Page 40 - Fyne winter 2014

Proud to be
We want to pay tribute to one of our very
favourite campaigners, Sue Sanders. She’s
not only an icon of the LGBT movement,
but also a champion of equality in all
its forms, for everyone. She’s inspired
generations, with her wisdom, campaigning
and boundless energy, and been a big player
in moving LGBT rights forward. We’re not
surprised that Sue is being celebrated in
this issue, and it’s a great opportunity to pay
tribute to her work and the work of everyone
who has fought for LGBT rights.
Schools OUT continues to be a fantastic
resource 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. And we are
extremely excited about February’s LGBT
History Month conference in Manchester
next year, not just because it’s all about
history, but because we can all ‘educate
and celebrate’.
We know it’s not always about celebrating
LGBT history and culture. There’s still a lot
to be done in terms of tackling homophobic,
biphobic and transphobic bullying and so-
called ‘banter’ in the classroom and online.
There’s still a lot to be done in the staffroom
as well. We know that many education staff
are still fearful of coming out at school and
are suffering from mental ill health as a
result of leading a double life. That’s why
ATL takes a stance about behaviour in the
classroom and in the staffroom. We support
staff through our motions to raise awareness,
our support and guidance in the workplace
and the work of our Equality and Diversity
Committee, led by Julia Neal, a redoubtable
LGBT activist.
This year is also a special one for ATL.
We launched the ATL LGBT Network,
involving and including all those who
identify as LGBT or support LGBT issues.
Best of all, we’ve been at many Prides
this year – London Pride was a brilliant
event as always, as were the Newcastle,
Durham, Cardiff and Chester events.
Despite protests from a Christian group,
there was a great turnout for Chester Pride
and lots of trade union support, goodwill
and media coverage. Our members spoke
to lots of trainee teachers, as well as a wide
range of others about issues such as being
out in education, the inclusion of LGBT
The Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) is committed to tackling
discrimination in all its forms and is proud to celebrate LGBT History Month.
We recognise that education has a vital role to play in tackling inequalities,
challenging discrimination and empowering our young people and our
education staff. Education staff are 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.
WINTER 2014
40