'It's Just Really Hard to Come to Terms With': young people's views on homosexuality

This article explores young people's views and beliefs about homosexuality. It is based on data from the Respect study, a multi-method project which involved over 1700 young people aged 11–16 in schools in various UK locations (including Northern Ireland), and from some marginal groups including a gay and lesbian group. Gendered patterns in attitudes to homosexuality and expressions of homophobia are described and examined, the latter generally expressed through the homosocial groups that most inhabit in the early and mid-teens. Some of the ways in which their views are constructed are suggested. Homosexuality for these young people appears to be more a label than 'real', allowing homophobic discourse to keep it distanced and denigrated. But despite strong expressions of homophobia amongst young people, emerging counter-currents were in evidence, often ill-informed and contradictory, but ones that are in urgent need of clarification and broadening out through information and discussion. The views and experiences of young people in the study who had struggled with the process of coming out as gay or lesbian demonstrate the impact of the cultural context of homophobia. These findings have several implications for sex education practice.