it, they just ‘are’. Now Dc has a friendship group with a Transboy, they are all relaxed and accepting.

Of course this is an observation from my non gay, non trans Dc, but I do have a Dc with a significant difference / protected characteristic with no issues.

Diversity in S London comps is very diverse. Sex, sexuality and gender non-conformism form part of the acceptance of diversity.

I hope your son has found his tribe and is happy.

LemonScentedStickyBat · 20/01/2019 15:13

On the surface it’s accepting, with all the stonewall notice boards etc ( and mermaids leaflets for students to take). In reality “gay” is often used as an insult.

Tippexy · 20/01/2019 15:16

Why do sexual preferences have to come into being taught maths and English? I really don’t understand “the big deal.”

How have we got to a place where is it appropriate for adults and children to know who each other likes to sleep with? It’s all a bit bizarre to me.

blacktree · 20/01/2019 15:33

My school is very accepting of both, openly homosexual individuals both in staff and students. I rarely hear 'gay' used as an insult but have still had some challenging discussions with homophobic students when these topics are discussed during sessions like sex & relationships.

leaveby10 · 20/01/2019 15:36

How have we got to a place where is it appropriate for adults and children to know who each other likes to sleep with? It’s all a bit bizarre to me.
We've always been there...kids have always known that a teacher was married - it's even in the title for lots of women...why was a woman's marital status (aka who she sleeps with) ever appropriate to be made so public?

LordProfFekkoThePenguinPhD · 20/01/2019 15:36

with all the stonewall notice boards etc ( and mermaids leaflets for students to take) not on your nelly.

Oblomov19 · 20/01/2019 15:43

Ds1 says many bi, a few gay, one trans. No one seems to be at all bothered about any of it. None of his friends care, at all.

Willdan · 27/06/2019 19:21

Can I ask what college this is please

WyfOfBathe · 29/06/2019 00:09

How have we got to a place where is it appropriate for adults and children to know who each other likes to sleep with? It’s all a bit bizarre to me.
I (female) and my husband teach in the same school. We share the same (relatively unusual) surname. I think all of the students know that we are married. How would this suddenly become inappropriate if we were the same sex?

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