Parent protest at sex education being taught.

[justasking111]

A group of angry mums have launched a protest and petition against their school for introducing a curriculum supporting homosexuality.

Andrew Moffat MBE, assistant headteacher at Parkfield Community School in Saltley, has been criticised by parents for piloting No Outsiders - a programme run alongside sex and relationship education (SRE) lessons.

Its ethos promotes LGBT equality and challenges homophobia in primary schools.

Books now being read by pupils at Parkfield Community School include Mommy, Mama and Me and King & King - stories about same-sex relationships and marriages.

But Mr Moffat and the No Outsiders programme have come under fire from some Muslim parents who condemn such teachings, as homosexuality is strictly forbidden in Islam.

Mr Moffat, who is openly gay, and the school have defended the programme, which they said had been fully explained to parents. They added: "No Outsiders allows us to raise awareness of these differences so that children are able to tolerate and accept differences in our society."

The extract above is from an article in the Birmingham Mail. I think it is quite a fair article.

www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/muslim-mums-protest-outside-school-15729135

Didnt read the whole article, but if it's true its being taught to even the youngest in the primary school, that seems a bit too much. I'd start it more around the 9/10 age range. Don't really see why 4 year olds need taught that, not sure they would even properly understand.

I will understand the argument that children shouldn't be taught about LGBT+ relationships yet allow their children to watch Disney films where a heterosexual couple get married and live happily ever after.

Why is it ok for children to learn about heterosexual relationships but not LGBT+ relationships?

Oh FFS. This is ridiculous. If you don't respect equality then send your kids to a religious school.
Religious schools by the way should be private not state funded IMO.
Why are we even debating this in 3019????
I married and straight here by the way.

2019!!!

I don't see why it's too much for this to be taught to the youngest primary kids Santa? It's not like this is a picture book correcting the Karma Sutra! It will be taught through age-appropriate methods and resources.

At that age, they'll treat it as matter of fact which means there's less of a need to break down the assumptions that will be there at the age of 10.

Santaclarita it is not beyond the realm of possibility for there to be 4 year olds in that school who have two mums. Or two dads. That is why equality needs to be taught from a very young age, so that we will end up living in a society where it doesn't matter who marries whom, as long as there is stability and support in long term happy relationships.

As the parent of a gay DD whose girlfriend's mum is a rampant homophobe, I've seen at first hand the havoc bigotry causes in families. Education is key.

So because its a Muslim community they need to be taught differently to other children. Fucks sake. Way to give the racists ammunition.
I live in Birmingham, this hasn't gone down to well on social media.

My kids are 4 and 7. They know and have always known since be able to ask the question, that men can love women or men. That women can love women or men. I am grateful that my kids are growing up in an age where homosexuality is becoming more normalised. If they are homosexual or heterosexual, they won't be persecuted for it.

I think some 4 year olds could understand it, but the majority? I guess it more depends on their upbringing on how quickly they will get it. If you have parents like those ones, it will take longer for the message to sink in. Those ones will just be confused.

People are entitled to their beliefs. And people are entitled to think the beliefs are wrong.

I do think people assume that teaching about same sex relationships involves somehow more graphic and unsuitable explanations than hetero relationships do.

Both mone know 2 men can marry and 2 women can marry. I don't get what is so disturbing about it.

It's not like they take them to live sex shows or something

Homosexuality is something that can be taught about in an age appropriate way.

There’s a couple of kids at my DC’s school with parents in same sex relationships, so it’s something that the school do make a point of talking about and trying to normalise, even to the children in the school nursery.

And at nursery / Reception age, from what my DC have mentioned, the teaching seems to be along the lines of “some children have 2 mummies / 2 daddies instead of a mummy and a daddy”. Not exactly controversial.

I think some 4 year olds could understand it, but the majority? I guess it more depends on their upbringing on how quickly they will get it.

Sex Ed at age 4: children can have a mummy and a daddy or two mummies or two daddies etc etc

Age 5-6 when they grow up girls can marry boys, girls can marry girls and boys can marry boys.

Nice picture book to explain.
It isn't complicated or scary and most children have no problem "getting it"
The parents on the other hand.......

The irony, it's OK to tell your children they are muslim but not OK to tell them some people love people of the same sex.

The children whose parents are opposed to this curriculum are the ones who need it the most.

My 4yo knew that men could marry men or women and women could do the same, don’t think they need much more at that age but starts to normalise their thinking.

Before I get flamed: I don't agree with these parents and my kids (3 and 5) are corrected at home when they make heteronormative assumptions.

But: Schools should teach tolerance of all views, not just the 'right' ones. On sex education they should keep fairly close to basic facts and not push specific value judgements.

Not erasing same sex couples is important, but so is discussing the views of different religions.

That said, I will get money all the above is being done, but scare mongering is still happening.

*Bet money not get money.

Is this the same policy that's being rolled out in Scotland?

This is a community school that just happens to have a very high number of Muslim pupils? Why should religion be pandered to instance? I'm staggered at the intolerance of these small minded parents.

Shame on them.

As the saying is if want to live in any other country but your own then follow the laws of that country and don’t try and push your own laws on them.

And no religion should have a place in any school unless it’s a private non government funded one.

But: Schools should teach tolerance of all views, not just the 'right' ones. On sex education they should keep fairly close to basic facts and not push specific value judgements.

I agree with you because I would not want my children being taught that it's OK to have the type of polygamous marriage that is allowed in Islam, for example. It's perfectly legal for a man to have multiple female partners at the same time and yet I think most of us who are not Muslim would be worried if our child came home from primary and said "Mummy it's OK for me to have 4 wives."

I think it's perfectly acceptable.
I'm my sons school there are numerous children with same sex parents. Why shouldn't some books relate to that?
There are also children born via ivf, surrogates, " children in Foster care and children who have been adopted (including my son)
I hope" no outsiders" means that all children, their types of families and how people are is taught to be normal.
If this acceptance IS taught early enough then it hopefully won't be used as an insult at high school etc

There are some parents at our school who are of the extreme Protestant persuasion. Along the lines of Ian Paisley's beliefs. (Wee Free church in Scotland).

They withdraw their children from anything suggesting that same sex relationships are valid too. They don't really believe in tolerance to homosexuality at all.

it is not beyond the realm of possibility for there to be 4 year olds in that school who have two mums. Or two dads

In a 95% Muslim school in Saltley? I'd say it's highly unlikely.

In my sons school there are numerous children with same sex parents

I bet you aren't a Hijab-wearing mother in Saltley, at a school which is in catchment for the Trojan Horse schools (I think: certainly pretty close).

The elephant in the room here is religious bigotry. There are lots of reasons to argue these parents are wrong, mostly because they are wrong. But let's get the right reasons.