Will Young wants end to 'gay' insults

Will Young has said the issue of students using the word "gay" as an insult in schools needs to be dealt with.

He says local councils have not been taking the problem of homophobic bullying seriously enough.

Writing in the Independent on Sunday, the Pop Idol winner says: "Through the various seminars I attended I picked up one recurring theme, teachers and heads of schools were more than often not backed up by local authorities when it came to homophobic language."

The 34-year-old has revealed he's spoken to the Education Secretary Michael Gove about his concerns.

The two met at a conference in London earlier this year and Young said Mr Gove's reaction was "encouraging".

Research carried out in schools last year by the charity Stonewall found 55% of gay young people experience homophobic bullying and 99% hear the phrases "that's so gay" or "you're so gay" in school.

In July the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, launched a campaign to try to stop homophobic bullying in Church of England schools.

Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter