Pride & Prejudice



		The Pride & Prejudice package contains specific exercises and discussion points for students and teachers. These exercises aim to provide young people with an opportunity to explore their thoughts, feelings and opinions. Young people are encouraged to draw on their own knowledge and experience. It provides young people with a supportive and respectful forum in which they can discuss sensitive issues and topics with their peers. Often, the Pride & Prejudice program will be the first time that students have encountered real examples of gay and lesbian people. The Formal Stuff 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 by Dr Daryl Higgins, Dr Ross King and Daniel Witthaus. Higgins, D., King, R. and Witthaus, D. (2001) Pride and prejudice: Facilitating change in the attitudes of students toward gay men and lesbians, Health Promotion Journal of Australia, Vol 12, No 3, pp. 238-241, Australian Health Promotion Association, Australia Main Findings of Study Attitudes held by all students towards gay men and lesbians were significantly more positive after the program. Positive change in attitudes towards gay men was significantly predicted by the level of students' attendance during the program; the more the students attended the program, the greater the shift in their attitudes. No significant predictors of change in attitudes towards lesbians. Attitude change was stronger in males than for females, with females having already had more positive attitudes than males. Each of the various aspects of the process of implementing the Pride & Prejudice program was evaluated positively by the students. On a scale out of five, the mean score was above 4.0 on 10 of 15 items, and the lowest mean was 3.3 ("the stuff we did was too easy") indicating a mid-range score for difficulty. Self-esteem, gender of the student and tendency to respond in a socially desirable way were not significant predictors of change in attitudes. As a facilitator… There are times when I forget that I am fortunate to know how students, teachers and workers typically respond to work around sexual diversity and homophobia in schools. Despite there being plenty of cause for concern, I have found even more cause for hope. Students especially appreciate opportunities to discuss and explore issues that are typically taboo in the classroom where there is attention to safety and respect. The fact that it can be fun, informative and entertaining is a bonus. Here are just a few comments on the Pride & Prejudice program to get you started… When asked the difference between them before and after the program, some students offered… 1. I now have more respect for gay people 2. Not much has changed. I've never hated gay people 3. Before I was ignorant but now I understand 4. Was a good experience because now I know what they are like 5. Showed me lots of people around are gay and made us more aware When asked about the impact of the program for them, some students said… 1. It was a good experience because now I know what they are like 2. Showed me lots of people around are gay 3. Has made me realize that they do what they feel, and it's cool because we get out of work 4. Was a good learning experience 5. Has made me realize that gays are no different from us except for their sexual preferences Anecdotal and formal evaluation of the program have 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 welcomed and required to address these adequately. Anecdotal feedback from schools having implemented the Pride & Prejudice program has demonstrated that students continue to discuss the program, maintain an awareness of homophobia and its impact in a school context and even interrupt the homophobia of other students (and this extends to older students!) months after the program's completion.