Southwark Based Homophobia Survivor, Educator and Award-winning Positive LGBT+ inclusion in Education and Communities Champion Shaun Dellenty Honoured in London.

Shaun Dellenty

Ex Southwark school leader Shaun Dellenty was officially recognised on 27-11-17 for his long- term advocacy work bridging LGBT+ faith and non-faith communities.

Dellenty is already a multi-award winner, having been named ‘Education Champion’ at the Excellence In Diversity Awards, awarded the Mayor of Southwark’s Highest Civic Honour at Southwark Cathedral and celebrated with a ‘Points of Light’ designation from Prime Minister David Cameron at 10 Downing Street.

This latest honour was an Official Certificate of Recognition for Dellenty’s work across faith and belief communities in Greater London. Dellenty speaks to students in faith and non-faith school contexts about his journey from suicidal bullied gay teen to a nationally recognised LGBT+ leader in education. Dellenty has also trained over 14,000 education professionals in the UK on positive LGBT+ inclusion, including staff in faith schools of various denominations. Dellenty supported the Church of England in developing their national strategy to tackle homophobia in faith schools and his ‘Inclusion For All’ project was recommended in their ‘Valuing All God’ Children’ anti-LGBT+ plus bullying resource for schools.

These inaugural awards were staged by London Based 3 Faiths Forum organisation, who have worked to build good relations between people of different faiths, beliefs and identities for over twenty years. The ceremony held at the Royal Society of Medicine on Wimpole Street, was also attended by many other inspiring award winners. Dellenty’s honour was presented by Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant of Greater London Mr Kenneth Olisa OBE.

Dellenty, who has recently returned from supporting the Isle of Man Education Department on positive LGBT+ inclusion, said of the honour ‘I feel very privileged to be honoured for my work amongst such inspirational company. The city of London is where I choose to make my home and I continue to learn and be inspired by its rich heritage and diversity. A city like London in a way represents the whole human race; our ongoing challenge is to nurture peaceful co-existence of a range of people with very different heritage, beliefs views and faiths. I firmly believe educators play a vital part in exploring the potential for prejudice that exist within all human beings in order for us all live, work and play peacefully. ‘

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