LESSONS NEED TO BE LEARNT
It’s time sex education benefited everyone, says Student Pride’s director of communications
Jamie Wareham
I’LL NEVER FORGET the first time an adult spoke to me about a “real-life” gay man. It was my music teacher and she pulled me aside at the end of the day to tell me how her friend had just broken a painful cycle of depression by coming out.
What she might not realise even to this day is how those five minutes probably changed the course of my teenage years, setting me on a journey towards self-acceptance.
Don’t underestimate the significance of her actions. My school years took place in the hangover from Section 28, the legislation that had prevented teachers talking about homosexuality. Although the+ ban had been lifted, my teacher did what few others even dared to contemplate.