respondents were asked if their fellow pupils suspected they were gay.

4 out of 11 (36%) of the lesbian and bisexual women believed that their fellow pupils knew they were gay but they thought that this didn't affect the way they treated them.

17 out of 30 (56.7%) of the gay and bisexual men believed that their fellow pupils knew they were gay but 14 out of 16 (87.5%) thought that this affected the way they treated them.

How their fellow pupils not knowing they were lesbian, gay or bisexual affected them.

L5  -   "It was never discussed among anyone I ever knew at school.  I suspect, from this, that they never had any reason to think that anyone would feel attracted to someone of the same sex."

L6  -  "I know that no one knew then because when I came out all my school mates were shocked."

G6 -   "They accepted me as an academic student.  They saw me as different but probably didn't think that it was homosexuality that was the 'difference' thing or maybe they didn't want to believe it."

G17 -  "I do not think people at school realised I was gay; well, I know this for a fact at the age of 18 when I left school and my school mates moved on as did I.  But recently, when I have returned home, I have seen a good few of my old school mates and I've told them, or else they have already found out, I'm gay and they do not mind at all; they are very good."

Why they felt that their fellow pupils knowing they were lesbian, gay or bisexual didn't affect the way they treated them.

L7 –  "Well, one or two girls had an idea but they didn’t treat me any different.  They encouraged me to come out to others and were always there for me."

L4  -   "I think it’s a lot to do with the fact that I’m very up-front with people and people like my honesty.  I was still at school when I had my first sexual relationship and when me and my ex-partner were rowing I think my class-mates guessed we were more than good friends.  When they asked if I was sleeping with her I would tell them ‘yes’.  Their attitude was brilliant in that they just carried on as normal and didn’t care what sex my partner was."

L5 -    "Some friends said they knew, because I spoke about gay issues a lot and didn't go with boys.  But I was just one of the gang; always invited out; birthdays celebrated and a friend."

G22 – "Sometimes your friends tolerate you more that you tolerate yourself."

How their fellow pupils knowing they were lesbian, gay or bisexual made a difference to the way they treated them.

They were gossiped about - 1 male

G3 -  "Everybody knew about me.  Some people knew before I did."

They were bullied or teased - 9 males

G7   - "They bullied and ostracised me.  Many would never talk to me except to insult me."

G20 – "In my first year at Grammar School I was called a poof by class mates.  But during the summer I found a mouth and in second year I had a circle of protective friends and if anyone said anything they got a mouthful back and thought twice about saying anything again but you always got one or two cunts who had to try and impress their peers but I now know they were, and still are, pathetic."

G24 – "I was constantly teased, annoyed and rejected by everyone in school because I was friends with effeminate people.  Some thought I was gay, some did not.  Those who tried to make friends with me, I rejected before they could reject me."

G28 - "They always had me down as a bit effeminate but never overly so.  Some people declined to be associated with me, although I had many friends.  In my final years things got worse with one particular group who were former friends.  Because I dressed different and took pride in my appearance they made an issue of this.  Drawings and slogans began to appear in our common room alluding to me being gay; caricatures of me as a gay man etc."

G29 -   "[I] tended to be isolated but hurtful comments made me stronger."

They were ostracised - 4 males

G7  -   "They bullied and ostracised me.  Many would never talk to me except to insult me."

G9 -    "I was probably always a loner anyway, afraid to let anyone ‘in’, so I was a bit of an oddity among my contemporaries anyway.  Fuelled with the information that I may be ‘one of them’ I was completely ostracised and picked on regularly."

G12 - "All my friends seemed to be girls, or rather, close friends.  Boys were almost frightened to get too close to me in case they would be thought to be gay because of talk and scandal there was regarding me - although none of it was true."

They were celebrated as gay - 1 male

G14 -  "My close friends loved it.  They thought it was cool to have a gay friend but other people didn't like it but I had enough people behind me."

Generally the girls felt that being gay made no difference at school

Most gay boys felt they suffered at school because their fellow pupils suspected they were gay

Experiences of being bullied and victimised at school

Did they experience victimisation or bullying at school?

There seems little doubt that the gay and bisexual boys are suffering more bullying than their heterosexual peers.  The lesbian and bisexual women seem to suffer the least bullying, although four out of the five heterosexual women who replied were bullied.  A sample of five is really not enough to draw any conclusions but it would be interesting to research into this aspect of bullying further.

What their experiences of being bullied were

Not apparently connected with their homosexuality

L6 -    "Name calling - mostly about my colour - few fights because I stood up for myself."

L11 -  "Always verbal - mainly directed at my height, coloured hair (red) etc.  Once physically."

G1   -   "In 1st, 2nd and 3rd year I was bullied by two brothers until I stood up for myself and the school didn't do anything.  The only way that I got rid of them was to hit one of them in the testicles with a fire extinguisher and hit the other in the face."

G8  -  "Mainly name calling because of my ethnic background.  I would say it never seriously affected me though."

G26 –  "I was taunted for my accent.  [I was] pushed around by some boys until I broke down crying before a teacher.  She told the male teacher who was brilliant at dealing with bullies.  I was mentally harassed by one boy who I punched.  He bothered me less after that.  I was helped a few times by other boys who would watch out for me.  When I left school a boy who had bullied me at school had beat a young man to death outside a pub.  The man killed was quiet and by some, thought to be gay.  When I think of this it makes me very cautious who I tell I’m gay."

They believe they were bullied because of their homosexuality

G3 -  "Verbal, physical and mental torture.  I was called names, the other boys spat on my back and in my face. They wrote homophobic graffiti on my property.  My brother started getting it too and my mother got abuse shouted at her about me."

G9 -    "I was bullied incessantly at school by the same group every single day.  Name calling, humiliation, sometimes they would become more aggressive with threatening behaviour and violence; stone throwing, etc."

G18 –  "Name calling.  I was made the focus of pupils’ jokes."

G24 –  "Teasing, rejection.  Isolation in class.  I would sit two desks away from everyone else – not by choice."

G28 -   "In my final year , as I began to stand out more, dress differently etc.  It happened with slogans; caricatures of me as an animated, stereotyped 'Gay Man' by people whom I thought were friends."

How gay people knew the abuse was to do with their sexuality.

G2  -  "It was obvious from the names I was called - fruit, gaylord etc.

G5  -  "One pupil called the teacher, me and a number of other people 'queer'".

G7  -  "It was very clear through what people were shouting at me."

G9  -  "Because the names were all the obvious ones including ‘queer scum’.  All intended to embarrass me in class etc."

G12 - "Because I live in a small community with even smaller minds.  People love to hear gossip and with me - I was amazed at what I heard about myself."

G13 – "[Because they called me] poofy bastard, queer etc."

G18 – "Because I had problems dealing with my sexuality I was withdrawn thus ideal bait for other pupils’ bullying."

G19 – "By the names they called me and mocking me."

G20 – "They called me a poofter, queer bastard and the usual so obviously it is related to my sexuality."

G24 – "Because of the name calling:- ‘Poof Boy’; ‘Fruit Troop’"

G28 - "Although they never knew, or it was never confirmed, they just assumed.  Because what they were assuming was true it was more hurtful because the image they had portrayed was so wrong it made me feel ashamed of what I was."

G30 - "Because they called me cock-sucker, shirt-lifter, poof etc."

Why people felt the abuse was to nothing do with their sexuality.

G1   -  "They victimised me because I had an English accent"

G26 – "I did not say I was gay at school though some may have sensed I was gay and chose me as a weak target.  Some found I was strong and easily able to stand up to them."

68% of the gay and bisexual boys who were bullied at school believe it was directly related to them being gay

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