Should Section 28 Be Repealed? :: essays research papers

Recently, I noticed a petition in my local church that was to be sent to Donald Dewar opposing the repeal of section 28, which bans the promotion of homosexuality in schools. Many people did not want their children and grandchildren to know anything about homosexuality. This made me think, should homosexuality be taught in Scottish schools? The response to section 28 has been very different in different parts of the country. Section 28 has never been used in court to stop a local authority doing anything. Although some local authorities have gone ahead and produced documents in partnership with organisations such as Stonewall youth project to support young lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender pupils, others have taken the opposite view. Perth and Kinross council refused to give a grant to Dundee Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Switchboard, specifically citing section 28 as a reason for not giving a grant. Authorities' responses have been different because section 28 is badly worded and, legally, does not mean anything at all; its only effect is to act as a disincentive. Section 28 does not directly affect schools or teachers, just local authorities. Nevertheless, according to the "Playing it Safe" survey by the University of London, 56% of teachers surveyed said that they felt that section 28 prevented them from g iving such good advice and support to young lesbian, gay and bisexual pupils as they might otherwise be able to give. Young LGBT people do not have equal opportunities in education at the moment, neither in schools nor in college environments. The biggest single problem for young people, if you ask them, is that of bullying and harassment. It is something that affects LGBT pupils directly, but other people too. Anybody can be homophobically bullied - they do not have to be gay to be a victim of that. Bullying and harassment also affects people who have not come out as being gay. The effect on someone who has not come out in an environment where homophobic bullying is going on all the time is to make him or her terrified about telling anyone that they are gay. One of the particular LGBT equality issues most often mentioned is an understanding of the importance of coming out. Coming out is a life-changing event for a young person, and it is very important that school staff understands the implications and can give support to people who are doing it or thinking about doing it.