The meeting took place during the Education World Forum.
Secretary of State for Education and Minister for Women and Equalities, Nicky Morgan, spoke with Dmitry Livanov, the Russian Education minister, this week.
Morgan and Livanov discussed Russia’s LGBT rights record and equality issues displayed in the country.
The two met a day after Russian Parliament debated a bill that would make it a criminal offense for two men to kiss in public. Fortunately, the bill was rejected by a committee.
Last year, Morgan pledged to advocate for global LGBT rights. She has also launched a program to tackle homophobic, biphobic, and transphobic bullying in schools setting aside £2 million ($2,834,530 USD) to fund initiatives to handle the issue.
Morgan believes that “We have to look beyond our own shores and continue to use our influence to help LGBT people around the world.”
She also believes that this will not be achieved “by lecturing or pointing fingers, but by supporting activists and groups on the ground, helping them to learn the lessons from our journey towards equality under the law.”
On the topic of bullying, Morgan has said, “The tragic fact is that young people who suffer homophobic bullying often pull back from school life. Many, of course, may avoid school altogether.” She mentions that many LGBT people “choose universities or colleges where they think they will be accepted. They tend to choose careers where they think they will be safe.”
Morgan announced that the Government Equality Office has produced £100,000 ($141,727 USD) to support international projects fighting equal rights.