Politics

Stonewall has released a plain English guide on how to challenge homophobic language in schools. The guide is aimed at secondary and primary school teachers and education and youth professionals in Britain.

This is the first in a series of education guides for teachers on different specific aspects of tackling homophobic bullying. Each Stonewall education guide will contain practical advice as well as information on policy, legislation and real case study examples of how schools are already combating the problem. The best practice examples come from members of Stonewall’s Education Champions Programme, which enables Local Authorities to work with Stonewall and each other to tackle homophobic bullying in their local schools.

Research conducted by YouGov for Stonewall this year has shown that homophobic language and bullying is commonplace in schools, but teachers are massively under-resourced to tackle the problem. 95 per cent of secondary school staff and three quarters of primary school staff reported hearing the phrases ‘you’re so gay’ or ‘that’s so gay’ in their schools. Eight in ten secondary school teachers and two in five primary school teachers reported hearing other insulting homophobic remarks such as ‘poof’, ‘dyke’ and ‘queer’.

Read more: How to deal with "That's So Gay!"

In advance of the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting this weekend, the Equal Rights Trust (ERT) has called on the Heads of Government to condemn an Anti-Homosexuality Bill recently introduced in the Parliament of Uganda and to take urgent action to repeal existing homophobic laws across the Commonwealth.

Homosexual conduct is currently illegal in 43 of the 53 Commonwealth nations, despite the commitment in the 1971 Commonwealth Declaration of Principles to “foster human equality and dignity everywhere”.

In a letter to the Commonwealth General Secretary Kamalesh Sharma, ERT urges Heads of Government to:
  -  Establish a Ministerial Action Group to address the issue of laws criminalising homosexual conduct and advise member states of the Commonwealth on the legal implications of retaining such laws.
  -  Condemn the Anti-Homosexuality Bill which was tabled in the Parliament of Uganda in the strongest terms and consider sanctions which would follow from adoption of the Bill.
  -  Include a political commitment to tackling homophobic laws in the final communiqué of its meeting.

Read more: Call to Condemn Homophobic Laws

Prompted by appeals from the Sexual Minorities Uganda Group (SMUG), the UK gay Humanist charity the Pink Triangle Trust has written a letter of protest to Mrs Joan Rwabyomere, the Ugandan High Commissioner in the UK, concerning Uganda's Anti-Homosexual Bill 2009

George Broadhead commented, "In March this year, American Christians travelled to Uganda for a conference that pledged to "wipe out" homosexuality. Seven months later, a draconian bill has been introduced that pledges to make good on this threat.

He continued, "This witch-hunt has all the hallmarks of leading American Christian Evangelicals. The Family Life Network, one of America's most powerful Christian Evangelical organisation's, seems to have converted Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni to its anti-gay brand of Christianity, and this is the impetus behind the anti-gay crackdown."

Read more: Gay Humanists Protest Homophobia in Uganda

One in six people in Europe (and 1 in 5 in the UK) say they have personally experienced discrimination in the past year, according to a new opinion survey published by the European Commission. 

Almost two thirds, or 64 per cent, of Europeans are also concerned that the recession will contribute to more age discrimination in the job market. The same figure in the UK was 59 per cent. The results come ahead of this year's European Equality Summit, to be held in Stockholm on 16 and-17 November.

On a positive note, the British have a greater mix of friends compared to people living in other EU member states, according to the survey. A large majority of the respondents said their social networks include people of different religion, or different belief from theirs, disabled people, people of different ethnic origin or homosexuals.

Read more: 1 in 5 Britons Suffer Discrimination

The majority of small businesses owned by lesbian, gay and bisexual entrepreneurs will look to grow in the next twelve months according to Business Link’s latest Business Confidence Index.

The majority (62%) of LGB-owned businesses are targeting growth in the coming year using bold strategies such as entering new markets and increasing their marketing spend. These small businesses are also the most likely to consider focusing on core products and services and delaying capital expenditure as a way of dealing with the recession.

The quarterly Index measures business sentiment of over 3,300 small-to-medium sized enterprises (SMEs) following the third quarter of the year. This unique survey takes into account variations such as industry sector, sub-regional location, business types and business ownership (gender, Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic (BAME), Deaf and disabled).

The Index, which sought the views of LGB business owners in London, also found these entrepreneurs are the most likely to have been affected by the recession. 48% of LGB businesses have been affected compared with 47% of all others. However, this figure is down from 55% in July.

Read more: Gay Owned Businesses Beat Recession