Speakers at the second annual Safety in Schools For Queers (SS4Q) Conference will highlight ways schools can make the changes necessary to make NZ's LGBT students safer. SS4Q's Acting for Change conference takes place this weekend from 7-8 July at Wellington High School. "I was bullied everyday for being gay and I told the teachers but they never understood... When the Deputy Principal asked questions about whether or not I was being bullied, I was too scared to tell him” says 17-year-old Peter Hotere who has left school because of the homophobic harassment he experienced there. Hotere says teachers need to understand how hard it is for queer students, and they need to enforce school rules about bullying more fairly by challenging homophobic bullying too. When asked what would have made him feel safe at school, Hotere said simply, "being free to be me." The SS4Q Conference is a collaborative effort by several organisations and individuals including PPTA, OUT THERE! Youth Development Project, the Human Rights Commission, the Family Planning Association, Rainbow Youth, and the NZ Association of Adolescent Health Ref: Out There (m)