Why an educational package addressing sexual diversity & homophobia?

Why was the program developed in the way that it was?

What kind of results might be expected from the package?

Is Pride & Prejudice a package based on all of Daniel Witthaus' work in schools?

Is Pride & Prejudice an inflexible program?

Is this how teachers should be addressing sexual diversity & homophobia within schools?

What lies beyond Pride & Prejudice?

Shouldn't Pride & Prejudice be part of a comprehensive whole school approach?

Why an educational package addressing sexual diversity & homophobia?

Initially the idea for an educational package that addressed sexual diversity and homophobia came through support of the young gay and lesbian people through the City of Greater Geelong's GASP! Project. The experiences of these young people in local schools, the inadequate responses of their schools and the inaction of educational authorities led to the development of a pilot program, dubbed Pride & Prejudice.

Since this time, a growing body of research suggests that schools are essential sites for addressing issues of sexual diversity and homophobia amongst their student and staff populations. This backed up the anecdotal evidence of workers, teachers and - most importantly - young people's experience in the Geelong region.

Australian national research shows 9% of young people aged 14-18 are sexually attracted to the same sex. A national survey of same sex attracted young people found that:

1. Over 50% experienced verbal or physical abuse
2. Nearly all of this abuse happened at school.

Subsequently, there is broad community support for initiatives that target awareness and education about sexual diversity and homophobia.

Experience has shown that teachers and workers are concerned with sexual diversity and homophobia in schools, yet feel that it falls outside of both their skill base and experience. Teachers and workers have indicated that they would readily address these issues, however they lack adequate training and preparation to challenge and support students dealing with these issues. There are NO plans by educational authorities in Victoria to address this.

Anecdotal and formal evaluation of the program has identified that both heterosexual and non-heterosexual students believe that issues of sexual diversity and homophobia directly impact on their school experience, and that school initiatives are required to address these adequately.

Therefore, Pride & Prejudice was developed in response to one community's experience, who saw the well-being of all students as an overwhelming priority.

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Why was the program developed in the way that it was?

Having worked within secondary schools for a number of years as a generalist youth worker, I had acquired some experience in constructing programs for students. The majority of this work occurred with at-risk young men in middle school years. As a result, I became well versed in the need for structure, continuity, engagement, flexibility, activities, things drying up, thank goodness for plan Bs, the influence of it being windy/wet outside, after lunch malaise and much, much more.

In this context, I observed a connection between gender, especially masculinity, and homophobia. This led to many instances of addressing homophobia with young men displaying challenging behaviours. Coupled with observations from teachers around 'difference' being a problem for students in general, the foundations were laid for a broader approach to sexual diversity and homophobia. This differed to traditional approaches that focused on HIV prevention, violence interventions or youth suicide (i.e. gay and lesbian issues are not just about catching HIV, getting bashed and killing themselves). Whilst being broad, the program would also not lose its focus on gay and lesbian issues, such as with those current programs that focus on "diversity" and nothing else.

It was also thought that a program lasting 6-8 weeks would have a more significant impact than the infamous "hi I'm gay and I am here to answer your gay questions for 45 very gay minutes" sessions. It would also allow the program to fit well within a standard school term.

Finally, when first delivered as a pilot, Pride & Prejudice involved the then facilitator - me - coming out to students in the fourth session. Based on personal experience of coming out to young people following the establishing a positive rapport, I went on to use coming out as a powerful element of the program. This has since been incorporated into the package through the complementary video.

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Early on, anecdotal evidence from students, teachers and parents was overwhelmingly positive. However it was felt that for the package to succeed, there was a need to evaluate it formally, giving it that additional "credibility".

Through funding obtained from VicHealth's Rural Sexual Diversity Grant Scheme, Deakin University's psychology department conducted a formal evaluation of students participating in the program during the 2000-1 period. Data from this study of the program showed that students' attitudes to both gay men and lesbians improved significantly after six weeks, moreso for male students. In addition, students evaluated the program positively. These results were written up in the December 2001 issue of the Health Promotion Journal of Australia.

These results relate to the full implementation of the Pride & Prejudice program. Some teachers have suggested that one or two sessions could be "dropped" for various reasons. It is suggested that educators consider this option carefully, given that the entire process is deemed successful. Information on partial use of the program is yet to be formally tested. The benefit of students having time to become accustomed to frameworks, program style, discussion and activity requirements prior to the middle sessions cannot be underestimated. In addition allowing students time and space to digest and reflect on what is often a challenging process, group discussions and new information can often be vital.

Beyond the classroom, anecdotal information suggests that the program can allow the opportunity for the school to hear about the program's process, gain new information, obtain new perspectives from their students and particularly initiate broader staff discussions - a topic which staff typically do not feel safe or supported in discussing.

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A common misconception is that Pride & Prejudice equates to the bulk of the work that I carry out in educational settings. In reality the package represents 5-10% of the work required in addressing sexual diversity and homophobia within secondary schools.

Typically, involvement with a school involves some long-term energy and effort directed at a number of areas including:

1. staff awareness
2. staff professional development
3. policy/curriculum
4. resource (extra) recommendations
5. parent/school/community engagement
6. support mechanisms - within and outside the school
7. NESB issues
8. secondary consultations with teachers and support staff
9. lots of cuppas!!!

It is acknowledged that doing a package for 6 weeks with a class of students and then leaving will only have an impact that is limited to those students and the delivery staff. To make real headway into issue, it is important to both the students and the school to make a long-term commitment. One of the most useful strategies has been delivering an initial professional development to staff followed by a program as a starting point - with a view to looking at complementary initiatives within a school.

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One of the concerns of educators is that Pride & Prejudice represents an inflexible model for working with students around issues of sexual diversity and homophobia.

If individuals haven't delivered the program or attended facilitator training, it may be difficult to understand the degree of flexibility within the process. Whilst evaluated as successful when delivered over six weeks, there are a number of opportunities to be flexible within the sessions. Whether it be to vary discussion content and mode, activity focus or optional extras, the program allows educators room to move based on the nature of the group, such as it's energy and literacy levels.

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Throughout the development of the Pride & Prejudice package, teachers identified concerns that they lacked the confidence, skills, experience, resources and support in addressing sexual diversity and homophobia within their educational settings.

The package has been developed for those educators who are ready to implement curriculum that is challenging, engaging, informative and also demonstrated to be effective. The package may not be of assistance to those educators who are already successfully doing this work or those who have developed their own resources.

It is hoped that Pride & Prejudice is seen to be a stepping stone - something that will lead to teachers feeling more confident, resourced and supported in doing something to respond to homophobia in an educational setting. This will potentially lead some educators to drawing their own conclusions about what works and what doesn't.
What we do know from the program is that students thrive on real examples of gays and lesbians as well as opportunities for safe and supportive discussion with their peers. Other resources that offer equally useful information and activities include as Not Round Here, BlockOut, Affirming Diversity, Victoria's STEP Manual and SSAFE resources (see website list).

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Beyond!?!? Have you even thought about all the work before, during and immediately after? If you get through raising staff awareness, preparing and delivering the program then it is a matter of you, the students, the teachers involved and support staff discussing and working out the next step. This could range from extra discussions, activities, projects, talks by other speakers and much more. Typically through the course of program, the facilitator can identify a range of topics that could be followed up. For example, some have included young men's rigidity of gender roles, expanding and following up on discussions on gay and lesbian issues as well as other related issues such as transgender and intersex issues. Additional modules to expand and complement Pride & Prejudice are currently in development.

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Shouldn't Pride & Prejudice be part of a comprehensive whole school approach?

In a perfect world - absolutely. However possibly the three most overused words in the education sector are "whole school approach".

In reality a whole school approach can be a difficult concept to achieve. School communities often find themselves struggling to develop a whole school approach with issues that are much more supported like bullying. To aim for a whole school approach to homophobia is admirable, but teachers are calling out for practical strategies and applicable resources for their classrooms, corridors and school yards - NOW.

Typically a whole school approach to homophobia is thought to involve an audit of policy and curriculum, the engagement of the entire school community, including staff and parents and the provision of adequate resources and support mechanisms. We have found that schools consider all of these issues anyway, if only in reflex to the thought of sexual diversity and homophobia issues being raised amongst the student population.

Regardless of what documents, professional development, resources and protocols are developed by a school, they are useless unless same sex attracted young people feel safe, included and supported within their school settings. When constructing our initiatives to address sexual diversity and homophobia, it is essential to aim for these ends, rather than tempering our efforts because of our own fears or doubts.

The outcomes of any initiative should be that there is consistency and immediacy in staff responses to homophobia both in and out of the classroom.

Whilst I long for the day that such whole school approaches are a common reality, I am cautious to advocate for them. The truth is: conditions will never be "right" or "perfect" to respond to issues of homophobia, and for teachers to await these conditions could mean a long wait for students.

In reality there is an abundance of resources for teachers and workers to utilise, including established funded networks, research reports, academic compilations, video resources, sexual health curriculum, mental health manuals, parent association and school council policy as well as training manuals. What lacks at present is both accessibility of these resources to broader school communities and equally the willingness of school communities to seek these resources. Hopefully the SSAFE network initiative will continue to fill this void.

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