This week saw the news of a charity coalition calling for compulsory LGBT inclusive sex education in schools, including primary schools. The news comes after years of tireless effort from organisations who believe that sex and relationships education is a vitally important part of a child's development while at school. It is news I champion and support wholeheartedly. But headlines like 'Five-year-olds to be taught about gay sex' came flying rapidly from mainstream and specialist news outlets. It was inevitable. We saw so many manipulated lies told about the 'evils' of same sex marriage, the idea that LGBT campaigners are now targeting 'poor innocent children' was bound to rattle cages. But the truth of the matter is that five year olds will NOT be taught about 'gay sex' but rather be taught that some people are different, some families are different, we live in a diverse society full and rich with different cultures and LGBT people make up part of that society, and hey, those five-year-olds may have older gay brothers or sisters or even same sex parents.
I've worked with Primary Schools in the past, it has always been a fulfilling part of my work. Often what brings teachers to me is the need for them to feel equipped about questions around same sex parents. Children having two mummies or two daddies have been around for a very long time, but in recent years with legislation for adoption rights for same sex couples in the UK we now see more diverse families than ever before. Sadly Primary Schools haven't been given the chance to incorporate these new family make ups in their teaching materials. So teachers say to me they really don't feel confident in speaking in the classroom about why Josh has two mums. Children have inquisitive minds, you may have noticed, and very little gets past them. If they come from a traditional family unit they are bound to ask why Josh has two mums (just as children ask why other children only have one parent instead of two). It is THIS that Primary Schools should feel confident in dealing with. It's not about loading children's minds with too much too young, because actually children just accept what is taught to them at a young age.
I've worked with Primary Schools in the past, it has always been a fulfilling part of my work. Often what brings teachers to me is the need for them to feel equipped about questions around same sex parents. Children having two mummies or two daddies have been around for a very long time, but in recent years with legislation for adoption rights for same sex couples in the UK we now see more diverse families than ever before. Sadly Primary Schools haven't been given the chance to incorporate these new family make ups in their teaching materials. So teachers say to me they really don't feel confident in speaking in the classroom about why Josh has two mums. Children have inquisitive minds, you may have noticed, and very little gets past them. If they come from a traditional family unit they are bound to ask why Josh has two mums (just as children ask why other children only have one parent instead of two). It is THIS that Primary Schools should feel confident in dealing with. It's not about loading children's minds with too much too young, because actually children just accept what is taught to them at a young age.
Despite there still being a strong opposing voice, more often than not in the name of one religion or another, LGBT people aren't going anywhere. We aren't going to suddenly pack up our bags and leave the planet. Same sex parents are only going to increase, not decrease. Same sex families will become more and more visible in every day life. Why not take the time to learn and understand and form your opinions after that process rather than before? I have spoken to thousands of school children over the years and in all my time doing so I have only had two pupils removed from sessions at the request of their parents on religious grounds. This has confused me because my atheist parents never requested my removal from religious education, in fact, despite not carrying a faith of my own I feel I have a good understand of different types of religion and my life feels much more enriched for having an open ear to all cultures. Yes, even as an LGBT campaigner, I support equal rights for ALL, including faith! It's the use of faith in the discrimination of others I struggle with....but that's another blog post.
It saddens me when the press whip the Great British public into a moral frenzy with the words 'gay' and 'children' used in a headline, aimed to get as many clicks on their website as possible trying get people outraged and disgusted, proclaiming in the comments section; 'Children are innocent, they have no business to learn about gay issues!' Of course they do, just as they learn about straight issues in everything they read, see, hear and come to understand. Being inclusive of LGBT issues is not going to corrupt minds, but rather give a child a rich understanding of the diverse society we live in. Children can still be made aware of LGBT people and be brought up to be moral and well-rounded individuals. I have to say, if I had LGBT inclusive teaching around sex and relationships I would've had a far greater understanding of who I was. Children will no longer be confused, ashamed or made to feel guilty for being LGB or T. We know statistically that LGBT young people are at a greater risk of self-harm, depression or suicide, if they are given the opportunity at a young age to understand who they are then surely these statistics will start to decrease in number. So when people proclaim 'Think of the children!' that's exactly what inclusive LGBT sex and relationship education is doing.
It saddens me when the press whip the Great British public into a moral frenzy with the words 'gay' and 'children' used in a headline, aimed to get as many clicks on their website as possible trying get people outraged and disgusted, proclaiming in the comments section; 'Children are innocent, they have no business to learn about gay issues!' Of course they do, just as they learn about straight issues in everything they read, see, hear and come to understand. Being inclusive of LGBT issues is not going to corrupt minds, but rather give a child a rich understanding of the diverse society we live in. Children can still be made aware of LGBT people and be brought up to be moral and well-rounded individuals. I have to say, if I had LGBT inclusive teaching around sex and relationships I would've had a far greater understanding of who I was. Children will no longer be confused, ashamed or made to feel guilty for being LGB or T. We know statistically that LGBT young people are at a greater risk of self-harm, depression or suicide, if they are given the opportunity at a young age to understand who they are then surely these statistics will start to decrease in number. So when people proclaim 'Think of the children!' that's exactly what inclusive LGBT sex and relationship education is doing.