'LGBT content' removed from UK curriculum

A new petition has appeared on the official website of petitions to the British government and parliament calling on MPs to remove "LGBT content" from school curricula. The number of signatories has almost reached 200,000.

The creator of this petition, Fares Rahmani, stated that schoolchildren should not learn about homosexual relationships or the LGBTQ community as part of school education. Rahmani is calling on "every member of society, especially parents, influencers and leaders" to sign this petition and thereby preserve "family unity and the innocence of our children."

We believe that children should not learn about this at an early age. I am sure that there are many parents who do not want their or other children to be told about LGBT in elementary school, - the description of the petition says.

However, data obtained from the petition's web page shows that dozens of signers are from other countries. For example, there you can see the citizens of the Vatican, Egypt and Brazil. At the same time, the petition website states that only UK citizens can sign. Such a situation may result in the cancellation of this petition.

An alternative petition has now been created calling for LGBTQ content not to be removed from the UK curriculum. Within a few days, this petition gained more than 30,000 signatures.

The petition website says the government will respond to all petitions that have more than 10,000 signatures. Also, the parliament will have to hold a debate on the topic of petitions, which will collect more than 100,000 signatures. So far, the government and parliament have not responded to these petitions. The collection of signatures will run until July.

“LGBT content” in schools

It is worth noting that the Department of Education has previously clarified how LGBTQ content can be presented in lessons as part of the current curriculum. For example, LGBTQ content is not required in elementary school. Educational Resources for Teachers says schools should ensure that LGBTQ knowledge is included in the curriculum, but only when “appropriate.” Typically, LGBTQ content is included in the curriculum only in high schools.

Primary schools, in turn, are not required to report on the LGBTQ community, but they may do so if they believe that such information is appropriate for the age of the students. Thus, schools must ensure that teaching by teachers is sensitive and that the content of the curriculum is appropriate for the age of the students.

It was previously reported that the UK would ban conversion therapy. The British government has said it will soon publish a bill to ban the practice of trying to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity.