We had a workshop during Budapest Pride Week where we presented the first results of our research (the knowledge we are constructing together) and involved the participants by facilitating them to express their views, opinions, thoughts about our experiences, dilemmas and questions. The workshop was led by 4 high school students (from the group) and the leader of the research project (Gyuri). A lot of people came (around 50 or more), so we had to restructure the workshop.
We asked the participants to tell one word (or expression) coming into their mind if they think about being LGBTQ in school in Hungary. They said the following expressions: uncertainty, homophobic teachers, gay teachers, exclusion, hidden, open and tolerant friends and teachers; different schools, bullying.
Then, we shared some of our experiences and thoughts. For example:
I am bisexual, I accepted myself, and that is okay.
I am in a very tolerant environment, my school is great.
One of my teacher said: "the end of whose cock is shitty, his cock should be cut off" (sic!)
I don't know whether my decision to come out in my school at age 14 was a good step. I suffered a lot there.
After some dialog about our "confessions", Gyuri outlined the concept of the research study, and we presented some of our dilemmas, stories and questions to the audience inviting them to continue the story, to answer the question or to think about what to do in the given situation. For example:
The headmaster (in a denominational school) "asked" my mother to request to change my status to "private student" (student who don't have to attend classes) because some parents had been complaining on my openly queer attitude.
Is it discrimination if I feel that I may not express signs of intimacy between me and my boyfriend in the school in spite of the otherwise tolerant environment there?
Continuous calling names.
Finally, we talked about the possible actions against discrimination of LGBTQ students in schools. The ideas of the audience were:
Then, we shared some of our experiences and thoughts. For example:
I am bisexual, I accepted myself, and that is okay.
I am in a very tolerant environment, my school is great.
One of my teacher said: "the end of whose cock is shitty, his cock should be cut off" (sic!)
I don't know whether my decision to come out in my school at age 14 was a good step. I suffered a lot there.
After some dialog about our "confessions", Gyuri outlined the concept of the research study, and we presented some of our dilemmas, stories and questions to the audience inviting them to continue the story, to answer the question or to think about what to do in the given situation. For example:
The headmaster (in a denominational school) "asked" my mother to request to change my status to "private student" (student who don't have to attend classes) because some parents had been complaining on my openly queer attitude.
Is it discrimination if I feel that I may not express signs of intimacy between me and my boyfriend in the school in spite of the otherwise tolerant environment there?
Continuous calling names.
Finally, we talked about the possible actions against discrimination of LGBTQ students in schools. The ideas of the audience were:
- assertive parents
- churches collaborating with LGBTQ organizations
- gay - straight alliances
- addressing the Equality Body
- publicity
- media
- vlogs
- school psychologists
- teachers' training
- a good student board/committee
- revolution(?)
- etc.
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