UK to get first school for gay pupils
17 Jan 2015 11:28 PM GMT
A first-of-its-kind school for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) young people could open in the UK in the next three years to protect students from homophobic bullying.
The government-funded school in the city of Manchester plans to take 40 full-time students from
across the area and will offer up to 20 part-time places for young people who want to continue attending a mainstream school. The proposal for the specialist school has been tabled by charity LGBT Youth North West as a way of helping young people struggling in mainstream schools. “This is about saving lives,” said Amelia Lee, strategic director for LGBT Youth North West.
“Despite the laws that claim to protect gay people from homophobic bullying, the truth is that in schools especially, bullying is still incredibly common and causes young people to feel isolated and alienated, which often leads to truanting and, in the worst-case scenarios, to suicide,” she added.
The government-funded school in the city of Manchester plans to take 40 full-time students from
across the area and will offer up to 20 part-time places for young people who want to continue attending a mainstream school. The proposal for the specialist school has been tabled by charity LGBT Youth North West as a way of helping young people struggling in mainstream schools. “This is about saving lives,” said Amelia Lee, strategic director for LGBT Youth North West.
“Despite the laws that claim to protect gay people from homophobic bullying, the truth is that in schools especially, bullying is still incredibly common and causes young people to feel isolated and alienated, which often leads to truanting and, in the worst-case scenarios, to suicide,” she added.
Next Story
