In times of change there will always be those who build walls of resistance. Often, the architects of these walls are those who’ve had their prejudices fuelled by years of ignorance and fear. That is why educational establishments are key in the fight to overcome homophobia, transphobia, sexism, racism, agism and the many other forms of hatred that are instilled and learned from a young age. It is in classrooms and lecture halls that young minds can be freed from the prejudices that have been handed down to them. As Edward Everett, the 20th US Secretary of State, once astutely noted, “Education is a better safeguard of liberty than a standing army”.

It is with this in mind that we draw our readers’ attentions to a new movement in the fight against homophobia, and the name of that movement: Get REAL. In a statement, the organisation decrees:

Get REAL is a university student-driven initiative aimed at eliminating homophobia in creative and dynamic ways. It is open to any and all who wish to stand up and speak out against discrimination. We started in February of 2011 with the aim of running workshops in junior high and high schools, led by university students; this remains our long-term goal. We currently run awareness and advocacy campaigns at Western, as well as wider-reaching initiatives, like this video. Please share.

This sort of activism has the potential to have a huge impact, and we have shared the Get REAL video below. We ask you do the same.

If you want to get involved and help progress the Get REAL campaign to your own university campuses, you can find them by visiting their Facebook page here.