RIP Michael Causer

You don't know who he is, do you?

Don't feel bad. Very few people do. And do you know why you haven't heard of him? Because he's just a gay kid. A gay, dead kid. He was attacked, simply for being an openly gay man, and died from his injuries. He was just 18 years old. And it didn't even get one mention in the national press.

You can bet that if he'd been shot or stabbed in London then it would have got days of press coverage. But he wasn't. And it didn't.

We've come a long way as a country and attitudes to the differences amongst us are changing all the time. Twenty years ago racism was rife, whereas now it's considered by pretty much everyone - BNP nutters aside - to be unacceptable. We need to get to a stage where sexuality is viewed in the same way. And, if we're to help prevent further cases like Michael's, we need to get there pretty damned quickly.

So why do these senseless attacks happen?

Well, it's not hard to see how an ignored or tolerated bullying at school can lead to events later in life. When I was at school - and that really wasn't so many years ago - homophobic comments were common. While I was never directly bullied about being gay - I wasn't out at the time and, being relatively straight acting, I suspect no one would've known anyway - it was commonplace for someone to say, "That's gay", when referring to something they didn't like. And when the heck did that happen?

To be gay used to be a good thing. It was a word used in the late 1800s as a compliment. So how on earth did we get to the situation we have now?

To understand just how bizarre this situation we find ourselves in really is, all you need to do is switch the focus from homosexuality to race and ethnicity. You would never get away with using racist language in schools. Any child doing so is pulled up immediately. (I remember one such incident at school where a kid used the horrible N-word and, unrepentant, was expelled.) So why is it that it seems perfectly acceptable for a child to use the word "gay" in such a negative way?

It's a sad sign of just how far we still have to go.

Which is why it's great to see Stonewall getting geared up to celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2009. It's great but also sad; because it highlights just how relevant Stonewall still is today. Sir Ian McKellen, perhaps one of the best known Stonewall members, is backing their new campaign, which carries the memorable slogan: 'Some people are gay. Get over it!'

Stonewall are going to work with schools to stamp out homophobic bullying. Currently around only 6% of schools have a defined bullying policy when it comes to homophobic bullying, which is shocking. With the support of everyone - and that includes you, dear reader, whether straight, gay or somewhere in between - we can make a real difference. And we need to make a difference. Fast.

It may be too late for Michael Causer, but I guarantee you that there is a child on your own street who is counting on us to do something.

Are you going to sit there and let them suffer in silence?

www.stonewall.org.uk