h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Only just come across this Iago - a little personal experience for you...

I'm a school governor, and we recently apponted a new Assistant Head who we knew to be homosexual - this is at a secondary school.

Not long after appointing him (he's really good incidently) he entered a civil partnership with his 'significant other' who is also a teacher, at a different school.

Just before Christmas the chap collapsed at school, naturally an ambulance was called and the school rang to inform his partner.

His partner teaches at a CofE school, and wouldn't let the school talk to him at first, they only allowed wifes and husbands to talk to staff - and didn't recognise that a civil partnership was such a relationship.

I was surprised they'd employed him - assuming they knew his sexuality, but please bear in mind that their are institutions where it will count against you.

Hmmmm.... Crikey.

I would have thought though in extreme circumstances even for a CofE school turning the other cheek and forgiveness should have come into play?

Rules first mate - always the rules first. That way you can't be blamed if things go wrong.

I have a feeling that this might be illegal, as well as being inhumane.

I assume they'll say that civil partnerships are a new thing and they've now adjusted their rules - however I'd love to know what the staff room reaction is.

I work at a small high school in the South with a pretty rough clientele. We have two guys there who are apparantly gay. One works with our students who are removed from regular schools because normal special ed teachers can't handle them. The other works with our regular students, who as I said are mostly expelled from regular schools.

As far as I can tell, neither one has had a lick of trouble with students or staff. I think kids are more accepting than say when I went though school 20 years ago. When I first went to mySpace to check out our kids, the first profile I came across was of a male student who was bisexual.

The staff, which includes some dinosaurs, who don't seem to care. Actually our whole crew is a bit odd. Sexual harassment in our school is not only tolerated; it's graded.

I have seen a few funny bits. One of our secretaries overheard a conversation between the two apparantly gay guys. One of them saw the other in an area frequented by homesexuals, and he asked him about it at school. He got embarassed. I guess he thought he was passing.

Don't worry about it. Be yourself. If they don't want a gay teacher, they'll find some excuse to not hire you. If they accept you, then you'll be working in a place where you should be comfortable. When it comes don to it, most people don't care. If they do, they're generally too embarassed or smart to say anything. Give them a chance, or you may find that the person who makes it most uncomfortable is going to be you.