Mark Williams, Safer Wales Ltd

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Mark Williams, Safer Wales Ltd
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EqualitySo How Does it Feel?
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Aims of the session

• To understand what life is like for homosexuals
  in todays society, the impact this has on their
  daily lives and how this effects them

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What well focus on

• Language
• Fear
• Homophobic Hate Crime (Jonathan Charlesworth)

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Language

• Objective
• Demonstrate an understanding of how individuals
  are affected by discrimination
• To understand the effect of abusive terms and
  consider more appropriate language

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Language

• So what terms of abuse have you heard people
  using about someone who is a homosexual?

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Impact of Language

• 92 of LGB pupils suffer verbal abuse at school
• dont come near me queer
• dont touch the lezzy/dyke/minger/muff
  muncher..
• I get called names all the time at school,
  especially poof and faggot
• Queer you enjoy that poofy bastard (following
  groping)

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Language

• Sometimes its more about how it is said than
  what is said!

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Language

• Homosexuality and Mental health
• 1951 - Last lobotomy carried out to cure
• 1975 - BMJ still discussed treatments to
  mobilise the heterosexual elements!
• 1987 Virginia Bottomley advocating EST to
  cure homosexuality.
• 1992 - WHO de-classified as a mental health
  condition
• 1993 - UK Gov strikes homosexuality off its list
  of psychiatric disorders

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Language

• So what terms are acceptable?

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Language

• Why use any label other than my name?

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GAY!

• Thats so gay
• youre so gay

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Fear

• Objectives
• To look at the fears that society has of gay and
  lesbian people
• To look at the fears that gay lesbian people
  have of society and how that affects their lives

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Societys fears

• Fear of the unknown
• Unwanted attention
• Media representation

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• Three lions on my shirtlifter
• Elton Takes David up the aisle

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Societys fears

• Fear of the unknown
• Unwanted attention
• Media representation
• Homophobia

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Homophobia

• Giving gay people rights will erode society
• Threat to ones view of the world
• Inherited family values
• Has been the victim of homophobic bullying
• Fear that person might be gay/lesbian themselves

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Our fears/perceptions

• Fear of the unknown
• Loss
• Rejection
• By family and friends
• By society
• Aggression

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Reality

• Verbal abuse
• Homophobic Hate Crime
• Murder

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Impact of fear

• Migration
• Segregation/Ghettos
• Denial
• Mental health issues
• Suicide Rates

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Employment issues

• Up to half of LGB employees do not feel able to
  reveal their sexuality with co-workers
• Thats 1.5 million people!
• 9 of gay men and 12 of lesbians were harassed
  at work because of sexuality
• Medium to long term this affects productivity
  loyalty and ultimately loss of staff

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The Only Gay in the Valley

• DVD produced by Torfaen Rainbow group with
  funding from the National Lottery
• Detailing recent experiences of lesbian gay
  youths coming to terms with their sexuality

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Conclusion

• Language
• Consider what you are saying and the language of
  people around you, is it appropriate/necessary?
• Dont tolerate any abusive language
• Fear
• We dont all enjoy the same freedom, some are
  still having to fight for the right to be
  themselves and not feel judged.
• People
• Treat people as individuals.

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Any questions or concerns?