Jonathan Bailey says LGBTQ+ diversity week at school would’ve made ‘such a difference’ to him

Hollywood star Jonathan Bailey has said School Diversity Week, a celebration of LGBTQ+ equality, would have made “such a difference” to him as a young gay person.

The actor, who raised more than £30,000 ($40,100) for Just Like Us after he became their patron in 2023, said he was proud to support the week-long event organised by the LGBTQ+ charity.

Schools across the UK will get involved in a range of activities, from Rainbow Friday dress-up days, to LGBTQ+-inclusive lessons and activities, between Monday (23 June) and Friday (27 June).

Fellow Travelers star Bailey said: “School Diversity Week is an incredible initiative that creates the inclusive environment every young person deserves. Growing up, I would have loved to see LGBT+ inclusion celebrated in schools, it would have made such a difference in feeling seen, supported and accepted. 

“This week gives pupils the chance to learn, have fun and embrace diversity, helping to build a future where all young people can be themselves without fear. I’m so proud to support Just Like Us in making that a reality.”

Bailey has previously told Gay Times what it was like to grow up gay in rural Oxfordshire where anyone deemed “other” was seen as “not acceptable”. He realised his sexuality from the age of 11 but was in school during the time of Section 28, and a lack of LGBTQ+ representation meant he was not able to fully “blossom”.

Soon to be seen in Jurassic World: Rebirth, the actor went on to say: “The media spun stories that were so negative towards the plight of the gay experience, so I didn’t really have access to anything that made me feel welcome or like I was going to be OK, and I was someone who was very aware of who I was.

“I wonder what my life would’ve been like, had there been the vocabulary and ambassadors coming into my school.

“It would’ve definitely helped me feel more secure and to blossom quicker. For me, that sort of confidence in myself has come later on in life.”

Research conducted by Just Like Us previously showed a link between positive messaging about being LGBTQ+ in school and pupils having better mental health, regardless of whether they were queer or not.

The study, Growing Up LGBT+, revealed that 74 per cent of LGBTQ+ pupils and 33 per cent of straight pupils who had never had positive messaging from their school about being queer, had contemplated suicide. These figures fell to 65 per cent and 28 per cent respectively when there was strong messaging.

Researchers also found that just 58 per cent of LGBTQ+ pupils had felt safe at school on a daily basis in the previous 12 months, compared with 73 per cent of straight pupils.

Laura Mackay, the chief executive of Just Like Us, said School Diversity Week was an “opportunity for school communities to come together and celebrate the differences that make us all special”.

She went on to say: “LGBT+ young people still face significant barriers at school, at home and in the wider world, but each school that celebrates and prioritises LGBT+ inclusion shows them that they are valued, seen and safe.

“We are so grateful to our patron Jonathan Bailey for taking such a strong stance on supporting LGBT+ young people and improving inclusion in schools, and also to every educator who is making sure that pupils have a supportive environment in which to learn, both during School Diversity Week and all year round.”

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