SPECIAL Schools to ban word ‘gay’ when it’s insult

THE use of the word ‘gay’ by school bullies is to be banned by the Government as part of Theresa May’s drive to boost homosexual equality.

A raft of new measures south of the Border – highlighting the Tory Party’s new ‘socially liberal’ image – will include the fast-tracking of gender change, a relaxation of the rules on gay men giving blood and a research project into LGBT (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender) life.

There will also be a crackdown on children who call each other ‘gay’ in a bullying manner in schools, with teachers told they will be expected to discipline pupils misusing the term. Westminster’s Schools Minister Nick Gibb says he is determined to ‘stamp out the use of the word gay as a pejorative term’ in the context of ‘LGBT pupils… coming to terms with their sexuality or gender’. A total of £3 million will be spent on ‘anti-homophobic and transphobic programmes’.

Mr Gibb, who two years ago married the male partner he had kept secret for 29 years, said that despite ‘progress’ in lessening the ‘hurt and suffering’ endured by LGBT people in past decades, there is ‘more to do’.

The drive, timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality, will be spearheaded by Westminster’s Education Secretary Justine Greening.

A key plan will be to make it less stressful for people who want to change gender. At present, if a person wishes to change gender they have to go to a doctor for a diagnosis of gender dysphoria – the term for believing you were born in the wrong body – and prove they have been ‘in transition’ for at least two years.

Ministers will consult with support groups, including Mermaids, which helps children with gender-identity issues. Ministers plan to reduce the stigma and intrusiveness of the ‘overmedicalised’ process by removing the need for a clinical assessment.

Miss Greening, who revealed last year that she is gay, is also planning to launch a national survey of the experiences of the UK’s 1.5million LGBT population.

In a separate move, the Department of Health is relaxing the rules which restrict the ability of gay men to give blood. The rules currently ban men from giving blood within a year of having sex with another man. Advances in screening technology will allow Ministers to cut the time to three months.

Ms Greening said: ‘This Government is committed to building an inclusive society that works for everyone, no matter what their gender or sexuality.’

Suzanna Hopwood of the Stonewall Trans Advisory Group said: ‘The current system is demeaning and broken. It’s vital that this reform removes the requirements for medical evidence and an intrusive interview panel, and finally allows all trans people to have their gender legally recognised.’

‘The current system is demeaning and broken’