News
| Schools remain a hotbed of prejudice | The Age - February 8, 2011 |
| HOMOPHOBIA in schools is getting worse despite attempts to curb it, with experts warning the Baillieu government that teenage suicide could increase unless more is done to tackle the problem. The latest national snapshot of gay teenagers has found that despite years of law reform, government investment and changing values, more students are being abused for being gay, leading to higher rates of self-harm and attempted suicide compared with heterosexuals... |
| Gay Times, Bad Times | The Age - February 8, 2011 |
| Young homosexuals are suffering more abuse than ever, particularly in schools. JIMMY Yan was only 16 when he had his first real experience of homophobia. It happened two years ago at a highly sought-after government school in Melbourne's eastern suburbs, but he remembers it like it was yesterday. At the time, Yan was in year 11, putting up posters in the school library, publicising a national day of action in support of gay marriage. A teacher approached, read the material, and spat out the words that still make him burn with indignation: ''You don't know what marriage is, faggot boy.''... |
| Gay students find their voice | The Age - November 22, 2010 |
| CATHERINE Reidy left high school four years ago but hasn't forgotten how tough it felt to be the token lesbian. Ms Reidy came out at 14, a few years before other gay teenagers in her year, and so she became the resident expert, with constant questioning by her classmates, and in some cases bullying. Over the years she has had bouts of depression and at one time was suicidal. But she says the support of her parents and friends has helped, and she now feels optimistic about the future for same-sex attracted youth... |
| Optimism in the face of homophobic abuse findings | The Age - November 22, 2010 |
| AFTER 12 years researching the intimate lives of gay and lesbian young people, Lynne Hillier should be feeling glum. It appears from La Trobe University's latest survey of more than 3000 teenagers that homophobic abuse and violence has risen since this landmark study began in 1998. But Associate Professor Hillier, a research fellow at La Trobe's Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, remains optimistic. She believes that while the continuing level of abuse is disturbing, it is partly to do with people aged 15 to 21 feeling confident enough to be out and report what is happening to them... |
| Gay, lesbian prejudice on rise at schools | The Age - November 19, 2010 |
| HOMOPHOBIC abuse of gay and lesbian teenagers has increased in the past six years, with schools the main forum for violence and exclusion, according to a national survey. Researchers at La Trobe University found that 61 per cent of the 3134 teenagers surveyed had been verbally abused because of their sexuality and 18 per cent had been assaulted, with some treated in hospital. Despite a legal requirement to provide a safe environment, more than 80 per cent of abuse occurred in schools. The increase in abuse was significant, with less than half of those surveyed reporting verbal abuse in an earlier survey in 2004... |
| Different school, same homophobic song and dance | The Age - November 13, 2010 |
| My first memory of institutionalised homophobia came during high school. Each year the school hosted ''house choir night'' where each ''house'' had to perform a song. My house captain in year 10 chose Faith, originally sung by George Michael. On the night, the girls in our house wore ribbons in the colours of the rainbow flag, a symbol associated with gay pride. During our recital, members of the school council expressed horror and disdain, later objecting to our song selection, stating that homosexuality is ''a sin''... |
| School girlfriends get support but principal sticks to her guns | The Age - November 11, 2010 |
| BACK in what Methodist Ladies' College principal Rosa Storelli calls ''the dark ages'', teachers at the school would occasionally receive a ''discreet note'' from a student seeking permission to attend the school formal with their same-sex partner. ''That was prior to 14 years ago,'' she said. ''And then we felt that this process was an invasion of the students' privacy.''... |
| School formals: a time for celebration not discrimination | The Age - November 11, 2010 |
| This is no way to teach our youth to respect the rights of others. As a mother of teenagers, I have a window into the lives of hundreds of young people and am constantly reminded that the high school years aren't always easy. So I admire the student at Ivanhoe Girls Grammar, and her parents, for having the courage to speak out about the fact that she was unable to invite a same-sex partner to the formal... |
| Lesbian couple formal row 'could be discrimination' | The Age - November 10, 2010 |
| Melbourne school's refusal to let a female student bring her girlfriend to the formal could constitute discrimination, according to Victoria's Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commissioner Helen Szoke. Dr Szoke said Ivanhoe Girls' Grammar may have breached the Equal Opportunity Act if it refused to let Year 11 student Hannah Williams take her 15-year-old girlfriend to the formal on the basis of her sexual orientation. Hannah, 16, says she was asked to bring a male to the dance instead, a claim the school principal has denied... |
| Students should not fear being out and proud | The Age - October 26, 2010 |
| ''That's so gay.'' When it comes to derisory statements, this one, in particular, circulates in schoolyards, workplaces and online environments without any hesitation. While for many this is not meant as an intentional verbal assault upon a person's sexuality, it's still clear that the word ''gay'' has now become synonymous in our vernacular with stupidity, annoyance and even anger. Is it surprising then that so many sexuality and gender-diverse people face excessively high rates of anxiety and depression when they are linguistically marked out as ''deficient'' within so many social settings?... |
| Coming out: gay friendly schools form rainbow alliance | The Age - October 21, 2010 |
| AS AN openly gay teenager, Samuel Rodda has endured his share of bullying over the years. Sometimes it's been verbal abuse, other times social exclusion - like the school camp where his classmates refused to share a room with him at night, simply because of his sexuality. The 16-year-old nonetheless considers himself one of the lucky ones. He has never been bashed for being gay but knows of several teenagers who have or, worse still, attempted suicide when the homophobic attacks became too much... |
| Taking a stand against Homophobia | The Warrnambool Standard - Oct 18, 2010 |
| Tired of young people suffering in silence, Warrnambool teenagers are gearing up to make some noise against homophobia and the increasing incidence of self harm as a result of bullying. Warrnambool's Youth United Making Change against Homophobic Attitudes (YUMCHA) group will be cutting laps in the city today with a 'honk if you hate homophobia' sign on their bus... |
| Bill of Rights Talks | Latrobe Valley Express - August 23, 2010 |
| DEMOCRACY, human rights and same sex marriage were the hot topics at a bill of rights convention organised by four Latrobe Valley students. Students from Traralgon College, Trafalgar High School and Kurnai College Churchill resoundingly agreed Australia needed a bill of rights to help protect the freedoms of all Australians. Head of the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission Helen Szoke spoke to the group about the work of the commission and the way governments adapted laws to meet social changes... |
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