Question Time under fire for debating morality of LGBTQ

THE BBC’S Question Time has become embroiled in a row after presenters criticised a decision to allow a question on whether it is “morally right” to teach children about “LGBTQ issues”.

The question was raised on Thursday after news of continued protests at Parkfield Community School in Birmingham over lessons teaching respect for same-sex relationships.

The show came one day after MPS voted to approve LGBTQ+ inclusive guidance for sex and relationship education by a margin of 538 to 21, the first relationship and sex education guidance since 2000.

An audience member, Keith Broughton, was picked to ask panellists: “Is it morally right that fiveyear-old children learn about LGBTQ+ issues in school?” Responding on Question Time, all of the panellists agreed that schools should adopt LGBTQ+ inclusive education.

But when the show aired, a number of presenters asked why the question was even allowed in the first place. Sue Perkins wrote on Twitter: “The framing of this question is deeply worrying. Are we really here again, nearly two decades after Section 28 was repealed?”

Perkins was referring to Section 28, an amendment abolished in 2003 which stated that authorities and schools should not “intentionally promote homosexuality or ... the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship”.

Jack Murley, the BBC’S LGBT Sport

‘The framing of this question is worrying. Are we here again, two decades after Section 28 was repealed?’

Podcast host, said on Twitter: “Hi Question Time, As someone in the same organisation as you, what exactly about me do you think would be ‘morally wrong’ for children to learn about?

“And would you allow the same question if ‘LGBT’ was replaced by another minority? Yours, an increasingly narked colleague.”

A BBC spokesman said: “This was a question asked by an audience member on a subject which has seen a lot of recent discussion.”