Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps she is taking to tackle homophobic bullying.

This Government has made tackling bullying in schools, including homophobic bullying, a top priority. It is unacceptable for anyone to be victimised, harmed or bullied in any way.

All schools must have a behaviour policy which includes measures to prevent and tackle all forms of bullying and the Government has provided schools with advice which sets out the steps that schools can take to identify and prevent bullying effectively. We also recently announced a new £2million fund to support projects which specifically tackle homophobic bullying in schools.

Discrimination and harassment on the grounds of sexual orientation is unlawful in the workplace and in the provision of services. The Government has continued to highlight the benefits of a diverse workforce, and how employees can be supported, by publishing research ‘Barriers to employers in developing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender friendly workplaces’ and ‘The Business Case for Equality and Diversity’.