Let boys be girls and vice versa says Church

CHILDREN SHOULD be able to try out “the many cloaks of identity” without being labelled or bullied, the Church of England has said.

In new advice issued to its schools, the Church said youngsters should be free to “explore the possibilities of who they might be”.

Nursery and primary school in particular is a time of “creative exploration”, it says, and youngsters should be able to pick the tutu, tiara and heels, as well as, or, the helmet, tool belt and superhero cloak “without expectation or comment”.

Guidance for Church of England schools on homophobic bullying was first published three years ago, and has now been updated to cover transphobic and biphobic bullying.

No child should be bullied because of their perceived or actual sexual orientation or gender identity, it warns.

In a foreword to the advice, the Archbishop of Canterbury says: “All bullying, including homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying causes profound damage, leading to higher levels of mental health disorders, selfharm, depression and suicide.

“Central to Christian theology is the truth that every single one of us is made in the image of God. Every one of us is loved unconditionally by God. We must avoid, at all costs, diminishing the dignity of any individual to a stereotype or a problem.”

The Most Rev Justin Welby adds: “This guidance helps schools to offer the Christian message of love, joy and the celebration of our humanity without exception or exclusion.”

The Church of England runs 4,700 schools with 1m pupils.