Combating discrimination and exclusion of LGBT youth in education

Young lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people across Europe face discrimination and exclusion in their everyday life. Episodes of homophobic bullying and abuse of young LGBT people across Europe, because of their real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity, occur on a regular basis.

They face discrimination and its consequences- i.e. the estrangement from family networks, the sense of isolation, invisibility and constant threat- in almost all sphere of life, which can lead to such problems as underachievement and school drop-out, low self-esteem and mental ill-health.

In the educational setting - known to be one of the most important social contexts where young people are supposed to develop their interaction, communication and social skills - LGBT youth are at a particular disadvantage. They encounter more structural levels of discrimination related to the lack of representation of homosexuality and gender identity issues in the education curriculum. Little information on LGBT issues is available and there tends to be a lack of visibility, of positive role models and of safe spaces or support networks. As a result, LGBT youth are at a particular risk of social exclusion in the education context.

These experiences have a negative impact on the capacity of young LGBT people to manage the transition from school to work and to become confident and independent adults who can contribute to society.

Although education remains the responsibility of national governments, EU member states have increasingly coordinated their policies in the context of social inclusion and youth. Young people have repeatedly been identified as a particular risk group; yet, there is little awareness of the particular vulnerability of LGBT youth, particularly in school environment.

That’s why ILGA Europe support the need to promote proactive policies at EU and national level to raise political and civil awareness and advance policy making on specific restrictions on homophobic bullying in school policies.

Education and equality is identified as a priority theme in ILGA–Europe current work. We challenge this from through many angles be that social, cultural, political and or socio-economic. This flows from the specific provisions in equality legislation in relation to educational establishments. It reflects the centrality of education provision to the quality of life of people within the many grounds covered by supposed equality legislation. The inclusive school is identified as the key concept that underpins our work in this area.