Page 24 - Spring 2015

The Association of Teachers and
Lecturers – Proud to be in Education
February means LGBT History Month of
course and we are looking forward to quite a
spectacular history festival, with something for
everyone. There’s going to be drama, history,
film, something for schools and something for
families, so ATL is delighted to be one of a
range of fantastic sponsors. As a trade union,
we help and support education staff in schools
and colleges to tackle discrimination in all its
forms, both in the classroom and the staffroom.
Education has a vital role to play in tackling
inequalities, challenging discrimination
and empowering our young people and our
members. Education staff find themselves being
role models for many young people, and we
want to ensure that both the staffroom and the
classroom are LGBT-friendly environments,
which is why we do our best to fight for
equality for LGBT staff through campaigning,
bargaining and influencing opinion at the very
highest levels.
We’ve seen a lot of positive publicity around
the introduction of same sex marriage over the
past year or so, but, as we all know, there’s a
long way to go until everyone is respected and
there’s always more campaigning to do. That’s
why ATL works with politicians, LGBT groups
such as Schools OUT UK (LGBTHM), other
trade unions and a range of other partners
to raise awareness of the effects of homo/bi/
transphobic bullying in schools and colleges.
Bullying has long-term consequences for all
concerned, for the bullies, those bullied and
also for bystanders.
One of the many reasons why we support
Schools OUT UK is because it provides
fantastic resources for teachers, young people
and parents. It’s a useful source of information
for teachers and education staff who want to
incorporate LGBT themes, role models and
issues into their teaching. February’s LGBT
History Month festival in Manchester will
showcase a range of people such as Frieda
Kahlo, Charles-Geneviève-Louis-Auguste-
André-Timothée d’Éon de Beaumont or for
short, the Chevalier D’Eon, Alan Turing and
a host of well-known and not so well-known
figures through the coded lives theme. By
spring 2015
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