Australia: New survey reveals homophobic abuse affects four in five gay athletes

The report has revealed a stark picture of homophobia in Australian sport. Get the latest LGBT headlines in your inbox with our free daily newsletter! Join Share on WhatsApp 0 reader comments

A new survey of Australian sport has revealed that 85 percent of gay sportsmen and -women have seen or experienced homophobic abuse.

The ‘Out in the Fields’ study involved almost 2500 athletes at all levels, and was evenly split between gay and straight respondents, aged 15 upwards. It was launched to mark the Bingham Cup, which will be held in Sydney next month and commemorates the late gay rugby union player Mark Bingham.

The Australian survey is the first phase of what hopes to become an international survey of homophobia in sport.

It found that 85 percent of gay sportspeople surveyed had seen or experienced homophobia, while 48 percent had been direct targets of homophobic abuse. The figures for heterosexual respondents were lower, but still worrying, at 75 percent and 48 percent respectively.

Verbal insults were the most common form of abuse reported, attested by 82 percent of those who said they had experienced homophobia. Social exclusion was reported at 28 percent, and physical assaults were reported in 13 percent of cases.

Sixty-four percent of gay and lesbian respondents said homophobia was more common in sporting environments than in other areas of society.

The impact of homophobia in Australian sport can also be seen in the recent comments of pundit Brian Taylor, who dubbed a player “a big poofter” while commentating on a football match. Although Taylor kept his job, he is now undergoing counselling.

Commenting on the study, Jason Ball, the first openly gay Australian rules footballer, said: “To all of the people who thought that Brian Taylor’s comments weren’t a big deal, this research shows that homophobic language has a profound impact on our sporting culture.”

“Until we create a more inclusive sporting environment, people will feel forced to stay in the closet until their careers are over,” he added.

Last week, Australian swimming legend Ian Thorpe came out publicly during an interview with Michael Parkinson, but said he could not do so sooner because the lie became too big.

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Glasgow: Teenage girls suffer brutal homophobic attack

The attack took place in St Enoch Square Share on WhatsApp 1 reader comment

Two teenage girls suffered a brutal homophobic attack in Glasgow this weekend.

According to the Glasgow Evening Times, a 19-year-old and 16-year-old girl were walking through St Enoch Square, when the pair were targeted by a tattooed thug.

The older girl was punched in the face and pushed to the ground in the attack after suffering verbal abuse, at around 1am.

The male attacker is in his late 20s with ginger hair, and a full sleeve arm tattoo. He was wearing blue jeans and a white t-shirt, and was carrying a black bag.

Glasgow Superintendent Alan Porte said: “This was a nasty attack on two young women.

“Police Scotland has a zero tolerance approach to tackling crime based on prejudice and I want to make clear it will not be tolerated.

“In relation to this serious assault, officers have been carrying out inquiries in the local area and studying CCTV in an effort to gather information on the man responsible.

“St Enoch Square may have been busy with people on nights out and I believe passing motorists or pedestrians may have seen something which could help us in this inquiry.

“I would urge anyone who witnessed this crime, or has any information that may assist inquiries to contact police.”

Anyone with information about the attack should contact Police Scotland on 101.

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Openly gay Hollyoaks star hits back at ‘homophobic’ abuse after football mix-up

Kieron Richardson received abuse after it was mistakenly reported he joined Aston Villa Share on WhatsApp 2 reader comments

An openly gay Hollyoaks star has said that he a large number of homophobic messages after it was mistakenly reported he was joining a football team.

Speaking on Gaydio, Kieron Richardson, who plays Ste Hay on the soap, said he was besieged with messages after the mix up.

He said: “It’s made me feel very sad for the past couple of days.

“I share the same name as a footballer who signed for Aston Villa on Friday.

“Sky Sports were talking about this story and used my photograph instead of the footballer Kieran Richardson. Also, Aston Villa Official – their website – used the same photograph.

“At first I didn’t think anything of it and thought it was quite funny, until I went onto my Twitter feed and people genuinely thought I’d left Hollyoaks and signed for Aston Villa.

“Being openly gay,

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Police appeal for help finding two men after Birkenhead homophobic attack

Merseyside Police have appealed for help finding two men

Police have appealed for help finding two men, after a homophobic attack on a teenager in Birkenhead.

The incident took place on June 29 at around 3am on Borough Road, when men on bikes yelled homophobic comments at a 19-year-old.

One of the offenders then approached the victim and assaulted him.

Police are conducting a full investigation into the circumstances of the incident, which is being treated as a hate crime.

Detectives have released footage of two men who they are seeking in connection with the incident, appealing for any help in identifying them.

A statement from Merseyside Police reads: “Detectives believe the men pictured may be able to help them with their enquiries and would urge them or anyone who recognises them him to contact the police.”

Detective Constable Tony Jones, said: “Merseyside Police is committed to tackling all forms of hate crime and specialist officers are investigating this incident.

“I am sure the local community would agree that this kind of behaviour is completely unacceptable and I would appeal to anyone with information about this incident, or anyone who recognised the two men pictured, to call police.

“The information you provide will be thoroughly investigated and could help us identify the people responsible.”

Anyone with any information is asked to call the Wirral SIGMA Hate Crime Unit on 0151 777 2884, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

Watch the CCTV footage below:

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Vine Star Nash Grier Hurls Homophobic Slur In HIV Video

 By Cavan Sieczkowski Email Posted: 07/08/2014 1:15 pm EDT Updated: 07/09/2014 12:59 am EDT Print Article Share Tweet 0 Email Comment

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Uganda denies that Anti-Homosexuality Act is homophobic: It was ‘misinterpreted’

Yoweri Museveni signed the controversial law in February Share on WhatsApp 11 reader comments

Uganda has claimed that a new law which increases jail terms for those found guilty of “aggravated homosexuality”, is not homophobic, and that it has simply been “misinterpreted”.

President Yoweri Museveni signed the draconian Anti-Homosexuality Bill in February. The law calls for repeat offenders to be sentenced to 14 years in prison and makes it a criminal offence not to report someone for being gay.

The new law has been widely and internationally condemned, and many countries have cut off aid to Uganda, or more commonly have redirected it to organisations on the ground, rather than giving money to the Ugandan Government.

A statement released today claims that international donors which are now withholding aid due to the law, had “misinterpreted” it, and that it had merely been enacted to stop the “open promotion of homosexuality”.

“However, its enactment has been misinterpreted as a piece of legislation intended to punish and discriminate against people of a ‘homosexual orientation’, especially by our development partners,” the Ugandan government’s statement continued.

Without explaining how Ugandans could avoid being prosecuted under the law, the statement read: “Uganda reaffirms that no activities of individuals, groups, companies or organisations will be affected by the act.”

The US last month announced sanctions against Uganda, following the implementation of the law.

EU foreign policy chief Baroness Ashton described the move as

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Stonewall conference launches Teachers’ Report into homophobic bullying

The conference took place on Friday Get the latest LGBT headlines in your inbox with our free daily newsletter! Join Topics StonewallstudentsteachersRuth HuntEducation for AllTeachers ReportLuke Tryl Share on WhatsApp 3 reader comments

Stonewall has published a report showing the extent of homophobic bullying in schools, at the charity’s latest Education for All conference, held for teachers and students on Friday.

The Teachers’ Report, which contains research conducted by YouGov of teachers across England, Scotland and Wales, indicates general improvements since the last report (published in 2009).

Nevertheless, 86% of secondary school teachers and 45% of primary school teachers still report that pupils in their school have experienced homophobic bullying.

Luke Tryl, Head of Education at Stonewall, told the conference:

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Stonewall: School leaders must do more to combat homophobic bullying

The report was presented by Luke Tryl, Head of Education, and Ruth Hunt, Acting Chief Executive. Get the latest LGBT headlines in your inbox with our free daily newsletter! Join Topics StonewallschoolsstudentsteachersEducation for AlltrainingTeachers Reporthead teachersenior leadershipNational College for Teaching and LeadershipNCTL Share on WhatsApp 1 reader comment

Research conducted by Stonewall into homophobic bullying in schools has found that teachers believe heads and school governors are doing less to combat bullying than they were five years ago.

Support from school leaders was the only area in the Teachers’ Report, published at the Education for All conference (Friday), that was deemed to have worsened since the last report in 2009.

Only 42% of secondary teachers agreed that their head teacher demonstrated clear leadership on tackling homophobic bullying. The figure dropped to 32% for primary teachers.

The picture appears worse with school governors (in England and Wales only). Only 15% of primary school teachers and 20% of secondary school teachers felt that their governors demonstrated clear leadership on tackling bullying.

The report warns that this is

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UK: Brighton and Hove named best council for tackling homophobic bullying in schools

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Stonewall has named Brighton and Hove City Council as the best in the country for tackling homophobic and biphobic bullying in schools.

Brighton topped the group’s 2014 Education Equality Index, which rates the performance of different councils using a wide range of measures.

The council was praised for its work with local charity Allsorts.

Councillor Sue Shanks said: “I’m really proud to accept this award on behalf of the city council and our partners.

“We really do feel we’re making a difference in the lives of LGBT children in the city. There’s a long way to go, and we’re still working hard at it, but we do feel we’re on the right track.

“We want all our young people to be proud of who they are and to be able to make the best of their talents without fear or prejudice.

“In our schools young people are active participants in our anti-bullying work.

“We give them the chance to talk about their experiences and a lot of the excellent work Allsorts does is carried out by their young peer educators.

“This is a proud moment for our city. Our schools, the council’s Educational Standards and Achievement Team and Allsorts deserve a great deal of praise for all the hard work they put into this very important area.”

Hertfordshire County Council came in second place, followed by Wiltshire, Cambridgeshire, Bath & North East Somerset, and Bournemouth.

A poll yesterday found that just one in eight teachers are trained to deal with homophobic bullying in schools.

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Stonewall education head: Improving teacher training is the key to tackling homophobic bullying

Luke Tryl, Head of Education at Stonewall (Photo: Twitter) Get the latest LGBT headlines in your inbox with our free daily newsletter! Join Topics StonewallEducationSection 28Education for AllLuke TrylTeachers Report Share on WhatsApp 7 reader comments

Luke Tryl is Head of Education at Stonewall. He spoke to PinkNews.co.uk at Stonewall’s Education for All conference ahead of the publication of the Teachers’ Report 2014, about what still needs to be done.

What do you think is next in the fight for LGBT rights now that the UK is introducing marriage equality?
I think it’s all about education – though I would say that! Now it’s not about changing laws, it’s about changing hearts and minds, and the battle to change hearts and minds starts in our schools.

I think we can sometimes end up thinking that the job is done, but actually our research published today shows that homophobic bullying is almost endemic in our secondary schools; that children in primary schools, children as young as five are using phrases like

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