London school receives hundreds of homophobic messages days after unveiling rainbow crossing for LGBTQ+ History Month

LGBT History Month is a time to celebrate the rich and diverse history of LGBTQ+ people.

But pupils at a London school have been given a valuable lesson: anti-LGBTQ+ bigotry is not consigned to history just yet.

Woodside High School, in Wood Green, North London, received hundreds of abusive and homophobic messages after painting a rainbow on their crossing to mark LGBTQ+ history month.

The school painted the crossing in early February, as a public commitment to "diversity, equality and inclusion". But four days later, the school received more than 200 messages of hate on Twitter and Instagram..

The school later addressed the abuse they’d received on Twitter.

Alongside the tweet, the school shared a film made by Woodside High School's Student Equality and Diversity Group.

The video showed students holding up facts from LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall, such as the fact that nearly half of LGBTQ+ students are bullied in school.

Gerry Robinson, head of Woodside High School, told BBC News:

The hundreds of abusive messages regarding Woodside's work on equality will not deter us from continuing our work.

It seems that by trying to do a very nice thing, the school have highlighted the very present reality of hatred towards LGBTQ+ people. Hopefully, with the world in this younger generation’s hands, homophobia, biphobia and transphobia will be a thing of the past.

But until then, happy LGBTQ+ history month!

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