THEGAYUK WINTER 13 /14 Issue 1
INTERVIEW
Meet Shaun Dellenty, the man who is tirelessly working to
eradicate homophobia from our schools. He’s a deputy head
teacher for an inner city school in London, a regular on the
Independent on Sunday’s Pink List and proud award
winning speaker for the LGBT community. His campaign
‘Inclusion For All’ champions the training and support for
teachers, governors and school leaders in the fight against
homophobia.
Congratulations on your Pink
List recognition, you've been a
busy man haven't you, tell us
what you've been up to?
was a huge privilege to be
interviewed and my role was really
to bring a sense of what is
happening in schools now in terms
of effective sex education, which is
Thank you kindly! Yes this academic letting many young people down on
year is proving to be the busiest yet
a massive scale. The film is directed
in terms of my Inclusion For All
by Steve Keeble and Benedict
anti-homophobic bullying work,
Edward Lord; fingers crossed the
which of course has to wrap around film should be out later in the year.
my full-time role as Deputy
Headteacher of a large London
Finally, I can exclusively reveal that
primary school.
I was recently invited by the BBC to
lead a secondary school assembly
In late Summer I spoke at a number about my own experiences of being
of Pride events including Warwick
homophobically bullied and my
and Totnes Pride where I shared the Inclusion For All project to pupils at
panel with Peter Tatchell and Elly
Conyers School in Yarms, which was
Barnes. Recent speaking
filmed to go out as part of CBBC's
engagements include Amnesty
forthcoming fly on the wall
International, the Southwark and
documentary series 'Our School'.
Gateshead anti-bullying
conferences, NSPCC, the National
Oh and then there is my
Union of Headteachers, the
forthcoming book, 'That Gay
National Association of
Teacher' when I get a spare hour or
Headteachers and the Essex Police
two! So on balance, I guess I am
Hate Crime Conference. I am also
indeed a busy man!
running one of our termly 'Inclusion
For All' training days for teachers in Do you think it's harder or easy
my own school in November
to come out at school
followed up by training for school
nowadays compared to 10, 20,
governors from across Southwark. I 30 years ago?
was also thrilled to be asked in
October to present my antiI would like to think it is easier,
homophobia work at the House of
although I think the experience can
Commons and as a result I will be
vary wildly from school to school
providing additional training to
and between geographical locations.
representatives from the House.
Certainly pupils now (quite rightly)
seem to have a much g &VFW