A gay teacher in Ireland speaks out

I've been a teacher for 27 years, and I've been "out" as a gay man to my colleagues for more than 10 years. I've worked through many of the issues that other gay teachers have still to face.

Many of those who attended the first meeting of the LGBT were absolutely terrified. I thought that younger teachers would be much more confident about being gay or lesbian. This was not the case. They still live with the fear that they will lose their jobs, be passed over for promotion or be harassed by colleagues, pupils or parents if they reveal their sexual orientation.

Over my years as a teacher I have never experienced bullying or discrimination in school, so I have been very lucky. However, I do have to deal with the worsening level of homophobic bullying among students in the classroom and in the schoolyard. I am not in a position to take these bullies on - I cannot talk to the children about being gay at all. I wish that schools would write specific policies on homophobic bullying into their codes of discipline as it is such a big problem in schools today.

I no longer feel embarrassed if the issue of homosexuality comes up in the staffroom, but it took years for me to stop blushing every time the subject was mentioned. I was once passed over for Communion at a school mass, but apart from that my colleagues have always been very supportive. I don't think I've ever missed out on a professional opportunity because of my sexual orientation, but if I went for the job of principal, now that might be a different story.

I still live with the fear that some morning I'll walk into the schoolyard and hear it whispered or shouted from an unknown quarter: "Queer!"

It was such as relief to go to that first meeting and to finally hear someone from the union say that it was okay to be a gay teacher. For the first time in 27 years I felt I had a rightful place in my own union.