School can be a hard time for a lot of people in Wales. Bullying is still common in primary schools and high schools and some young people are affected more than others. LGBT+ charity for young people, Just Like Us, has spoken to some LGBT+ people in Cardiff who found school so traumatic they "blocked" it from their memory.
The new research findings come from an online survey of 3,076 UK adults, in which just over 1,001 were LGBT+. The survey was conducted between July and August this year. A total of 148 adults were surveyed in Cardiff, with 52 respondents being LGBT+ between the ages of 18 and 65.
More than four times as many LGBT+ adults in Cardiff said they had a “terrible relationship” with their teachers compared with their non-LGBT+ counterparts. This compares with 12% of LGBT+ adults and 5% of non-LGBT+ adults nationally. More than one third of LGBT+ adults surveyed in Wales’ capital said they were bullied at school, almost twice as many as non-LGBT+ people. This was slightly lower than the national average for LGBT+ respondents. You can get more LGBT+ news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
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The research also revealed that LGBT+ respondents in Cardiff were nearly twice as likely to do everything they could to get out of going to school, with almost one quarter saying this was the case, compared with 13% of non-LGBT+ people surveyed in the city. This was higher than the national average for LGBT+ adults.
"I felt very lonely due to no support, no-one to help me or relate to. I felt I was all alone," said 35-year-old Scott McGlynn.
"I felt that no-one was going through the same feelings I was towards the same sex. It was a very dark time in my life. There was no support, there was no-one to talk to about what you're going through. For me personally, teachers and support workers didn't know how to deal with my bullying because it was anti-LGBT+ bullying. They had zero training. All I got told was to ignore them, which never works.
"Five years of my life I hated, it was the worst time, I felt so alone, depressed and my grades suffered from that. When I was 15-16 I missed school. I didn't want to be there, the teachers didn't care [and] I left school with two GCSEs and three friends. That's all. It affected my communication with other people as well, I feel it is still hard to keep eye contact to this day because it affected my confidence badly."
Welsh ambassador for Just Like Us, 20-year-old Tristan, who lives in Ceredigion, said: "School was lonely for me because I wasn’t supported when I came out. I felt really alienated by a lot of my peers as well as by some members of staff, and I never felt like many people made the effort to include me at all.
"I definitely think school had a negative impact on me long into my adulthood. I still receive mental health support now as a result of the bullying I received whilst at school. I remember a lot of the negative aspects of my school. I remember being called “against God”, called slurs when I needed to use the toilets, and dead-named deliberately by many students. I felt so alone at school.
"I thinks schools in Cardiff could definitely do more to help their LGBT+ students. Something like a Just Like Us ambassador visit can really help students see that they aren’t alone and that there is a whole community of people just like them who are there to support them."
Dominic Arnall, Chief Executive of Just Like Us, said: “It’s devastating that so many LGBT+ people had such an awful experience at school that they’ve had to block it from their memory. The fact that our young people are still having this experience in 2022 is outrageous.
“Sadly, things haven’t really changed as much as we might like to think, as LGBT+ school pupils are still twice as likely to be bullied, struggle with mental health and are much more likely to feel unsafe in school. LGBT+ representation is desperately needed in schools, which is why we’re asking LGBT+ 18 to 25-year-olds in Wales to come forward and volunteer with us. We’ll train you to become an ambassador and speak in schools, and you will be helping to bring that much-needed visibility to struggling LGBT+ pupils. Please sign up to volunteer with Just Like Us so that the future can look brighter for LGBT+ young people.”
When asked for a comment about LGBT+ treatment in schools, a Cardiff Council spokesperson said: “No child should have to experience bullying and or discrimination at school or anywhere else during their lives. Tackling bullying in our schools is something this council is absolutely committed to and we have introduced a number of initiatives to educate young people about the effects of bullying while promoting diversity, equality and inclusivity.
“A wide range of provision is delivered by our Education and Youth Services to ensure that LGBT+ young people growing up in the city are supported, can share experiences and feel that they are positively represented in their schools and communities.
“We recognise the need for positive role models and mentors and many of our schools have established successful programmes to support pupils and challenge negative attitudes. Examples of best practice include Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Plasmawr’s equality group Digon (Enough) where pupils caught using homophobic or transphobic language are asked to sit down with LGBTQ+ peers who help to educate them about the words they have used.
“In Bryn y Deryn, pupils and staff are developing a transgender support group for transgender young people and their families and the school has invited Cardiff’s LGBT+ Network in to talk to pupils and share stories.
“The new Welsh Curriculum – which will begin roll out in schools this year - will ensure that children of all ages will be taught about relationships and sexuality and treating each other with kindness and empathy. The curriculum will be age appropriate and will help children to grow their self-esteem by encouraging learners to value themselves, recognize and communicate their feelings and form friendships.
“In Cardiff - a city rich in diversity - we have already taken steps to create an atmosphere were all children are welcome and treated with respect. Successful partnership working with Cathays Community Centre has seen the establishment of an LGBTQ+ youth Club and council services had a significant presence at Pride last weekend. Additional grant funding is also currently being accessed to allow for increased support and provision to be made available.
“We feel for any child that has experienced bullying and we fully support schools to challenge bullying in line with Welsh Government’s anti-bullying guidance, Rights, Respect, Equality. The Education Directorate has extended this guidance to include, hate crime, hate incidents and harassment and training is provided to schools, governing bodies and local authority staff to prevent and respond to incidents of bullying in our schools.
“Should anyone be experiencing bullying in our schools we urge them to speak to a member of staff or they can contact www.nationalbullyinghelpline.co.uk/ 0854 22 55 787 for help and advice.”
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