Assisting LGB Pupils

Supporting LGB young people

There are 10 simple steps that you can take to make sure young LGBT people feel comfortable. These steps are by no means exhaustive but give practical guidance in combating homophobia.

Make no assumption about sexual orientation

If a young person has not used a pronoun when discussing a relationship, don’t assume one. Use a neutral language such as ‘Are you seeing anyone?’ instead of ‘Do you have a boyfriend?’ Additionally, let young people identify themselves what their sexual orientation is.

Have something gay-related visible in your office or environment

A sticker, poster, flyer, brochure, book etc… Signs that most LGB people will recognise include the rainbow, the pink triangle and the double sided axe. If your Partnership subscribes to magazines you could persuade them to subscribe to the Pink Paper or the local LGB group’s newsletter, and make sure it is visible within the office. Many local LGB youth groups will have posters or postcards you can put up. This will identify you as a safe person to talk to and will hopefully enable a LGB young person or someone who is questioning their sexuality to break her/his silence.

Support and validate a young person’s feelings about their sexual orientation

Let them know you are there for them. If you are unable to support the young person, please refer them to someone who can. Do this in a sensitive way so the young person does not sense rejection. You may then need to spend some time increasing your awareness reading, learning and talking to people comfortable with the issue. It is your role to work in a way that is inclusive of all young people so this issue must be addressed. If you feel you need support check things over with another member of staff or your manager.

Do not advise young people to come out to parents, family and friends, as they need to come out at their own safe pace.

Studies show that 1 in 10 LGB young people are forced to leave home after they tell their parents. It is their decision and they have to live with the consequences. Help them figure out what makes sense to them and what the potential consequences (positive and negative) could be.

Guarantee confidentiality with Young People

Young people need to know that their privacy will be respected otherwise they will not be honest about this important issue. If you cannot maintain confidentiality for legal reasons or because of the environment in which you are working, let the young person know in advance. Provide a quiet space by closing a door or moving to a private office.

Challenge Homophobia

As a role model for young people, respond to homophobia immediately and sincerely. Do not let your colleagues or clients get away with using homophobic language, such as using ‘gay’ to describe anything in a derogatory way, or referring to people using negative, derogatory and abusive language based on homophobia. If left unchallenged people will never question the use of such terms. Encourage in-service training for staff on homophobia and its impact on LGB young people.

Combat heterosexism in your environment

Include visible lesbian and gay role models in your environment. e.g., politicians, actors etc. Try and include diverse role models – do not use stereotypical images.

Learn about appropriate organisations and LGB projects; help lines etc in your locality.

Familiarise yourself with local organisations that are able to provide appropriate support for young LGB people and call them before making a referral to make sure they are ongoing. More and more organisations are using websites to publicise themselves. However, remember that the young person may not want to talk to someone else – it will have taken enough courage to open up to you. In this case, you should maintain contact with a local support group to ensure the information and advice you are providing is correct.

Encourage the adoption and enforcement of antidiscrimination policies within your workplace to include sexual orientation

Often equal opportunities policies do not include sexual orientation – if you notice this omission, draw it to the relevant person’s attention. Also, if your workplace subscribes to a diverse range of magazines and journals ask if you can subscribe to an LGB magazine such as the Pink Paper.

Provide Role Models

Young LGB people benefit from having open LGB role models (teachers, PAs, etc), although, obviously, this may not always be possible. Diverse role models give all young people an alternative to the inaccurate stereotypes they may have received.