The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) means that all children in Ireland, including LGBTQ+ children, have a right to:
- Non-discrimination (Article 2)
- Identity (Article 8)
- Education (Article 28 & 29)
The Equal Status Act (2000) makes it illegal for Irish schools to discriminate against someone because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. This Act means a school cannot treat you less favourably than another person because you are LGBTQ+ or because they think you are LGBTQ+.
Bullying
Schools have policies in place to deal with cases where students are bullied. These apply to all students, including LGBTQ+ students.
What to do if you feel you have been bullied or harassed for any reason including because of your sexuality or gender identity:
- Speak to your teacher, or another teacher you trust
- If this doesn’t solve it, speak to the principal
- If this doesn’t solve it, make a complaint using the schools complaint procedure (available on the school website)
Your parents can also do these steps with you or on your behalf.
The Ombudsman for Children’s Office (OCO)
However, if you are not happy with how your school has dealt with the problems you faced, you can contact the OCO.
The OCO complaints team looks at complaints made about public bodies, including schools, to see if their decisions have negatively affected a child or children.
You can find out more about the team and how to make a complaint at: oco.ie/complaints
Or call the Freephone number: 1800 20 20 40
Thanks to the Ombudsman for Children’s Office who helped to collate this information.