Teachers want same-sex education made compulsory
THE NATIONAL Union of Teachers (NUT) has called on the new Government to introduce compulsory teaching about same-sex relationships in schools.
At the recent annual meeting for the NUT in Harrogate, delegates passed a resolution asking for a ‘positive climate of understanding’ around sexuality, making it easier for students and teachers to identify themselves as part of the LGBTQ community.
They also asked that an education secretary is appointed, who “supports LGBT rights and has a positive track record in supporting civil partnership and gay marriage.”
Christine Blower, General Secretary of the NUT, said: “There are lesbians, gay men, bisexual and transgender people in all of our school communities as teachers, support staff, students, parents and governors. It’s time the government woke up to, and acted on that reality.”
The Church of England’s Board of Education avoided addressing the proposal made by the NUT, by citing their recent work on the commitment to address homophobic bullying in schools, though steering clear of avowing a non-discriminatory policy on same sex education. A Church of England spokesperson told The Church of England Newspaper: “We have not studied the proposals in detail but we introduced new anti-homophobic bullying guidelines in all our schools last year and are fully committed to sex and relationship education that allows room for exploration and discussion of relationships, within a framework of Christian values.”
The guidelines written in the report ‘Valuing All God’s Children - Guidance for Church of England Schools on Challenging Homophobic Bullying’ says: “The official Church of England teaching about the human sexual act is that ‘it is an act of total commitment which belongs properly within a permanent married relationship and that homosexual acts fall short of this ideal’.”
Number eight of the 10 recommendations to guide Church of England Schools through homophobia states that the official Church of England line is taught clearly, but other viewpoints ‘held by Anglicans’ (rather than Anglican viewpoints) are also represented alongside that teaching.
Stonewall, the LGBT rights organisation, which partnered with the Church of England to help fight homophobic bullying, and whose chief executive, Ben Summerskill once accused the Church of England of a “masterclass in melodramatic scaremongering”, told The Church of England Newspaper that they would welcome the same level of same-sex relationship education in Church of England Schools.
A Stonewall spokesperson told The Church of England Newspaper: “We at Stonewall work with many faith leaders and faith groups who support equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people. It’s an extremely positive step forward if the Church of England Education Board support the introduction of compulsory teaching on same-sex relationships in schools.”