My name is Simon, and I’m a volunteer Role Model with Diversity Role Models.
I was shocked to read a recent survey by global children’s charity Theirworld that a quarter of LGBTQ+ students in the UK do not complete secondary school, compared to 12.1% across the country’s education system. This means that 280,000 LGBTQ+ students currently aged 12 to 17 are at risk of dropping out of secondary education in the UK. That’s higher than France and Poland, among others.
We are trying to change this, but we need your help in raising £100,000 to make a real difference.
I was shocked but not surprised – Diversity Role Models’ latest evaluation data reveals that the number of secondary students who believe an LGBTQ+ person would feel comfortable coming out at their school has plummeted to just 18% this year, down from 26% in 2023/24.
When I and my fellow volunteers go into schools to tell our own coming out stories to combat homophobic bullying, teachers and heads of PSHE are still delighted with the work we do. But they also tell us that they’re hearing more homophobic language than they were a few years ago. So things seem to be going in the wrong direction.
The fact that LGBTQ+ students are now more likely to feel unsafe after years of improvement and that they’re twice as likely to drop out of school as the straight kids sitting next to them is worrying and disturbing.
It’s not just a human tragedy played out hundreds of thousands of times across the country. It’s a serious challenge for our education system as well as storing up problems for society and the economy. How much more could these young people contribute to the world if they felt able to continue their education and flourish at school, as every child should?
There is a solution, though.
Over the last 14 years, our wonderful volunteers at Diversity Role Models have been visiting thousands of schools, and we’ve talked to over 275,000 young people. By telling their own personal coming out stories, our Role Models break down barriers, combat bullying, and encourage students to understand that their LGBTQ+ classmates are actually just like them in so many ways.
And it works. According to our evaluations:
- 95% of primary students commit to respecting people who are different after a session.
- 87% of primary pupils and 68% of secondary students feel more confident to act when they see bullying.
- 100% of primary staff who observed the workshops report that the Role Model's story helped pupils celebrate difference and build empathy.
I hope you’re as shocked as I am by the findings of the research carried out by Theirworld and Diversity Role Models, and you want to help improve the lives of young LGBTQ+ people.
If you are, then here’s how you can help. You can come and act as a voluntary Role Model for us – we’ll provide you with all the support and training you need.
You can also donate. We’ve launched an urgent fundraising campaign to raise £100,000 in the coming weeks, and we would be hugely grateful if you could help us to meet this target.
You can help us by:
Donating to our Just Giving campaign or sharing our page and posts on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook and sending via WhatsApp to your networks.
Remember – even a small amount can make a big difference to a young person struggling with their sexuality or gender identity, helping them to become confident, happy students ready to finish their education and fulfil their potential.
Thank you from Simon and the Diversity Role Models Team.
