Gay teachers given support

Victorian gay and lesbian teachers can now be comfortably ‘out’ thanks to a new Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) policy.

The policy — developed by Gay and Lesbian Health Victoria (GLHV) and the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission — will give same-sex attracted teachers more support by spelling out their rights to protection under the state’s Equal Opportunity Act.

GLHV director Anne Mitchell said the policy developed after GLHV received phone calls from teachers worried about where they stood if their sexuality was made known.

“About two years ago we had a meeting of gay teachers who were really anxious about what the deal from the Education Department was if they found out,” Mitchell told Southern Star Observer.

“People were saying, it’s probably alright, there’s no evidence from the Department it would discriminate or would behave inappropriately, but people felt principals at school levels just didn’t know how to deal with a revelation a teacher was gay.”

The human resources policy now on the Department’s website looks at a number of examples, including how schools can respond appropriately, as well as the specific human rights protections covering discrimination in the workplace on the grounds of sexuality.

The policy also covers steps for schools to create a “welcoming and inclusive workplace” for same-sex attracted employees, including creating a culture that doesn’t assume all employees are heterosexual.

Beyond Homophobia, a policy blueprint released by the Australian Research Centre for Sex, Health and Society (ARCSHS) this year, was revealing about why teachers may feel unsure about disclosing their sexuality in schools.

In a survey of 318 teachers and youth workers, only 58 percent believed they would receive support in the workplace if they came out.

A worrying 16 percent of teachers and 13.4 percent of all school staff reported they did not address GLBT issues in general because they feared being labelled a pedophile.

Mitchell said the new policy is about reassuring gay and lesbian teachers they have a right to feel comfortable in their workplace.

“The [previous] policy didn’t give a clear enough message to gay teachers that it wasn’t just okay to be gay, you are entitled to every other [human rights protection] other teachers have … it’s about a tolerance mentality,” Mitchell said.

“Now we have the possibility of being able to answer the phone calls that come to us, or that come to the union and say, there is a policy, it’s on the website, you can download it.”

A DEECD spokesman told SSO the new policy was about making sure school staff were aware of their rights under the state’s Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities.

“As a result of the [2008] introduction of the Charter the department reviewed its policies, including those which impacted on same sex-attracted employees,” he said.

“In consultation with the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission, the Department reviewed the information provided to managers, principals and employees to ensure that all DEECD personnel are aware of their rights and responsibilities under the Charter.”

info: To find the policy, visit www.eduweb.vic.gov.au/hrweb/divequity/orient.htm