International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO) is a day when governments and communities in over 100 countries around the world take action to end discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. The theme for IDAHO 2012 is 'Combating homophobia and transphobia in schools'.

Last December whilst calling on governments around the world to take steps to combat homophobic bullying, the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon declared that homophobic bullying was a 'moral outrage, a grave violation of human rights and a public health crisis, it is also a loss for the entire human family when promising lives are cut short” .

Ireland has been at the forefront internationally of efforts to eliminate homophobic bullying from schools and has been one of the driving forces behind UNESCO's Global Good Practice and Policy Manual which is launched by United States Secretary for Civil Rights in Paris on May 16th.

The Programme for Government commits to “encourage schools to develop anti-bullying policies and in particular, strategies to combat homophobic bullying to support students.” In May 2011, Ruairí Quinn TD, Minister for Education and Skills, announced the establishment of “a working group comprising all the relevant sections of my Department, along with the NGOs involved in this area and the education partners, to help draft a roadmap towards the elimination of homophobic bullying from our schools” .

Why focus on homophobic bullying?

· Homophobic bullying has been documented as one of the most pervasive forms of bullying in Irish schools (Lynch & Lodge, 2002).

· LGBT young people experience bullying at a much higher rate than other young people.· Irish research shows that homophobic bullying is a significant causal factor in self-harm, suicide and other

severe mental health difficulties amongst LGBT young people.· 2 in 5 Irish teachers find homophobic bullying more difficult to address than other forms of bullying.

TCD's Anti-Bullying Centre found that 16% of all Irish second-level students were the targets of bullying (O'Moore, 1997). Supporting LGBT Lives, a major study funded by the HSE's National Office for Suicide Prevention found that among LGBT people the figures were much higher:

· 50% experienced verbal homophobic bullying.· 40% were verbally threatened by fellow students.· 25% were physically threatened by their peers.· 34% heard homophobic comments from their teachers (Mayock, Bryan, Carr & Kitching, 2009).

4 out of 5 Irish teachers are aware of homophobic bullying in their schools (Norman & Galvin, 2006). Irish research also shows that only 1 in 5 LGBT young people who are experiencing homophobic bullying seek support from their school or teachers (Minton, Dahl, O'Moore & Tuck, 2006).

The Impact on Young People's Mental Health Supporting LGBT Lives found that:

· 27% of LGBT people have self-harmed.· 50% of LGBT people under 25 have seriously thought of ending their lives.· 20% of LGBT people under 25 have attempted suicide (Mayock, Bryan, Carr & Kitching 2009).

International Day AgainstHomophobia & TransphobiaIreland. Thursday 17th May 2012

International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO)thThurday 17 May 2012

Combating Homophobic and Transphobic Bullying in Schools

As this timeline shows, most LGBT young people know their identity at 12 but do not tell anyone until 17. This 5 year period corresponds to most of secondary school. As well as avoiding school and leaving education altogether, LGBT young people at this age are particularly vulnerable to self-harm and attempting suicide.

We know that there is a direct correlation between homophobic bullying and suicidal behaviour amongst LGBT young people, that is, young people who experience homophobic bullying are more l ikely to attempt suicide (Supporting LGBT Lives)

Significant Advances

In Ireland, there have been significant advances in relation to LGBT issues and the school system in recent years. Most notable include:

· The Department of Education and Skills has funded research projects that have resulted in significant shifts in the understanding of homophobic bullying and how schools are dealing with such issues. (Norman et al, 2006 and Lodge et al, 2009)

· In 2006, the Minister of State for Education Sile DeValera launched the Stop Homophobic Bullying Campaign, an Equality Authority and BeLonG To partnership, endorsed by the NAPD, ASTI, TUI and National Parents Council.

· Guidelines on inclusion in policy and supporting LGBT students in schools have been developed for principals, guidance counsellors and teachers, launched by the Minister for State for Education, Sean Haughey. Each set of guidelines has been co-published by the DES with GLEN and endorsed by key education partners including JMB, ACCS, IVEA, NPCpp, NCGE, NAPD, ASTI and TUI.

· The NAPD have been to the fore in providing leadership to its members on addressing homophobic bullying in schools. NAPD in conjunction with the Equality Authority, GLEN and BeLonG To have piloted whole-school training in combating homophobic bullying. The training is currently being evaluated by the Equality Authority.

· The SPHE Support Service is in the final stages in the development of a comprehensive teaching resource for post-primary schools on Growing up LGBT. The DVD and accompanying lesson plans are being developed in conjunction with the HSE, BeLonG To and GLEN.

· BeLonG To's annual campaign, Stand Up! Awareness Week against Homophobic Bullying, was launched this year by the Minister for Education and Skills and endorsed by the NAPD and Cork Hurling Captain Donal Óg Cusack. Stand Up! packs are sent to every post-primary school across Ireland.

· This month the Department of Education & Skills established the Anti-Bullying Working Group, who's first task is to develop concrete strategies to combat homophobic bullying.

President Higgins recently spoke of the 'appalling destructive reality' of homophobic bullying, saying 'These are important issues, not merely emotional issues.”

Further information:

IDAHO: http: / / www.dayagainsthomophobia.orgBeLonG To: www.belongto.orgGLEN: www.glen.ie

Timeline for LGBT Young People During Secondary School Years (age in years)

Begin Secondary School Junior Cert Leaving Cert

12 - Most commonage to become aware

of LGBY identity

16 - Most vunerablestart to

self-harm

17- Most commonage to

“come out”

17- Most vunerableattempt suicidefor first time

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

Belong To:Parliament House13 Parliament Street, Dublin 2, Ireland.Ph: 01 670 6223 Fax: 01 670 6219

GLEN2 Exchange Street Upper,Dublin 8, Ireland.Ph: 353 1 6728650