Parents and friends of lesbians and gays (PFLAG) Brisbane have established a working group to address homophobia in Queensland schools.
Parents and friends of lesbians and gays (PFLAG) Brisbane have established a working group to address homophobia in Queensland schools. PFLAG are aware of many instances where lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) students have been bullied by a teacher or other students or both.
The working group has representation from various organisations including Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, Brisbane, Queensland Teachers Union, Independent Education Union of Australia (Queensland and Northern Territory Branch), Parents and Citizens, Queensland, Family Planning Queensland, Queensland Police and Open Doors.
The first meeting of the working group concluded that the development of a government policy or guideline supporting LGBTI students and ruling out homophobia is a priority. It is needed to provide direction and support to schools, principals and teachers. The working group volunteered collaboration with the Department of Education, Training and Employment (DETE) to en-sure that this policy/guideline is written correctly with respect to the Queensland environment.
The group addressed the importance of teacher training which should incorporate information on sexual and gender diversity to ensure all teachers are confident in supporting LGBTI students within an inclusive school environment. In addition, schools, teachers and parents need access to reliable information and contact details of support organisations in order that they can provide support to LGBTI students.