Lesbian and Gay rights
Section 28: charter for bigots and bullies
ANYONE VIEWING the recent repeat of the Channel 4 drama series 'Queer as Folk' will have seen the homophobic bullying of the character Nathan. He is a 15 year old school student who comes out dramatically to his class mates and suffers homophobic bullying as a result.
In fact his experience probably understates the weight of the problem. Systems of bullying and "pecking orders" exist amongst school students, mirroring what happens in society as a whole. It operates at all levels from low-key harassment to out and out violence. This is one of the important routes by which homophobia is reproduced in society.
The government recognises the problem of bullying within the narrow confines of their desire to "improve standards" and the perceived lack of educational achievement of boys. They are concerned when male students who work hard and show an interest in education are also targets, although much less than boys who dislike sport, are "effeminate" or come out gay, through accident or design. They are not, however, really interested in fighting homophobia.
But in fact bullying is a symptom of the way that schools reproduce the pro-nuclear family, sexism, male chauvinism and homophobia for society. Only recently recognised has been the role played in this by "peer pressure" - systems of social behaviour maintained amongst children. So bullying is just the tip of the iceberg.
The supremacy of "normality" - heterosexuality, but also misogyny (hatred of women), racism and many other attitudes are at least partly set at school. Section 28 was a response to the challenge that non-judgmental sex education represented to this during the 1980s. "Progressive" educational methods attempt to educate the "whole child". Amongst other things, it challenged bullying and gang behaviour.
This was too much for the Thatcher government, who began, through the introduction of the national curriculum and other measures, to control teaching and schools increasingly tightly. The introduction of books and cultural events showing gay and lesbian relations in a positive light was the final straw, and the Tories introduced Section 28.
This is an explicitly homophobic measure that has little legal force but introduces plenty of fear amongst teachers who want to challenge homophobic behaviour and especially bullying.
Today's reactionaries, while denying that they are in favour of bullying - or in fact homophobia in most cases - want to retain Section 28 as a means of discouraging schools, teachers and local authorities from challenging homophobia. They want to retain the supremacy of heterosexual attitudes in schools.
The government, while so far remaining firm on repealing the Section, have responded by adding a clause to the local government bill that repeals Section 28 that marriage (i.e. heterosexuality) will be favoured in sex education. While it would be difficult to give this any teeth, it would give reactionaries and OFSTED another chance to meddle in sex education, already a battleground particularly in educating young women about contraception and how to deal with relationships with men.
In Scotland the battle has been particularly fierce after a vigorous intervention by Catholic Cardinal Winning, supported by Stagecoach millionaire Graham Souter.
While Donald Dewar initially looked like he was going to brazen this out - worried that to give the Catholic Church a veto on any issue was not very New Labour - in the end it looks like he too is about to cave in and introduce similar regulations.
North and South of the border there has been a refusal to confront the reality that undoubtedly contributes to a much higher suicide rate amongst young lesbians and gay men than amongst their peers.
Meanwhile, the half-reformed Lords have rejected the repeal of Section 28 by the British Parliament (even combined with the sex education reform). Right-wing and religious reaction still has its home amongst the ermine-clad hoards.
Along with other overdue reforms like equalisation of the age of consent (and other issues like banning fox-hunting), the majority of the House of Lords will fight tooth and nail to keep Section 28.
Blame the government, which has refused to take the bull by the horns and abolish the un-elected House, which remains one of the main bastions of reaction in Britain.