The announcement that the Scottish Government is to accept 33 recommendations designed to make the education system inclusive of LGBTI people has been hailed as a world first, drawing a line on the “destructive legacy” of Section 28.
In reality, that controversial clause which banned the “promotion” of homosexuality in schools has little contemporary resonance. Most schools already aim to create a safe environment for LGBTI pupils, while many young people have more open-minded attitudes than previous generations.
That does not mean that homophobia, biphobia and transphobia are absent from our schools. Indeed the campaign Time for Inclusive Education says 90 per cent of LGBTI pupils report having been bullied.
The new measures being adopted by Education Secretary John Swinney will have two main impacts. One is on school culture. Better training and support for teachers and the insistence on recording incidents of LGBTI bullying are among the positive changes proposed.
The second is the plan to provide materials to promote awareness of equalities movements and requirements for schools to teach about LGBTI issues in relevant subjects. This is also sensible, helping address an invisibility which can inadvertently support prejudice. Why should pupils learn about the US civil rights movement but not the Stonewall riots, or study Oscar Wilde while overlooking the persecution he faced over his sexuality?
There are caveats. Measures to be inclusive of trans pupils, for example, must take into account the needs of other pupils as well. But the Christian Institute is simply wrong to warn of a”controversial political agenda” behind the changes. There is little controversy now over the importance of tolerance – supporters of these measures include, for example the Catholic Church.
A concerted effort to create an LGBTI-friendly environment in our schools is welcome. Education is, and has always been, a powerful antidote to prejudice.
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