According to the Home Office, schools in Britain are not taking the issue of homophobia seriously enough, while issues such as racism are taken more seriously. The government paper, which cites homophobic abuse as bullying urges more pupils and their parents and guardians to report homophobia. At present it is estimated that 90% of all homophobic abuse goes unreported.
The report which called for "lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual awareness week" as part of the government’s citizenship classes claimed that the effects of this kind of bullying can have damaging effects on the academic achievement of the children affected. Aiming to improve the way police and other order agencies in the UK deal with hate crime against gays, the report suggested that complaints could be made online.
The report admitted that: "Whilst it is probably made clear to pupils that the use of racist language is unacceptable, the same is not true for use of homophobic language. "However, constant use of such language and homophobic crimes and incidents will have an effect on pupils' ability to learn, or willingness to stay on in schools," it added. There were over 1,000 reported homophobic incidents in London alone last year, but police estimate about 90% of hate crime goes unreported. | 
According to the Home Office, schools in Britain are not taking the issue of homophobia seriously enough, while issues such as racism are taken more seriously.
Cenk - Richmond, UK
