Birmingham LGBTQ+ activist warns of rising anti-LGBT+ bullying in schools
New figures show UK school incidents up by a quarter as charity reports more than 13,000 exclusions since 2020
Charity Just Like Us says more than 13,000 pupils have been suspended or excluded since the 2020/21 academic year for behaviour linked to sexual orientation or gender identity.
The organisation says these figures represent only the most severe cases, warning that many incidents go unreported.
Just Like Us chief executive Laura Mackay said: “We work with young people every day who have been affected by bullying, and sadly we know that this data represents the tip of the iceberg.”
She added: “Anti-LGBT+ bullying can go unreported if a young person feels that their school is not safe or supportive.”
The charity says demand for its school programmes has more than tripled this year.
Eva Echo, a Birmingham LGBTQ+ activist who works with young people, said the rise in cases did not come as a surprise.
Echo said: “I’m not shocked at all.”
She said official figures may only show part of the picture.
Echo said: “Those figures are only the ones where it’s severe enough for exclusion. A lot of cases go unreported.”
Speaking about their own experience at school, Echo said they were bullied and felt isolated.
Echo said: “After the first year of secondary school, everything changed… the whole year group turned on me.”
Echo said: “I couldn’t speak to anybody about it… I spent the next few years just feeling invisible.”
They now work with young people across Birmingham and say visibility and support are important.
Echo said: “We need to make sure we are as visible as possible to let young people know they can have a future.”
They added: “Young people should be allowed to develop and find their place in society without fear of being judged or bullied.”
Just Like Us says it is continuing work in schools across the UK to tackle LGBT+ bullying and support pupils and staff.