SNP MEP Alyn Smith has expressed his concerns over a new LGBT report where 69% of all respondents had experienced homophobic or biphobic bulling in school, despite the efforts of the Scottish Government.
The report, launched today at the Scottish Learning Festival by LGBT Youth Scotland, portrays a worrying situation for many Scottish lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender young people in education. The number was still high at 25% in college and 14% at university.
Mr Smith, who is also a Member of the Board of Trustees of LGBT Youth Scotland said:
“High praise where it’s due, this report by LGBT Youth Scotland goes a long way to highlight the problem we have of the bullying of LGBT students in Scottish schools and shows that work still has to be done on top of what efforts the Scottish Government has already made.
“The report, Life in Scotland for LGBT Young People: Education Report is the biggest survey of its kind, with 350 respondents aged 13-25 answering a range of questions about their experiences of being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender in educational establishments. Uniquely, the report also asked young people how they felt educational establishments could combat bullying and a range of recommendations are presented in the report.
“The launch of this research is an appeal to those working with children and young people, and to make them aware of the high incidences of discrimination experienced on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. I know the Scottish Government has taken action but it is important that it continues to mount efforts to stamp out this sort of bullying our schools.”
A copy of the report can be found here: https://www.lgbtyouth.org.uk/files/documents/LGBT_YS_Life_in_Scotland_for_LGBT_Young_People_-_Education.pdf