The UK government will be discounting funding for LGBTQ+ bullying, which has been running since 2014.
This marks a sharp reversal of the government policy, which to date had cost the government about £4m. The announcement also indicated that funding for the well-received project ended in March.
Reduction of LGBTQ+ bullying fund
The funding referred to as The Homophobic, Biphobic and Transphobic Challenge Fund, was meant to train teachers, staff, and students to deal with LGBTQ+ bullying. It also involved training and workshops for these groups to foster better relationships between the LGBTQ+ community, the schools, students, and staff.
While announcing the move, Equality Hub spokesperson indicated that the cancellation of funding was already going to happen as the funding had already been discontinued in March. He continued by indicating that, before the funds were cut, it provided materials across 2,250 schools that were focused on eliminating the LGBTQ+ bullying.
However, the department also indicated that they would be moving forward with all the antibullying materials they had built over the years to ensure that their work was not in vain and that students are protected. They also indicated that other subjects such as statutory relationship education would be introduced in all primary schools and relationships and sex education would also be introduced in all secondary schools.
The reversal in funding the LGBTQ+ bullying programs is expected to affect the LQBTQ+ community across the UK negatively. In a recent survey, data showed that 52 percent of students were fearful that they would face bullying if they came out at their schools.
However, Adam McCann, CEO of Diversity Role Models, said that the program should be receiving more funding. He continued by saying that to date, the antibullying program had been a success, noting that it helped improve the lives of the young LGBTQ+ community. It also helped build a better, more inclusive Britain and indicated that he hoped that the government would reconsider its position and continue funding the program.
Featured image by Pixabay
