Treatment towards trans school pupils in Teesside getting 'worse'
New research shows they are facing daily bullying
A transgender woman in Teesside says the treatment towards school pupils is getting 'progressively worse'.
It comes research from LGBT+ young people's charity Just Like Us say transgender school pupils are five times more likely to face daily bullying than their cisgender peers.
While 2% of cisgender school pupils aged 11 to 18 say they are bullied daily, this number rises to one in 10 (10%) for transgender pupils.
More than half (54%) of trans pupils have experienced some form of bullying in the last year, compared to one in five (21%) cisgender pupils.
Trans Awareness Week is taking place and runs from today until Tuesday 19th November.
Ellie Lowther, a transgender woman in Stockton, said: "I've been working in this area supporting people for over a decade now and I feel as if it's getting progressively worse. I've supported over 2,000 people going through transition and I've seen some really, really dfficult situations play out.
"This isn't a modern day thing. Everything should be getting better but it seems to be getting back over and I can honestly say that if I was a young person and if I was thinking of coming out today, I'd be really fearful because of the climate.
"With the internet, it's quite easy to have anonymous attackers everywhere you go and that's really difficult. I mean baring in mind once somebody comes out as trans, they literally have to cross the rubicon for them to exist, just going against the grain.
"When you're looking at the trans issue or non-binary issue, it's the absolute ignorance of who you are as a person. It's treating you as a lesser of a human being or treating you as some kind of predator when it's an absolutely statement.
"When young people go into a school or education setting, when you're the one transkid you often feel like you can't see your people and that takes us to a place where you're in the classroom and you're supposed to be learning, but your mind's actually just being able to have the guts and courage to enter that classroom.
"If you see it, you need to call it out. If you don't feel like you're strong enough to call it out, you need to reach out to somebody who can call it out for you and that will be a teacher, or an adult, and I would encourage everybody to have the strength to do that because we want less of these stories."
Sebrina, a trans woman and ambassador for Just Like Us, said: “The majority of the bullying I experienced was as a secondary school pupil. It was at a time when the phrase “that’s so gay” was very popular, especially amongst teenage boys. I was a shy and camp little kid, so an easy target for the boys in my class.
“I already knew I was LGBT+, but the relentless bullying stopped me from exploring and understanding my sexual orientation or gender identity. The constant messaging of “gay is not OK” made me isolate and repress my feelings. I didn’t want to identify with the LGBT+ community because I thought life would just get harder for me if I did.
“It wasn’t until after the bullying stopped that I eventually built up the courage to come out as transgender at the age of 18. I believe the bullies robbed me of the precious years I could have been myself as a teenager, which could have changed the whole trajectory of my life. I’m so glad I did come out at 18, and I love my life today, but bullying really did affect my own perception of myself.”
Laura Mackay, Chief Executive of Just Like Us, the LGBT+ young people’s charity, said: “It is incredibly worrying and completely unacceptable that transgender school pupils are facing daily bullying at five times the rate of their cisgender peers. We already know that the vast majority of young people who say they are not supportive of trans people do not actually know a trans person in real life, highlighting the serious and urgent need for more trans representation and inclusion in education.
“When young people are able to understand and empathise with the experiences of their trans peers, it mitigates the fear of the unknown that is undoubtedly fuelled further by anti-trans narratives in media and politics. At Just Like Us, our volunteer ambassadors speak about their experiences in secondary schools across the UK, becoming that much-needed representation for thousands of school pupils every year. Our LGBT-inclusive lesson resources also allow schools to foster a more supportive environment where pupils can celebrate difference and diversity and challenge stereotypes and misconceptions, reducing stigma that can lead to bullying.
“When young people are equipped with the knowledge and understanding to treat everyone with respect, it creates a safer, more inclusive space where all students, regardless of their gender identity, can thrive."