OUT LGBT Well-being partnered with the Gauteng Provincial Office of the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) to conduct a human rights awareness workshop for educators on Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Gender Expression (SOGIE) at Crawford International in Pretoria on 16th April 2024.
Both the SAHRC and OUT continue to receive ongoing complaints and inquiries regarding bullying in schools, particularly SOGIE-related bullying.
“The Commission saw it crucial to partner with OUT LGBT Well-being and conduct workshops with various schools to capacitate educators and learners on SOGIE rights and the importance of schools being a safe environment for learners and educators,” said the SAHRC.
“Addressing SOGIE-related bullying is crucial for creating safe and inclusive environments where all individuals can thrive. The workshop is one of many workshops that the SAHRC and OUT LGBT Well-Being will be conducting in Gauteng,” it added.
Sibonelo Ncanana, OUT LGBT Well-being’s Civil Society Engagement Officer, believes the workshop was well received by the Crawford educators. “I was impressed by the dedication of the school deputy principal in making sure that the school is an enabling environment for all,” he said.
Ncanana noted that, “The issue of gender and bathroom use remains one of the issues that is often brought up in these trainings and requires ongoing engagement.”
OUT Well-being remains committed to the vision of creating school environments that are safe, affirming, and inclusive of LGBTIQ+ learners and educators.
