Humanists want LGBT issues taught in primary schools

A humanist campaign group wants four-year-olds to be taught about LGBT issues – and has branded religious views on sexuality “discriminatory”.

Humanists UK, formerly known as the British Humanist Association, issued a statement backing Government plans on new primary school Relationships Education.

Under the proposals, children will be taught about “different types of relationships”, which critics fear could include homosexuality, transsexualism and same-sex marriage.

‘Homophobic’

The group went on to compare traditional religious views to racism, claiming they were an “unconscionable affront to the equality and dignity of all people”.

A Government call for evidence on Relationships Education, as well as secondary school Relationships and Sex Education, has recently concluded, with numerous groups responding.

In a scathing article highlighting comments from Christian and Jewish organisations, as well as the non-religious Coalition for Marriage, Humanists UK described the organisations’ remarks as “deeply homophobic, sexist and pseudoscientific”.

‘More to do’

Saying that the Government should ignore the religious comments, Humanists UK’s Jay Harman wrote: “It was not long ago that similar decisions had to be made by governments both in the UK and the United States in the face of segregationists and opponents of interracial marriage.

“History has taken a dim view of those who sought to hold back the tide of racial equality then, and it will no doubt take a dim view of those who oppose LGBT equality now.”

In October, the Prime Minister said children should learn about LGBT issues at school, claiming there is “much more to do” after introducing same-sex marriage.

Parents, not politicians

But last month, a poll revealed most Britons believe it is parents and not politicians who are best placed to decide when children learn about sex.

The ComRes poll found 65 per cent thought that parents were most appropriate – with 66 per cent saying politicians were the least appropriate.

Around 80 per cent of those polled agreed that schools should be “required to make the content of this relationships education available to parents before it is taught in schools”.

Related Resources