How easy is it to be a homosexual teenager, and what can schools - and students - do to help? John Holdenreports on some of the tactics being used to fight homophobia

Bullying is a problem in every school, and it doesn't stop there: you may encounter bullies at pretty much any stage of life, whether at home, at college or at work. But there are steps you can take to address it early on. Most transition-year students will have talked about bullying as part of social, personal and health education (SPHE), and schools have strict rules against bullying of any kind. Unfortunately, that doesn't make it go away.

In discussions about equality there can often be inequalities. Some issues are easier to talk about than others. That is why homophobic bullying, a sensitive issue for many, is rarely addressed in most schools even though it is a common cause of verbal and physical abuse.

But some are beginning to tackle the subject. As part of a wider course on equality, stereotypes and bullying, last year's TY students in St Andrew's College in Dublin decided to put together a satirical documentary, or mockumentary, on homophobia in their school - inspired, perhaps, by Dafydd, the only gay in the village in Little Britain. "We were in SPHE class and had been talking about stereotyping," says 16-year-old Katie George, who is now in fifth year. "We got on to the subject of homosexuality and the labels associated with being gay. We decided to make a video on the subject."

The students reversed accepted roles and created a world where everyone is gay and it is straight people who have to come out of the closet. "We broke it into little interviews with students who talked about their own feelings on straight people," says student Shane O'Hanlon. "So there is one guy who says: 'Oh, there's a girl in my class and I'm sure she is straight; it's so weird.' Then another student is interviewed who says: 'My uncle is straight, and I'm okay with it.' It was really funny, but it also had a very serious message."

Humour can be one of the best ways to approach a sensitive subject. "At one point in the video we show a student with his face blurred out admitting he is straight," says 17-year-old Eoin Gray, laughing. "In my interview I talk about how my best friend has just told me he is straight. At first I feel really awkward and don't know what to say to him. But after we talk about it I realise it's okay."

The mockumentary also addressed indirect forms of homophobia. "Many slang words, like 'gay' and 'queer', have come to refer to something negative or bad as opposed to meaning homosexual," says Katie. "It's a common slag to say something is 'gay' if it is bad. No one really means it. But you don't know everyone's situation, and you might say it to someone who'll be offended by it. So in one part of the video I turn to my friend and say, 'We have so much maths homework to do,' and she says back, 'I know; it's so straight.' I have to admit, the whole thing got quite confusing at times."

The video was such a success that it was shown to the rest of the year and is now being used as a resource for other years. Cerda Carroll, an SPHE teacher at St Andrew's, believes it was a very beneficial project.

"It is the last great taboo," says Carroll. "St Andrew's College has a very strict zero-tolerance policy towards bullying of any kind. So this was just one module among many relating to discrimination within the SPHE course. But it is one that is often avoided. The whole year saw the video, and it got them talking about homophobia, which is very important."

Parents were also supportive. "I showed it to my family, and they thought it was a really good idea," says Shane. "Telling your parents you are gay must be very difficult for any young person. You often see in movies a father kicking his son out of the house because he is gay. But that is also a stereotype. How many parents would actually react that way?"

The serious message of their mockumentary was not lost on the students, and it was followed up by an awareness campaign about homophobic bullying. "We put up posters of three boys and three girls, and you had to guess which one is gay," says Katie. "But of course you can't, because there is no difference between them. It showed how there is no difference between straight and gay people. There may have been some students in the school who didn't like it, but none of the posters were torn down or violated."

'I ask if they are sure that they're heterosexual, that maybe it's just a phase. Then students discover how ridiculous a question it is'

Only a handful of schools attempt to address sexuality and homophobia in TY. "Schools are taking a risk by doing modules like this," says Dave Roche of Cork Gay Project, who in the past year has visited more than a dozen local schools to speak with students about homophobia, stereotyping and bullying.

"Many teachers are worried that parents or the school's board of management will react negatively to the idea of giving talks like this in TY," says Roche. "So they steer clear of it."

Nevertheless, quite a few schools in Cork seem to have overcome that problem. "I give talks to TY students about all the issues surrounding sexual orientation and bullying, usually at the invitation of a guidance counsellor or teacher," says Roche.

He begins his talks with a simple definition. "The dictionary describes homophobia as 'an irrational fear or hatred of homosexuals'," he says. "But there is nothing irrational about it. Our society has given us a basis for the hatred. Fear is a learned behaviour."

So can it be unlearned? The talks explore accepted notions about homosexuality. "Most students will refer to gay men as being effeminate and lesbians as butch. Most also assume that you can spot a homosexual on the street, that all are of a certain type. Of course they're not, but it is easier to categorise or stereotype people. We all do it."

Roche discusses the social effects of homophobia with the students, inviting them to talk about how it affects them. "I also take honest questions from them," says Roche. "You can only do this work if you're prepared to answer questions honestly."

One group he recently visited is putting on a play for its school about the effects of homophobia on its community. "The students did some research in their locality about homophobia and are using their findings to develop a story for the play," says Roche.

He is scheduled to visit his first primary school this month, to speak to parents and teachers. "We would do more, but we receive no funding," explains Roche. "We see it as a mental-health issue, as do the schools that invite us in."

Toddy Hogan of Lesbians in Cork offers a TY programme on sexual equality. "We look at issues around sexual orientation with the students: coming out, homophobia, how it is dealt with, or not dealt with, in schools," she says. "We also talk about what it is like to be a lesbian and the stereotypes associated with it. The students usually mention things like short hair and Doc Martens boots. We let them write questions and then put them in a box. That way they can remain anonymous. It is a good way to get them to ask the kinds of questions they really want answered. Students have a course in relationship and sexuality education in secondary school, but the issues we address rarely feature."

Hogan and Roche have found that many traditionally religious schools are keen to have them come in. "I have been invited to Catholic schools in the county a number of times," says Roche. "It's not what I would have expected, but that's only because of the stereotypes I have associated with those schools."

Early intervention is the key to preventing mental-health issues farther down the line, he says. "I challenge students about their own sexuality. I ask them if they are sure that they're heterosexual, that maybe it's just a phase. When you couch it in terms like that, students discover how ridiculous a question it is, that your sexuality is not a decision; nor is it a lifestyle choice - it's an organic process. Informing students about their sexuality needs to happen at an appropriate time, when students are old enough to start asking questions. If it doesn't, organisations like ours have to come in and pick up the pieces 10 or 20 years down the line."

Cork Gay Project (www.gayproject cork.com) is at 021-4278470; it has a helpline at 021-4271087, Mon-Thu 7-9pm. Lesbians in Cork is at 021-4808600; its helpline is at 021-4318318 (Thu 8-10pm)

A new resource for teachers

Lots of teachers would like to address sexuality and gender, but a lack of teaching material has forced them to rely on their own resourcefulness. Now the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network is working on a TY unit that will "explore the concepts of human rights and equality as they relate to sexuality, sexual identity and other essential human attributes".

"It will be a resource which allows students to look at sexuality in the same way they look at race, gender, disability - all the issues of discrimination," says Sandra Gowran, the network's director of education policy. "There is still a fear among principals and schools that courses like this are in some way promoting homosexuality," she adds.

"But in the same way classes in racism don't promote being black or anything else, we see this as another way of simply informing students on all issues related to human rights. There is no danger of students who aren't gay saying they are or vice versa after being informed about sexuality. Why would any 15-year-old bring that upon themselves?"

One of the biggest problems gay people face at school, at work or anywhere else is the assumption that everyone is straight. The new course will challenge this culture and look at diversity in all its forms. "Exploring these kinds of issues makes students more aware of themselves and, I believe, makes them more well-rounded individuals."

Sandra Gowran is at 01-4732609 or sandragowran@glen.ie