Undoubtedly, controversies surrounding the education of children about sex and relationships are nothing new, but in the current climate of tensions around both faith and LGBT+ issues, there is inevitably something of a powder keg. When you mix together the complexities of Islamophobia, Anti-Semitism, radicalisation, narratives of Christian persecution, intolerant forms of religion and secularism, and then, swirl in debates around feminism, trans rights, approaches to intersex people, the “get the ‘L’ out” campaign, as well as contemporary categorisations of human sexuality and gender stereotypes in the West, it is far from surprising that you end up with a smoking cocktail of confusion, and frequently, anger. It is all too easy for points to be conflated or misconstrued, and all too often parties talking, or perhaps shouting, at cross-purposes.
A frequent trope at present seems to be one of religious conservatives fearing that children are being prematurely sexualised, and introduced to ideas about homosexuality and gender identity which are fundamentally at odds with the worldview of their Muslim/Christian parents. State schools in Birmingham have faced protests which have been so intimidating that teachers have come into school shaking, and legal action has been taken to halt the aggressive demonstrations. What is worse, some of the most vociferous campaigners do not even have children at the school they are besieging.
In the case of the Birmingham schools, some of the tensions have been fuelled by the spread of garbled information and misunderstanding. For example, the Labour MP Roger Godsiff, who criticised the lessons on offer as not being “age appropriate”, admitted that he had not actually read the teaching materials in question. Anyone who has taken the trouble to do so (there is a very helpful BBC news below, which looks at some of the books in use) will rapidly realise that the focus is simply on helping children to understand that being different isn’t a negative thing. Pupils are reassured that it’s not an issue if they feel that they are not the same as their peers in some ways, and also that we can be friends with all sorts of people, whether or not they share all of our characteristics. It’s as much as reminder not to judge someone for not having the “right” brand of trainers, as it is about sexuality and gender stereotypes.
However, it is correct that, quite rightly, ideas about different kinds of people and types of families are introduced in sensitive and age appropriate ways. For example, one book which features is the classic “Tango makes three”, which tells the true story of a penguin chick who was adopted and reared by two male penguin partners. It is also undeniable that our society in general, is, thankfully, making strides in tackling homophobia, meaning that gay people and same sex relationships are becoming increasingly visible and unremarkable. Consequently, parents who disapprove of this, for religious or other reasons, are without a doubt facing a clash between their worldview and mainstream cultural values, and have to make choices about how to approach this. For instance, if there is any truth in the rumours that Frozen II is going to feature a lesbian love interest for Elsa, they will need to decide whether they will boycott the biggest children’s film of the summer, and what explanation they will give.
But what about schools? It is true that human rights law protects the religious freedoms of parents, and the liberty to bring children up in accordance with their views and preferences (Articles 9 and 8 ECHR), and it is uncontroversial that state education must be free from indoctrination, as well as being delivered in a way which is accessible to all families, regardless of faith, conscience or political leanings (Article 2, Protocol 1 ECHR). However, crucially, these rights are not absolute, and they have to be balanced against the other, equally important rights at play in society.
Certainly, other relevant rights include those of gay or transgender people, who needless to say are entitled to feel comfortable and respected, and in light of this non-negotiable requirement, air-brushing one group of citizens from the school curriculum to appease another would hardly be a reasonable balance. Moreover, there are also the independent rights of children to learn about the world and the society in which they are living, and parents do not have a right to censor the flow of information to their children at all times and in all places. This has been crystal clear in the UK since the Gillick litigation, and as the slogan from the campaign surrounding it neatly put it “Under sixteens are people not property”.
The State is, justifiably, reluctant to interfere in family life. If children are physically well cared for, demonstrating that the threshold for local authority action has been met is challenging (although by no means impossible). Our legal and political framework allows parents considerable latitude, and does not seek to intervene in households simply because they are out of step with the dominant moral perspective. In fact, even if we had a collective change of heart, and suddenly wanted to police parenting, we simply don’t have the resources to swoop in to every family home where adults are giving homophobic, Islamophobia, disablist, racist or sexist messages, etc. Nevertheless, there is a world of difference in what we permit parents to do in rearing their children, and what we, as a tax-payers, will spend money actively helping parents to do.
State education needs to reflect the collective norms and values of the democratic society which is organising and funding it, and as a result, demands to exclude aspects of equality and diversity from school life because they do not meet with the approval of some parents must be rejected. All children deserve to learn about different people and their experiences, and to make choices of their own about their beliefs and values. In these situations, where public authorities are in control, the rights of the children must prevail.
Related Articles
Elsa is a lesbian confirmed: fans react to Frozen II trailer Pink News (11/6/19)
Birmingham LGBT Row: Head teacher emotional over protest ban BBC News (1/6/19)
Birmingham LGBT Lessons: MP has not read the books BBC News
School LGBT Teaching Row: What is in the “No Outsiders” books which sparked the protest? BBC News (1/4/19)
Staff shaking when they come to school BBC News (25/3/19)
