ISSUES
: Sexuality and Gender
Chapter 3: LGBTQ+ issues
24
The mostly low quality of SRE has
terrible consequences, including
unhappy and abusive relationships,
lack of sexual fulfilment, unwanted
pregnancies and abortions and
unacceptable levels of HIV and other
sexually-transmitted infections.
That’s why SRE delivery must
be improved. This requires a
nationwide minimum curriculum
content for SRE lessons, specialist
training in teaching SRE and
action to ensure that all school
staff understand LGBT issues and
support LGBT pupils.
The one issue the new Labour
initiative side-steps is the current
right of parents to withdraw their
children from SRE if they object to
them receiving information about
reproduction, safer sex, LGBT
issues, contraception and abortion.
Why should parents be able to deny
their children the right to information
to debunk ignorance and prejudice
and to ensure they have happy,
healthy sexual and emotional lives?
I thought school was about
preparing young people for adult
life. Love, sex and relationships are
some of the most important aspects
of most people’s lives. Yet millions
of young people grow up sexually
and emotionally illiterate. The
result? Dysfunctional, miserable
relationships and unfulfilled sexual
and emotional needs; leading to
anxiety, depression and other
manifestations of mental ill-health.
Plus drug and alcohol abuse.
This is the shocking price we pay
for half-baked SRE and the right of
parents to pull their kids out of SRE
classes.
Labour and other parties should
pledge to either scrap the parental
opt-out completely or require
parents to come to the school
and physically take their child out
of each SRE lesson. The latter
option would preserve the right of
parents to withdraw their children
but require them to make an
effort. In all likelihood, the number
of kids being taken out of SRE
would plummet which, from a child
welfare point of view, would be a
damn good thing.
Another notable finding from the
NUS survey is that more than a
third of students gave their SRE
experience a negative rating on
equality and diversity.
To prevent prejudice and bullying,
schools clearly need to do more
to challenge ignorant, intolerant
attitudes, so that pupils treat each
other fairly and with respect – to
create a safer, friendlier and more
cohesive education environment –
and society.
No one is born bigoted. Some
young people become bigoted
because of the bad influences of
adults and peers. Early, sustained
equality and diversity education
can help prevent this.
That’s why I believe equality
and diversity education against
all prejudice – including racism,
misogyny and homophobia –
should be part of the core national
curriculum and required teaching
in every school. These dedicated
lessons – by specialist trained
teachers – should start from the
first year of primary level through to
the end of secondary education.
The aim would be to promote
understanding and acceptance of
Britain’s many different peoples
and communities. Together with a
strong affirmation of our common
humanity, they should educate
young people to accept that the
right to be different is a human right,
providing this difference doesn’t
infringe the rights of others.
Does Labour get it? I hope so. Will
the other parties get it? I hope so.
This shouldn’t be a party political
issue. We are talking about young
people’s welfare. They deserve
better.
For more information about the
Peter Tatchell Foundation’s human
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5 February 2015
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The above information has been
reprinted with kind permission
from the Peter Tatchell
Foundation. Please visit www.
PeterTatchellFoundation.org for
further information.
© Peter Tatchell Foundation 2016
