LGBTQ+ - Beckfoot Trust
Powerful People Meeting 1 - May 2022
CEOs of Bradford Multi Academy Trusts - Sir Nick Weller, Shirley Watson, Duncan Jacques, Carol Dewhirst, Adrian Kneeshaw, Jon Skurr
Representatives from BDAT, Dixons, Exceed and Beckfoot Multi Academy Trusts will meet with the CEOs to share stories of young people in the LGBTQ+ community and ask for specifc support to bring about positive change.
Issues of the lost opportunities faced by the LGBTQ+ community have increased through the pandemic. We are not all the same but we all want the same chances. This is about fairness and equity. We have listened to students in our schools and we have learnt what these issues mean: In our schools there is a normalisation of slurs about the LGBTQ+ community. There are transphobic jokes, people are purposefully misgendered. Some students feel that they cannot change their pronouns on school records because of bullying. This leads to people feeling uncomfortable and unsafe at school. There is a lack of education about LGBTQ+ issues, history, and what is offensive, in our curriculum. There is also a lack of specific mental health support. This community are ostracised and need allies to model acceptance and tolerance.
- We want the provision of safe spaces in schools for the LGBTQ+ community, including trans-inclusive changing rooms and toilets.
- We want staff training, including how to identify and report homophobia, and how to be allies with the LGBTQ+ community in schools.
- Will you identify a named person from your group to work with us to develop these?
Help us to improve social justice in Bradford. This begins with practical and accessible action on LGBTQ+ inclusion and opportunity, as a priority for young people in schools and in the wider community too.
