INTO LGBT+ TEACHERS’ GROUP: 20 YEARS OF PROGRESS By Eileen Gamble (she/her)
Challenging homophobic and transphobic bullying in the staffroom and even the playground still proves very difficult for LGBT+ and straight teachers alike and including positive representation of LGBT+ identities is increasingly challenging in certain contexts due to widespread campaigns of disinformation and parental manipulation by far right groups. However, programmes such as the INTO Pride Flag initiative and teacher training courses on creating LGBT+ inclusive schools, devised by members of the LGBT+ Group are helping to make steady developments in inclusivity in schools for LGBT+ teachers, families and pupils. The group continues to support LGBT+ teachers nationwide as well as offering resources to the many allies working in schools in every county in Ireland. The INTO LGBT+ Teachers’ Group continues its work in the hope that one day every LGBT+ teacher, pupil and family will feel they fully belong in their school communities. That they can be themselves without fear of repercussions or negative reactions, that regardless of where their school is located or who the patron is, they are guaranteed to see themselves reflected in the daily life of the classroom. That they are, in short, finally equal.
and Transphobic Bullying in Primary Schools’, published in 2015.
and school management. However, not all reactions where positive. One teacher was told by colleagues that they could never get a promotion after coming out, another that they were lucky they “didn’t look gay”. One principal advised a teacher to look for a permanent job in a multi-denominational school which might be a ‘better fit for their personality’. Many teachers were told by well-meaning colleagues to conceal their sexuality until they had secured a permanent job. In 2014, the INTO LGBT+ Teachers’ Group won their first GALA award (Gay and Lesbian Awards) in the voluntary group category. All members who attended that night were present in the official photo which was then published on the cover of the INTO magazine. Quite a few members chose this as their way to come out to colleagues and even family! That same year, the INTO LGBT+ Teachers’ Group was invited to Áras an Uachtaráin to meet President Higgins. Despite the momentous occasion, many group members still could not feature in the group photograph, such was the fear of discrimination at work. On its tenth anniversary the group hosted its second education conference “The Inclusive School” at the Marker Hotel in Dublin, which highlighted how all school communities can become more inclusive of LGBT+ identities. The group consulted on the first primary teachers’ resource on explicitly dealing with identity-based bullying – ‘RESPECT: Creating a Welcoming and Positive School Climate to Prevent Homophobic
The group has worked tirelessly to improve the well-being and professional lives of LGBT+ teachers. Despite the personal risk, members of the group sought to fight the silencing effect of Section 37.1 with visibility and publicity. They began to speak out on national television and radio. Articles about the group appeared in newspapers nationwide. In 2009, the group launched their Good Practice guidelines and posters for schools. They spoke at teacher seminars about their personal experiences and organised workshops at INTO conferences. For many LGBT+ teachers, spotting the Good Practice poster in a staffroom is still the first sign that a school is a safe and inclusive space for LGBT+ people. In 2013, a group submission was made to the Irish Human Rights Commission about Section 37.1. The Group argued for its deletion and outlined the chilling effect of Section 37.1 on the lives of LGBT+ teachers. Encouraged by solidarity shown within the group, and increased public support on social media, more members went public with their personal stories about teaching in Irish schools. They wrote blogs, made videos and continued to feature in articles for mainstream and social media. While some stories remain anonymous, other teachers published their names with their stories. Many were met with support from colleagues
meant that many LGBT+ teachers were forced to stay silent about their identities and relationships. Highlighting Section 37.1 or other LGBT+ issues in schools put vulnerable teachers at risk, and so it remained a silent struggle for those most affected. The INTO LGBT+ Teachers’ Group was set up in 2004 by members of the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation, the country’s only trade union for primary school teachers. With support from the INTO head office, a handful of very brave teachers decided to try and end the discrimination caused by Section 37.1. The founding members travelled to the first meeting in Dublin from all over the country, including Cork. Some speak of walking into the Jury’s Inn for the first meeting with their hoods up, checking over their shoulder for fear they might be recognised. Once the committee was set up, the group wrote their first article for the INTO magazine InTouch, distributing it to over 30,000 union members. Senator David Norris officially launched the group in 2006 and that summer, the President of the INTO led the group in their first Dublin Pride parade. Since then, the INTO LGBT+ group has never missed marching in Dublin Pride and has participated in Pride parades across the country, bringing visibility and showing solidarity to the many LGBT+ teachers who still don’t feel safe coming out at school.
That same year, the group launched its teaching resource ‘Different Families, Same Love’ which gave child-friendly lessons and resources and guidelines for primary schools on how to talk about LGBT+ individuals and families, as well as ways to include other different family types and minority identities in classrooms. These resources continue to be used in many schools across the country. Every year, more schools enter the group’s national ‘Different Families, Same Love’ competition. This initiative would go on to win another GALA award for the Group. As the Marriage Equality debate entered into public discourse in staff rooms and classrooms across the country, awareness of Section 37.1 also spread. LGBT+ teachers found themselves facing a situation where they might legally marry, but not tell their colleagues, pupils or principal. The group continued to work alongside LGBT+ rights groups, government legislators and politicians; notably Ivana Bacik, David Norris, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin and Averil Power. At the end of 2015, Section 37.1 was amended to explicitly state that discrimination against LGBT+ teachers was no longer permitted as a justified action to protect an organisation’s ethos. For many LGBT+ teachers, especially in rural areas across the country, the school environment has not changed in line with the legal amendments.
The INTO LGBT+ Teachers’ Group is 20 years old this year and has a LOT to celebrate! Over the last two decades, the INTO LGBT+ Teachers’ Group has helped to change employment law, increase visibility of LGBT+ teachers and families and pushed to make all Irish schools more inclusive, positive places for everyone. Primary school teaching is an incredibly challenging job, but even more so for the many LGBT+ teachers working in the Irish school system, where over 90% of primary schools are under the control of religious bodies. In 1998, Section 37.1 was added to the Employment Equality Act, which meant that religious run institutions such as schools, could legally discriminate against an employee who might undermine the religious ethos. For many LGBT+ teachers, this had a detrimental effect on their well-being. Fear of losing employment, missing promotion opportunities or the concern from school management about negative reactions from pupils or parents
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