The first phase of my PhD focused on what LGBTQ+ young people in the UK thought schools could do to make it a good place for LGBTQ+ students. I also sought the perspectives of secondary school staff and professionals delivering an LGBTQ+ inclusion framework within UK schools. When I asked LGBTQ+ young people to ‘draw (or tell me about) your dream school for LGBTQ+ students’, many immediately responded that schools needed to ‘stop homophobia’ or ‘actually do something about bullying’. Inequalities and disparities in experiences of bullying, mental health issues and wellbeing have been consistently reported between LGBTQ+ young people for years.

LGBTQ+ young people are twice as likely to experience bullying compared to heterosexual and cisgender peers (Diversity Role Models, 2020; Milsom, 2021). Differences are also seen between groups under the LGBTQ+ umbrella. In 2017, Stonewall – the UK LGBT rights charity – found that 45 per cent of LGBT+ students reported being bullied for being LGBT+, which increased to 64 per cent and 57 per cent for trans and non-binary students, respectively (Bradlow et al., 2017). With hostility and hate crimes increasing in subsequent years towards LGBTQ+ people generally and trans and non-binary youth specifically, it is likely that bullying and discrimination within UK schools have also risen.

‘With hostility and hate crimes increasing in subsequent years towards LGBTQ+ people generally and trans and non-binary youth specifically, it is likely that bullying and discrimination within UK schools have also risen since Stonewall’s 2017 report.’

Previous research has often focused on individual-level factors influencing experiences of bullying, such as LGBTQ+ identity or social status. This neglects the role of structural factors, the school climate, and staff in perpetuating, perpetrating and preventing such experiences (Formby, 2015). Moreover, the government’s recent ‘gender questioning young people’ guidance has escalated tensions and anxieties regarding the role and responsibilities of schools in supporting LGBTQ+ young people, with the government’s own lawyers warning of a ‘high risk of a successful legal challenge’ (Moss et al., 2023, para. 10). Amid this confusion and hostility, we need to be listening to the people affected by such policies and practices – LGBTQ+ young people.

I conducted six focus groups with young people attending LGBTQ+ groups in England and Wales. Four were within schools and two were run by the Proud Trust, the collaborative partner for my White Rose Doctoral Training Partnership studentship. Additionally, I conducted seven semi-structured interviews with secondary school staff and professionals delivering an LGBTQ+ inclusion framework within schools.

Numerous factors were considered to characterise a LGBTQ+ supportive school environment with nine topic summaries being generated. The topic summaries include: 1) competent staff; 2) curriculum; 3) external structures or organisations supporting LGBTQ+ inclusion; 4) LGBTQ+ inclusive facilities and policies; 5) LGBTQ+ representation and visibility; 6) pastoral support and services; 7) responses to bullying and LGBTphobia; 8) school culture; and 9) student voice.

Participants often highlighted these factors when discussing poor practice or the absence of supportive practices within schools. Discussions also often focused on bullying and discrimination enacted or exacerbated by school staff, policies and practices. These discussions echo calls from several scholars to move beyond bullying discourse that individualises the issue by focusing on interpersonal incidents between students (Formby, 2015; Payne & Smith, 2013). Instead, greater attention needs to be directed towards the actions (or inaction) of staff, the role of the school climate, and dismantling institutional cisheterosexism.

‘Greater attention needs to be directed towards the actions (or inaction) of staff, the role of the school climate, and dismantling institutional cisheterosexism.’

While schools and educators have a legal duty to reduce and prevent discrimination, vital initiatives can be prevented through government policies, parental complaints and hesitancy from school leaders. Strong leadership is needed to navigate these challenges and dismantle the legacy of bad policies and practices. Amid all the noise, it can be hard to see how this can be achieved. I hope my work helps illuminate what LGBTQ+ young people think schools can do. Yet even more so, I urge that you take with you what a participant, Arson, articulated so well:

‘It’s lovely talking about it. But you also want to see action…’

This blog post relates to a paper presented at the BERA Conference 2024 and WERA Focal Meeting on Wednesday 11 September at 14:00pm. Find out more by searching the conference programme here.

References

Bradlow, J., Bartram, F., Guasp, A., & Jadva, V. (2017). School report: The experiences of lesbian, gay, bi and trans young people in Britain’s schools in 2017. Stonewall. https://www.stonewall.org.uk/school-report-2017  

Diversity Role Models. (2020). Pathways to LGBT+ inclusion: Report. Homophobia, biphobia and transphobia in schools today. https://www.diversityrolemodels.org/media/1473/pathways-to-lgbtplus-inclusion-report.pdf  

Formby, E. (2015). Limitations of focussing on homophobic, biphobic and transphobic ‘bullying’ to understand and address LGBT young people’s experiences within and beyond school. Sex Education, 15(6), 626–640. https://doi.org/10.1080/14681811.2015.1054024

Milsom, R. (2021). Growing Up LGBT+: The impact of school, home and coronavirus on LGBT+ young people. Just Like Us. https://1ef4ff9d-11bc-45cf-a0f9-d322bf989285.usrfiles.com/ugd/1ef4ff_d13c189a6588438ca1c131395992edc8.pdf

Moss, L., Parry, J., & Zeffman, H. (2023, December 22). Lawyers told ministers schools trans guidance was ‘high risk’. BBC News. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-67794387

Payne, E., & Smith, M. (2013). LGBTQ kids, school safety, and missing the big picture: How the dominant bullying discourse prevents school professionals from thinking about systemic marginalization or . . . why we need to rethink LGBTQ bullying. QED: A Journal of GLBTQ Worldmaking, 0(1), 1–36. https://doi.org/10.14321/qed.0001