Student blows whistle on bullying

THE mother of an openly-gay high school student who was asked to stay home to avoid being bashed by senior pupils has called for more tolerance education in Queensland schools.

Trudy Lillicrap and her son Keith Phillips, 15, blew the whistle on homophobia at Alexandra Hills State High School last month after officials advised the Year 10 student was at risk of being physically assaulted.

“I got a phone call from the second-in-charge to say that they were very concerned for my son’s safety; that there was a rumour going around, that the principal had gotten hold of, about some Year 12 students who had been badgering my son throughout the year were going to bash him on the last day of school,” Ms Lillicrap told 4ZZZ’s Queer Radio program.

“They wanted me to keep him home because they feared what might happen to him should I send him to school.”

Ms Lillicrap said she asked the school’s deputy principal to counsel the bullies rather than keep her son home but was refused.

“The way it was put across to me was that these students only have one more day left. Let’s just get them through that day, then they’re only here for block exams next week—and most of hem wont even be here for that—and basically, they won’t be here next year so we won’t have to worry about it then,” she said.

Police also declined to intervene, and Education Minister Rod Welford failed to return the worried mother’s calls.

Ms Lillicrap said she had been shocked to discover the same students had systematically bullied her son throughout the year.

“I was shocked by some of the things he’s put up with during the year by these students and the attitude of some of the people at school, and even teachers who’ve seen things that have happened but haven’t done anything about it,” she said.

“Most of his teachers know that he’s gay and have been quite good with it. We did have trouble with one teacher and [Keith]’s been removed from that class. Not that I think she would admit it was because he was openly gay, but when you’re failing a subject, get moved to another class and two weeks later you get straight A’s, you have to question whether or not the teacher had a problem with Keith.”

She said she was aware of other gay and lesbian students at the school who remain closeted.

“They’ve seen what Keith’s been through and have said they’re not saying anything to anybody.

“I don’t think it’s fair that they should have to [hide their sexuality], and for a lot of them they just can’t – and that makes them more so a target than anybody else.

“It’s really upsetting to me that people can’t understand that this is not something they’re doing to try and annoy people. It’s not something they can help. People need to understand it more and there needs to be more education on it for that reason.”

Attempts establish a gay support group at the school have been refused by the administration, she said.

Nonetheless, Ms Lillicrap says she is grateful the school phoned her about the threats.

“I’d much rather they did that than the opposite—get a phone call to say he’d been bashed. But I still think what happened after with the year12 students was not good enough—really, really not good enough.

“It wasn’t just the way the school handled it, it was the behaviour of the Year 12 students who believed that because it was their last day, it was okay to go out and bash people, throw food at people, degrade people by swearing at them, spitting on them.”

She said he would give anything to live his life the way he is without being judged, and I thin everyone has that right.

She was proud of her son for deciding to go public with his story.

“He has said he would give anything to live his life the way he is without being judged, and I think everyone has that right.”

Download and listen to the complete interview at Queer Radio’s website.