Homophobia from colleagues
1980
Steve said “Even in the late seventies,
if you were going into teaching, you kept your sexuality quiet…things
have changed now…gay teachers are not victimised…not bullied. It was in
my interests to keep my sexuality quiet.”
“… (In the 70s) there
were, in society’s mainstream beliefs, overt connections between
homosexuality and paedophilia. Society’s views in general were that the
two were synonymous.”
As
a teacher, Steve faced more prejudices from colleagues within the
education sector. At his first school, he was directly asked if he was
gay by his headmaster and he lied to him, saying that he was not. At
his second school, an international School in Barcelona in 1980, Steve
says that he could have been sacked if his Headmaster knew.
Contributed by: Steve Ball, 49