Most teachers, whatever their personal beliefs, were silent on these matters; worse, a minority were as prejudiced as my bullying peers. On more than one occasion I was advised to ‘tone it down’: a victim-blaming euphemism for repressing the femininity that was attracting negative attention. When, on a school trip to London, we walked through Soho, the deputy headmaster, no less, quipped, ‘Keep your backs against the wall here, boys.’ The shadow of Section 28 fell heavily: the effect of suppressing education about LGBTQ+ issues was not only to prevent LGBTQ+ children existing openly at school
...more
