On 17 May 2012, the International Day Against Homophobia, the Equal Opportunity Commission launched a set of fact sheets to help WA schools deal with sexuality and gender based bullying.
The set of three fact sheets contains one information sheet each for staff, students and parents and will be sent out to schools across the state. The fact sheets contain information about sexual orientation, discrimination and sexual harassment, and how this relates to sexuality and gender based bullying. They also outline who should be contacted in the event of bullying. A section containing personal anecdotes and myth busting has been especially designed to educate people about sexuality and gender diversity.
At the launch 2011 WA Beginning Teacher of the Year, Scott Sullivan spoke about his personal experience growing up as a gay man and his current work trying to instil values of equality in his school.
Ms Henderson said the fact sheets were part of the Challenging Sexuality and Gender Based Bullying in Schools Project.
‘The study showed that 43.6 per cent of sexuality and gender diverse students in WA considered their school to be actively homophobic, which was the highest in the country. It also found that although many WA schools had bullying policies in place, when students approached staff about sexuality and gender based bullying, they were often unsure of how to handle the situation. Hopefully these fact sheets will help staff, parents and students deal with this important and sensitive issue so all students feel safer in WA schools,’ Ms Henderson said.
Update: The original image for this story was replaced on Wednesday 17th June 2015.
