Emma Thompson Backs Campaign to End Homophobia in Scottish Schools

Emma Thompson (Sybill Trelawney) is showing her support for LGBT+ youth by endorsing the Time for Inclusive Education (TIE) campaign, which calls for all schools in Scotland to offer an LGBT-inclusive education that teaches about LBGT+ issues and provides an environment free from prejudice and discrimination.

A recent report on LGBT+ youth in Scotland showed that 52% had experienced homophobic bullying at school, 26% had attempted suicide, and 54% were regularly self-harming.

Thompson said,

The time for homophobia is long gone. It’s over. Any young person indulging in homophobic bullying is a teenage dinosaur who should just go and sit coughing over a sherry in an old white men’s club… it’s not cool, it’s not intelligent and it’s not attractive.

Let the rainbow live. We are all in this together, and if you’re young, you know that better than anyone. Get rid of the old, get in with the new – get rid of homophobia.

Thompson joins a number of other celebrities and politicians in supporting the campaign, including the Scottish National Party, which unanimously passed a resolution in support of TIE a couple of weeks ago.

A spokesperson for TIE said,

We are delighted that Emma Thompson has backed our campaign and has joined us in urging the next Scottish Government to commit to tackling homophobia in schools.

Despite education featuring prominently throughout the current parliamentary election campaign, there has been no public mention of LGBT+ education from any party leaders thus far. Hopefully, the growing support for our cause will encourage them to start addressing the very real issues facing LGBT+ youth in our schools.

Learn more about the campaign and how you can get involved here.