A London teacher has quit her job to set up a charity tackling homophobia in schools. Suran Dickson, 34, will take inspirational role models into classrooms to challenge children's stereotypes about gay people.
Ms Dickson was moved by the suicide of Dominic Crouch, 15, who fell from a six-storey building in Cheltenham in May last year. An inquest heard that rumours had apparently been circulating at Dominic's school that he had kissed a boy in a game of "spin the bottle" and might be gay. His father Roger said: "We need to realise that what may be a laugh to some young people is deeply upsetting to another."
Ms Dickson said Dominic's death was the "straw that broke the camel's back", and at the end of last term she left her job as school sports co-ordinator in Islington. She plans to launch Diversity Role Models in London next month.
During her 12 years in north London schools, Ms Dickson has been offering teacher friends informal advice on tackling homophobic bullying. She has also visited schools to speak about her life as a gay woman.
She said she had been shocked by the prejudices of some pupils. In one class "when I said I was gay one pupil moved away from me. He thought it was contagious and all gay people had Aids.
"I sometimes got quite violent reactions, especially from boys, who would say things like, 'I want to kill them.'
"Lots of gay people have told me their lives were hell at school, and if one person had told them it was okay to be gay, it would have made a massive difference." About 50 role models have been recruited so far, "not all gay".
The workshops aim to take the pressure off teachers who may feel uncomfortable dealing with the issue: "It's tough. Initially in these lessons there's a lot of negativity. These lessons can save lives," said Ms Dickson.
She is seeking funding for her project. Visit diversityrolemodels.org
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