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Homophobia in Irish schools

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  • 10-02-2007 12:52pm
    #1
    Chillwithcian
    Closed Accounts Posts: 751 ✭✭✭


    Did they ever push ahead with that proposed rule to ban homophobia in our schools... or is this ''goverment'' dragging on its heels for as long as it possibly can?


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    #2
    spurious
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Education Moderators Posts: 27,188 CMod ✭✭✭✭spurious


    Under the Equality Act, religious-owned schools can discriminate in order to uphold the school's ethos. As most Irish schools are religious-owned, that particular gem would have to be tackled before any government could legislate against homophobia.


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    #3
    cotwold
    Registered Users Posts: 950 ✭✭✭cotwold


    spurious wrote:
    Under the Equality Act, religious-owned schools can discriminate in order to uphold the school's ethos. As most Irish schools are religious-owned, that particular gem would have to be tackled before any government could legislate against homophobia.

    ^ Its true theyre completely above equality rights to a degree. Personally i thought it only applied to the employment and dismissing of teachers.


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    #4
    Annasopra
    Registered Users Posts: 41,062 ✭✭✭✭Annasopra


    Chillwithcian wrote:
    Did they ever push ahead with that proposed rule to ban homophobia in our schools... or is this ''goverment'' dragging on its heels for as long as it possibly can?


    I don't think there was ever a proposed ban and anyway much as I like to give out about this Government they were supportive of the belong to campaign

    http://www.belongto.org/images/schools/AboutCampaign.doc

    http://www.education.ie/home/home.jsp?maincat=10861&pcategory=10861&ecategory=11469&sectionpage=13637&language=EN&link=link001&page=1&doc=33207
    spurious wrote:
    Under the Equality Act, religious-owned schools can discriminate in order to uphold the school's ethos.

    That is TOTALLY untrue with reference to school bullying. It only refers to the employment of teachers. Religious owned schools cannot discriminate against their pupils

    It was so much easier to blame it on Them. It was bleakly depressing to think that They were Us. If it was Them, then nothing was anyone's fault. If it was us, what did that make Me? After all, I'm one of Us. I must be. I've certainly never thought of myself as one of Them. No one ever thinks of themselves as one of Them. We're always one of Us. It's Them that do the bad things.

    Terry Pratchet



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    #5
    Nevyn
    Closed Accounts Posts: 43,045 ✭✭✭✭Nevyn


    They discriminate who they have has thier pupils but they also have to uphold the ethos of the shool which if it is christian will tow the churches line that homosexulaity is bad but should also teach hate the sinner not the sinner but the message is still one of bad and hate.


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    #6
    spurious
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Education Moderators Posts: 27,188 CMod ✭✭✭✭spurious


    Johnnymcg wrote:
    That is TOTALLY untrue with reference to school bullying. It only refers to the employment of teachers. Religious owned schools cannot discriminate against their pupils

    School bullying is not confined to students.

    There are gay teachers in schools - many of them in religious-owned schools where their job is at risk. Some of them are bullied every day. A member of my gay teachers' group (working in a religious-owned school) regularly has his timetable printed with 'Miss' in front of his name. He has articles from women's magazines stuffed in his pigeon hole. The others on the staff presumably find this amusing. The OP mentioned homophobia in schools - not just homophobia towards students. While the religious schools have an exemption there will never be a ban on homophobia - it would not make sense.

    I do not wish to work in an environment where I or my colleagues are not safe from bullying, but the students are. What sort of message would that send?


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