Students across the country are heading back to school this week, and while this might not seem momentous, for Stonewall, this school year marks the beginning of the end of a decades-long campaign to get an inclusive education system in England. In September 2020, new regulations for teaching relationships and sex education (RSE) in English schools come into force. It will be a landmark moment – a whole generation will attend schools that not only accept LGBT people and same-sex relationships, but also celebrate and offer support on the issues that young LGBT people face.
The guidance means that primary schools will teach about different families, which of course includes LGBT families. Contrary to what’s been said by some online and in the media, this is just about showing kids that families can have two mums or two dads. Or to put another way: different families, same love.
If you, like me, were at school in the 1980s and 90s you endured an education system that erased LGBT people and history. In 1989, section 28 banned local authorities from “promoting homosexuality”. Without any recognition or inclusion, and with teachers essentially banned from reprimanding those who used homophobic slurs, bullying flourished and scarred a generation of young people. Growing up as a gay boy in Kent was hard. Schools couldn’t even acknowledge the existence of gay people, let alone talk about the challenges we faced – I felt totally isolated and afraid of being found out. All the while, the media wrote stories about lesbian, gay and bi people arguing that children would be “turned” gay if they were taught about same-sex relationships. I had few role models and was left feeling ashamed of who I was. During my entire school career I couldn’t accept my sexuality, let alone be open about it.
The struggle to repeal section 28 took years. It only left the statute books in 2000 in Scotland and 2003 in England and Wales. Kent county council even voted to keep its own version of section 28, and that was only quashed when the 2010 Equality Act came into force. The damaging impact of this legislation is still felt in school hallways and classrooms across Britain. Stonewall’s 2017 research showed that 40% of LGBT students were never taught anything about LGBT issues. Teaching about LGBT families not only means children from these families see themselves reflected in what they learn, but also helps all young people understand that there’s nothing wrong or unusual about being LGBT.
However, if this is to be effective, the government (whoever that might be) has to invest in training to prepare teachers and schools. All schools need to have the resources and time to engage with parents and carers, and explain how they will teach these subjects in a way that benefits children from all backgrounds. To make this happen, we want people to write to their local authorities and be vocal in their support for inclusive education, so that every child can grow up and reach their full potential.
We know that 60% of the British public want primary school teachers to talk positively about different kinds of families, including those who are LGBT, to their students. We work in many schools where young people are already embedding LGBT inclusion in their schools – because it’s so important for them. They’re setting up LGBT networks among peers and teachers, as well as putting on assemblies to celebrate LGBT History Month or Pride. Life for most children has changed beyond recognition, but they are eager for more progress, particularly when 45% of LGBT young people still face bullying at school because of who they are. We must support them. I would have given anything to have had LGBT-inclusive education that taught me it was OK to just be me. For so many young people, September 2020 can’t come soon enough.
Inclusive teaching is an affirmation that you exist, and your identity is valid. It’s also not just about lesbian, gay, bi and trans people. It’s crucial that people realise that there’s no hierarchy in this teaching. It’s about acceptance for people from all backgrounds – be that race, gender, sexual orientation, faith, class and/or disability. This kind of teaching will help foster greater inclusion, acceptance and understanding in our classrooms, playgrounds and school corridors.
I’m under no illusion that it will be plain sailing or that there’ll be no more disruptions outside schools. A vocal minority have gained a platform with anti-diversity rhetoric that seeks to target LGBT people and divide communities. Some protesters claim that a move towards inclusive education is against their religion. This perpetuates a harmful myth that faith and LGBT inclusion cannot coexist. Faith is a big part of many LGBT people’s lives and many of them have spoken out in support of LGBT-inclusive education. Unfortunately, this situation is being used by some groups to further inflame Islamophobic and anti-faith attitudes. We must be vigilant to this and push against those who seek to sow division.
Inclusive education helps to create inclusive communities. Building a more welcoming society requires building bridges between diverse groups. If all schools teach acceptance – no exceptions – then that would be a good first step to healing some of the division that we’ve seen in society over the past decade.
• Paul Twocock is interim chief executive at Stonewall