Archive: local
Research shows that Dutch schools are hardly a transformative experience for LGBTIQ+ students - April 24, 2024
24 April 2024 - In this global action week for transformative education, GALE published a research which shows how Dutch LGBTIQ+ students feel that their schools are hardly a transformative experience. GALE did a survey among high school students and asked their assessment of how 15 key aspects of the right to education were implemented for LGBTIQ+ students. The general impression was that this “is not so clear”, which eventually also became the title of the report. This research among students is part of a renewed GALE assessment of the Dutch national LGBTIQ+ education policy, which will be published next month.
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Spanish study shows how stories of LGBT teachers can improve initial teacher training - August 17, 2023
17 August 2023 - A Spanish study explored what impact stories of LGBT teachers can have on students in initial teacher training. The results show how life stories are a good method of raising awareness among trainee teachers by showing the reality of LGBT, including the barriers they may face in schools. In this article the study is summarized and some criticisms on the study are highlighted.
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Soaring suicide rates in USA due to censorship laws - August 14, 2023
14 August 2023 - The Trevor Project released it’s 2023 survey report on suicide among LGBTQ youth in the USA and the findings are horrible. 41% of LGBTQ young people seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year. These rates were much higher among transgender, nonbinary, and among people of color. 56% who wanted mental health care in the past year were not able to get it. Almost 2 in 3 LGBTQ young people said that hearing about new laws banning people from discussing sexual and gender diversity at school made their mental health a lot worse.
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US judge rules parents cannot evict trans students from school bathrooms - August 09, 2023
9 August 2023 - A USA federal judge refused extremist parents to sue a school in Ohio. They wanted to force the school to evict a trans student from public school toilets. He said it is clear that a parent has the right to control where their child goes to school, but that is where their control ends. Public school policies like the use of student bathrooms are for the school to decide. His judgement is a breath of fresh air in an increasingly foul-smelling extremist right-wing campaign.
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New proposal to make Polish sex education more extremist - August 07, 2023
7 August 2023 - Poland’s ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party has proposed legislation that will undermine children’s rights to education. The draft amendment to the Education Law Act called “Protect Children, Support Parents” would forbid access to schools for sex education NGOs. Such groups are often the only reliable source sex education in the face of the already extremely discriminatory national curriculum.
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One in five USA LGBTQ high school students are hungry - June 23, 2023
23 June 2023 - In a policy brief, the US Williams Institute reports that twenty percent of high school students in three USA States was hungry last month. They did not have enough food to eat. This compares to 15,7% of non-LGBT teenagers. It is estimated that 371.000 USA teenagers face hunger due to food insecurity. As usual, race plays an exacerbating role, with white and non-Hispanic LGBTQ students scoring similar to their cisgender fellow students.
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Dutch psychiatrists state regret for sorrow done to LGBTIQ+ in the past - April 01, 2023
1 April, 2023 - On Thursday 30 March, the chairman of the Dutch Psychiatry Association (NVvP) Niels Mulder make a public statement in which he expressed regret for the suffering people with an LGBTIQ+ identity were inflicted in the past. This was done out of the belief at the time that being a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex or queer was a disease that needed to be treated.
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India’s right wing politicians tried to stop publication of transgender supportive teacher training - December 29, 2021
29 December 2021 - India's National Council for Education Research and Training (NCERT) was forced to take down their newly developed module for teachers on issues of transgender and gender-conforming children. They were forced by a backlash from right-wingers who objected to references to caste-patriarchy, recommendations around gender-neutral restrooms, and mention of puberty blockers.
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Greek Rainbow School asks government for inclusive sex education - December 02, 2021
2 December 2021 - The Greek organization Rainbow School is filing a petition to the Greek government to demand the introduction of sex education as a compulsory part of the curriculum. Rainbow School believes that urgent action is required to help LGBTIQ+ individuals overcome the hatred they face and that true inclusive sex education can contribute effectively towards this direction.
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Ghana proposes LGBT censorship legislation - July 25, 2021
25 July 2021 - Yet another country has proposed legislation to censor any neutral or positive expression of sexual preference or gender identity. This time it is Ghana, where the government proposed a so-called “family values bill”. The bill proscribes “propaganda” and advocacy for “LGBTIQQIAAP” and related activities. The text of the bill is full of offenses and lies about LGBTI+ people to support the censorship. It proposes sentences of 3 to 10 years imprisonment for any visible education or advocacy activity, and even for forming an LGBTI+ organization.
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