RAINBOW HAS - Rights through Alliances: Innovating and Networking BOth Within Homes And Schools

From research carried out during the Rainbow project (2011) financed by the same Programme on legislation, scientific literature and through fieldwork in Italy, Spain, Bulgaria, the Netherlands, Great Britain, we could conclude that institutions should work with more commitment to respect the right to sexual and affective diversity, whereby the problem of trans/homophobia and trans/homophobic bullying (including language) remains often hidden and unchallenged. We will study family discourses, needs and strategies as well as exchanging best practices of support, in order to enlarge the debate with institutions, LGBT families, families with LGBT youngsters, families with children and youth who have been victims of trans/homophobic bullying and straight families, to create spaces and conditions for dialogue or lobbying for positive change in the direction of "breaking the silence" on LGBT issues and to train and sensitise adults especially, but not only, in the education system. The objectives of RAINBOW HAS, in continuity with Rainbow, can be detailed as follows:

• Expanding the knowledge about stereotypes and about homophobia and transphobia, through studying families´ discourses.
• Identifying, analysing and exchanging best practices of services and materials of support for families and individuals with LGBT members or members who suffer(ed) from homophobic and transphobic bullying.
• Promoting respect for diversity and pushing for a trans and homophobia-free environment at school and in the family.
• Making citizens aware of the obstacles and difficulties that make trans, gay and lesbian individuals’ lives difficult.
• Understanding and identifying the main obstacles and resources for creating a legitimate space for LGBT issues in education, in each country and at European level.
• Creating spaces and conditions for dialogue or lobbying for positive change in the direction of "breaking the silence" on LGBT issues.
• Identifying strategies to create effective gay-straight alliances, especially among families´ associations at European level.

The main outputs/deliverables of the project will be:

• Reports about research into family discourses and best practices of antidiscrimination and LGBT support services, as well as paper and online resources mapping.
• Collection of data on experiences of associations of gay families, families with LGBT children and straight family associations who dealt/might want to deal with LGBT issues at school, in each country.
• Development of a European network of LGBT families, families with LGBT children and family associations with a specific agenda containing lobbying strategies for the future (after the project end).
• Development of a training package and recommendations for adults (parents and teachers, but also public servants) who want to work to protect from bullying LGBT youngsters or children perceived as “different”.
• Design of awareness-raising multimedia lobbying actions in collaboration with associations of families.