BB STAR AT CONFERENCE
03 March 2007
Big Brother celebrity Dan Bryan has welcomed new guidelines for tackling homophobic bullying in North Lincolnshire's schools.
North Lincolnshire Council is believed to be one of the first authorities in the country to produce written guidance on the issue, and held a conference on homophobia yesterday.As previously reported, schools will be asked to log all incidents, as well as monitor and seek support from the council on how to tackle any issue of homophobic bullying, as part of new measures.
Former Big Brother housemate Mr Bryan, who is gay, was invited to yesterday's event as he was bullied at school.
He said: "It was never easy when I was at school because I was bullied, so this is an issue close to my heart. I will not stand for bullying on any level."
But he praised the local authority for its new policy, and said he hoped other authorities would follow in its footsteps.
He said: "I think it is an absolutely spot-on indication in a modern era of diversity, which is the reason we are all here.
"I feel until now teachers may not have known how to deal with the situation. They may have felt it was necessary to tell their parents, which could cause more problems."
His advice to young people who are beginning to discover their sexuality was to find someone in whom they could confide.
"This policy will now help teachers to understand and deal with the issue in an appropriate way," added Mr Bryan.
Jo Moxon, head of learning services at the council, said the conference, held at Forest Pines, had been very interesting.
She said: "I think it is certainly the widest range of representatives we have ever had at an education conference."
Guest speakers at the launch included Sue Sanders, who, in the first part of the conference, discussed the history of the (LGBT) lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transsexual, which dates back to 1892.
Ms Sanders said: "This policy is one of the first in the country. I know of one other in Durham, and one is being worked on in London.
"I really welcome this, because it is absolutely crucial.
"It is a joy to see areas which are not the 'normal suspect' places like Manchester introducing this. It is a tribute to the education department, which is committed to inclusion."
Ms Sanders believes young people should be told about the history of LGBT, because it would help shape their own identities.
She recalled studying Virginia Woolf as part of her A-levels, and said: "If I had known she was bisexual, it would have shown me a whole new side.
"I had no role model when I was younger. I had an idea, but I had no-one to relate it to. I was lost."
Mark Jennett, principal author of the DfES publication Stand Up for Us - Challenging Homophobia in Schools, also attended the event.
For details of the policy, visit
http://www.northlincolnshirecouncil.co.uk
Alternatively, visit
http://www.lgbthistorymonth.org.uk or
http://www.schools-out.org.uk
