Sunderland lecturer calls for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history to be taught in schools

Andrew Dalton, a lecturer in social sciences at the University of Sunderland is calling for more to be done in schools to address prejudice and stigma, coinciding with LGBT History Month held nationally in February each year.

He said: “It is rare that LGBT history education is tackled in schools or put into the mainstream curriculum.

“LGBT history is a shared history with all others, and so it is vital that the lives of LGBT people are recognised if we are going to do anything to tackle homophobia within school environments.

“Some teachers hold onto echoes of Section 28, where homosexuality was not allowed to be taught in schools, and so are afraid to tackle it.”

To help tackle the issue of putting LGBT history into the curriculum, a free training day for teachers will be held at the Discovery Museum, Newcastle, from 9am to noon on February 20. To book a place, email [email protected].