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Teacher suspended in gay rights row
Sue Sanders
A teacher who walked out on a gay rights presentation has been suspended from work
Kwabena Peat, 54, a teacher at the Park View Academy in Haringey, North London, walked out of a compulsory training session on bullying.
The presentation was given by Sue Sanders of School’s Out, a group campaigning for LGBT equality in education.
Mr Peat, a practising Christian, walked out of the session after he claimed Ms Sanders questioned why people thought heterosexuality was normal.
“I expected the training session to help us by providing good information on how to handle bullying but she had another agenda,” Mr Peat said. “She started promoting homosexual lifestyles and suggested that those who had objections should sort out their prejudices.
“She clearly asked us, ‘What makes you all think that to be heterosexual is natural?’. It was at that point I walked out.”
Mr Peat later complained about what he called Ms Sanders’ “aggressive presentation” to three of his colleagues.
The members of staff in turn complained to the school’s principal, saying that they felt intimidated and harassed by Mr Peat’s letter.
Mr Peat has been put on paid leave pending a disciplinary action.
A recent survey has shown that almost two-thirds of gay pupils in British schools have at some time experienced homophobic bulling.
