PARKFIELD SCHOOL

What’s next after the anti- LGBTQ protests in Birmingham

The primary school hit the headlines after parents pulled their children out of classes and protested against a programme designed to teach the youngsters about life’s diversities. Although the government then passed new guidelines, there seems to be some troublesome “wriggle room”. So, where do we go from here?

Parkfi eld School hit the news when parents of children began protesting against the No Outsiders programme — a scheme aimed at educating young people about living in a community full of diff erence and diversity, whether that is through ethnicity, gender, ability, sexual orientation, gender identity, age or religion.

Parents at the Muslim- majority school argued that the lessons went against their religious beliefs. The protests continued, and debates about whether LGBTQ identities should be discussed in primary schools made national television.

The No Outsiders programme was suspended, and the BBC came under fi re for their coverage of the subject, while religious community fi gures ( incorrectly) accused the school of promoting gay sex to children, and nobody seemed to be listening to anybody. Again.

Then, in early April, the Houses of Parliament approved the government’s new PSHE programme, which comes into practice in September 2020, by a huge majority. However, the guidance in relation to how schools have to teach about LGBTQ relationships is vague, and still maintains they are up for discussion in the context of religious beliefs in faith- led schools.

Once again, queer lives are up for debate, and nobody is thinking about the damage this does to young kids who identify as LGBTQ.

We asked people from the community, the scene and those who work in education for their views on how we can move forward progressively, together.