Designer, cook and TV presenter Gok Wan has spoken out in support of LGBT young people, ahead of his keynote speech this Friday 8 July in London at lesbian, gay, bi and trans equality Stonewall’s Education for All Conference.
Gok Wan said,
“It’s so important for all of us to do everything we can to help prevent and tackle prejudice and discrimination – and we know that this sort of behaviour starts in the playground. Bullying is never acceptable, but making people feel threatened and alienated because of who they are and what makes them different is heart breaking.
“We need to teach young people that this is not the way to behave and encourage them and in fact all people to understand that what’s ‘banter’ to some can be deeply hurtful to others. For us to get this right in schools, it’s vital that we recognise the role that teachers have to play, and ensure that they have adequate training to deal with this as it arises.
“Stonewall is doing just that – which is why I am a proud supporter of the work it does. Whether you’re LGBT or not, we all have a role to play in standing up against hate, which recent events have taught us now more than ever before”.
Stonewall’s annual Education for All conference, kindly supported by Prudential, is Britain’s leading event on preventing and tackling homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying among young people.
It brings together hundreds of education professionals through a series of panel discussions and interactive workshop as well as a dedicated youth stream for 150 young people.
Yvette Cooper MP, mental health campaigner Johnny Benjamin, Muslim drag queen Asifa Lahore, trans activist Fox Fisher, Maria Munir, Juno Roche and Leo Waddell (from documentary I Am Leo) are amongst other speakers at the conference this year.