Book Launch: The Declining Significance of Homophobia

Unfortunately I'll be unable to attend this launch for a book which is already making waves in the media - hopefully some of you will be able to make it along.

Gay's The Word is hosting an event to celebrate the UK launch of The Declining Significance of Homophobia: How Teenage Boys are Redefining Masculinity and Heterosexuality. There will be a short talk by the author (Mark McCormack), and refreshments will be provided.

"Research has traditionally shown high schools to be hostile environments for LGBT youth. Boys have used homophobia to prove their masculinity and distance themselves from homosexuality. Despite these findings over the last three decades, The Declining Significance of Homophobia tells a different story. Drawing on fieldwork and interviews of young men in three British high schools, Dr. Mark McCormack shows how heterosexual male students are inclusive of their gay peers and proud of their pro-gay attitudes. He finds that being gay does not negatively affect a boy's popularity, but being homophobic does.

Yet this accessible book goes beyond documenting this important shift in attitudes towards homosexuality: McCormack examines how decreased homophobia results in the expansion of gendered behaviors available to young men. In the schools he examines, boys are able to develop meaningful and loving friendships across many social groups. They replace toughness and aggression with emotional intimacy and displays of affection for their male friends.Free from the constant threat of social marginalization, boys are able to speak about once feminized activities without censure. The Declining Significance of Homophobia is essential reading for all those interested in masculinities, education, and the decline of homophobia."

You can indicate if you're attending here.

Please don't look at this rather amazing porn...no, really, please don't....

A Dad definitely NOT looking for the porn

I don't know what you were like as a child but my Mum would sometimes say "don't open x", or "don't go in x cupboard".  Inevitably this led to an overwhelming desire to do the prohibited thing.  It was with this in mind that I greeted the news from San Francisco that Junior high school students have been asked not to search Internet sex sites for a teacher who may have been moonlighting as a porn star, a Southern California school district said in a letter to parents.

This according to the San Francisco Chronicle, which states that Oxnard school district officials say a junior high school teacher was put on paid administrative leave this week after allegations surfaced that she was moonlighting as a porn actress. District officials stressed the teacher is not being accused of a crime, but they are concerned about the effect the allegations might have on the students.

So, no crime, nothing done wrong.  Officials are concerned about the impact on children who wouldn't have known (unless they were busy constantly looking at porn and happened to come upon this teacher (as it were).  A highly unlikely event.  At least it was, until parents were sent letters telling them to not search/discourage their children from searching porn videos for this teacher.  The only thing more amazing than this approach is the fact that nobody in the administrative chain thought "hang on, will this actually make matters worse, and potentially make us look rather inept?".

Check out the full bizarre story here.

Gay-Straight Alliance Club

The Guardian carries a wonderfully uplifting story today concerning Copland community school in Wembley which imports US model in which gay and straight pupils join forces to tackle discrimination. 

The Guardian notes that: 'In the US, where there are such clubs in more than 4,000 high schools, the alliances support gay pupils, creating an environment where they can socialise with straight friends and work together against discrimination. At the London school, the alliance was the brainchild of sixth-former Kimberley Duah, 18, who ran for election as head girl pledging to set one up.'

For me, the most powerful aspect of the story is that posters in the school were initially ripped down.  This has result in ladders now being used to place the posters higher.  Too often these initiatives can be an opportunity for an organisation to tick another box, to appear able to say "look at us, we're brilliant" but the ripping down of these posters  -and the continued need to place them high on the walls - serves to evidence the very real need for this group.  It's not just some PR exercise, or media stunt.  It is a positive and very real attempt to address what is clearly an environment in which homophobic attitudes continue to be evident.  Things seem to be starting to change in the school which is to be welcomed and how wonderful that these bright kids have taken ownership of the problem and sought to lead a solution.

Nonetheless, there are evidently challenges ahead.  Although the school indicates they have had no complaints from parents etc, the Guardian piece does note that the school is located 'in an area with a substantial south Asian population, many children's views are shaped by the religious beliefs of their parents.'  This raises questions about the course schools are on in tackling homophobia and the potential challenge that may well come at some point from groups arguing that their religious freedom is being infringed.  A long culture war continues to stretch before us.

Read the full Guardian piece here.

The Long Legal Shadow of Section 28

I've just had another short webzine piece published entitled 'The Long Legal Shadow of Section 28'. I offer my reflections on the legacy of the mow repealed 'Section 28' in the wake of the recent Opera North controversy. There's a link with background on the main article for non-UK readers (and anyone else who doesn't know the ON background). Check it out here. Please feel free to comment on the post.

Growing Opera North Outrage

I first learnt of this story via outraged tweets last night. The Guardian reports that Opera North's plans for the opera, Beached was cancelled. According to the Guardian, the writer and playwright Lee Hall, who wrote the libretto, said he was asked by Opera North to remove explicit references to the sexuality of one character. He refused.

The demand to cut the references came from the primary school, which had nearly 300 children involved. The school felt it was age-inappropriate for a production involving children aged from four to 11.

The story goes on to state that: 'the central problem is a scene – which does not involve any children – when the main character is confronted by a group of lads. He reveals: "Of course I'm queer/That's why I left here/So if you infer/That I prefer/A lad to a lass/ And I'm working class/ I'd have to concur."'

The unwillingness of the local authority to enter into discussions is depressing and I suspect as this story gathers momentum, they will suddenly become more communicative (if they haven't already).

The story will serve to remind many of the days that Section 28 did so much to limit the arts for fear of 'promoting' homosexuality. It is unsurprising that Hall and many readers will therefore find this set of developments seems to hark back to an earlier age of state-enshrined homophobia. Section 28 has gone, and with it should have gone the fear and homophobia that characterised many schools and local authorities in dealing with the subject of sexuality.

I hope that the project goes ahead, and another school(s) come forward with more informed and open approach to education.

The Porn Performing School Secretary

Thanks to Brian for flagging up this story to me. According to reports, a teenager has been suspended from classes after revealing on a Facebook page that an office assistant at his Quebec City-area high school was moonlighting as porn star in her off-hours.

This is such a contrast to UK stories in which the private sexual lives of those working in schools have been exposed and condemned. In this incident, as word of the Facebook page spread around school, the secretary went to her bosses and told them of the situation.

The boy was reportedly asked to take the Facebook page down but said he couldn’t and now cannot access the administration. The school officials seem to be now putting some distance between themselves and the secretary but it's still an encouraging story for not amounting to another knee-jerk reaction.

It also re-raises the issue, which I've previously discussed, about the 'revelation' of our online selves to students/peers. This is increasingly going to be a challenge for schools too. It might always be as newsworthy as being a porn performer, but it could be a cock pic on Gaydar or one's presence on Grindr.

Gender, Schools and Ofsted

I tweeted this morning about an item on gender and schools on the BBC Today programme. A fuller report can be read on the Guardian site. The story is based on an Ofsted report (the schools inspectorate) that because art and design at secondary level is focused upon drawing and painting, boys are put off, where as if it included computer design and digital photography, they would not. It's interesting stuff.

Headteacher Survives Public Sex Conviction

I've only just picked up the last Pink News (18 Dec) and it carries a fascinating story on page 4 with the title 'Convicted Teacher Weeps at hearing'. According to the piece a headteacher who has been convicted of outraging public decency at a Birmingham 'beauty spot' was allowed to continue as a Headteacher but reprimanded by the General Teaching Council. He continues to assert he is innocent of the crime and the governors at the school stood by him. Would the governors have stood by a convicted man who pleased guilty? Should public sex in this sort of situation (where he was arrested by a plain clothes policeman) really lead to such devastation of someones life? The paper can be viewed here.

Homophobic Bullying

PinkNews is reporting that the General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) has argued children should be taught about gay equality in a bid to curb homophobic bullying in schools. According to the story, he said: "While the UK's education system ought to be in the vanguard of the fight against homophobic discrimination, all too often it is in fact part of the problem.

"Whereas our schools and colleges have done much to counter racism and sexism, the same cannot be said when it comes to tackling homophobia. Despite some notable exceptions, too many educational establishments are breeding grounds for the worst kind of casual prejudice."

The TUC also point to the Stonewall report - The School Report published last year which found that over two-thirds of young LGBT pupils have experienced homophobic bullying.

I've posted my first poll on the right hand side for readers to register your opinion. As ever, feel free to also add a comment on this post.