OUR LATEST ISSUE
Gay News: Children are to be made more aware of homosexuality in maths, geography and science lessons.
Scheme will be launched in LGBT history month
Children to be given gay-themed lessons
24 January 2011
The initiative, which is being launched next month at the start of LGBT history month, is being sponsored by a £35,000 grant from the Training and Development Agency for Schools.
It is designed to make schoolchildren more aware of the gay community, and will be offered to all schools, although taking part in the initiative will be optional.
Suggested lesson plans include teaching statistics in maths classes by examining census figures about the percentage of gay people in the population.
Geography lessons might include examining why gay people move from the countryside to the city, and science lessons could address same-sex pairings in some species of animals.
The lesson plans, which are backed by the Department of Education, will be available to download from the School’s Out website.
Critics have called the scheme an unnecessary waste of resources.
“This is nonsense,” said Conservative MP Craig Whitaker. “We have enough problems in our country, where we are too far down the national comparative league tables in these core subjects.
“Teachers should concentrate on teaching the core subjects so we become the best at those again. I don’t see how introducing LGBT themes into those subjects is going to help.”
However, Sue Sanders from Schools Out, said: “All we are attempting to do is remind teachers that LGBT people are part of the population and you can include them in most of your lessons when you are thinking inclusively.
Teacher David Watkins, who is involved in the scheme said: “When you have a maths problem why does it have to involve a straight family or a boyfriend or a girlfriend? Why not two boys or two girls?”
“It’s about exposing children to the idea that there are other types of people out there.”
