Stonewall was founded on 24 May 1989, one year to the day since Section 28 became law. Section 28 was a piece of legislation that banned the ‘promotion of homosexuality’ by schools and councils across most of the UK, and led to a total suppression of LGBTQ+ identities in schools.
We’ve spent more than 30 years working towards a world where all children and young people have access to an LGBTQ-inclusive education. We have travelled a path from Section 28, to every child in most of the UK learning about our lives, families and relationships as part of the national curriculum.
Stonewall’s School and College Championship programme has provided vital LGBTQ+ resources and guidance for the classroom. We have proudly supported and trained thousands of teachers to help ensure all young people feel safe, secure and included at school. In addition, we actively campaign with our partners on the importance of inclusivity in education with Government.
Over time, many new organisations have started offering a range of training and support to equip schools and teachers with delivering LGBTQ-inclusive education and we support these partners while focusing on the campaigns and advocacy work that will ensure LGBTQ+ children and young people are included and supported in the classroom.
The School Report (2017) is Stonewall's research with the Centre for Family Research at the University of Cambridge into the experiences of over 3,700 lesbian, gay, bi and trans (LGBT) pupils in Britain’s schools.
The study shows that while progress has been made over the last decade, many LGBT young people continue to face significant challenges in Britain’s schools..