Blogs

Tackling the homophobic bullying of staff

Homophobia has once again hit the headlines. While the impact on pupils is well-debated, Julian Stanley considers how the issue affects teachers.

John Paul McQueen is a teacher who is being bullied by his students over his sexuality. The bullying began when two of his students set him up with a male escort in school after hours. John Paul and the escort were then locked in a room together while the students made an anonymous call to the headteacher. Luckily, the head saw through the plan and suspended the students. However, this only made things worse as the suspension turns other students against him and they began to hand in assignments with homophobic remarks and titles.

I am not a regular viewer of Hollyoaks, but this storyline has obviously gained my attention. Yet just how realistic is it? While it is doubtful that many students go to the dramatic lengths of hiring escorts, can teachers be the victim of homophobic bullying too?

Register now, read forever

Thank you for visiting SecEd and reading some of our content for professionals in secondary education. Register now for free to get unlimited access to all content.

What's included:

  • Unlimited access to news, best practice articles and podcast

  • New content and e-bulletins delivered straight to your inbox every Monday and Thursday

Register

Already have an account? Sign in here