Diocese banning visit from gay author and sacking governors that approved it

[gymgymgo]

The Archdiocese of Southwark over-ruled one of its own headteachers and is sacking some governors because they approved the visit of a children's author who writes books about fictional gay characters. They've said the visit is "outside the scope of what is permissible in a Catholic school". The school's chaplain has said "the event is about promoting the literature of a lifestyle choice that is contrary to the teachings of Jesus Christ." Some of the teachers are now threatening strike action. Aibu to think this story will blow up in the diocese's face?

inews.co.uk/news/catholic-state-school-john-fisher-southwark-diocese-governors-cancel-visit-gay-author-simon-james-green-1505735

@Lovelteers

Bunch of bigots, it’s not like the kids can ‘ catch’ being gay. I would imagine a lot of the parents ARE NOT happy with this actually, many send their kids to Catholic school because they’re often better than the local comps ( and they have that extra church money for facilities and equipment) not because they rabidly believe every piece of bullshit the Vatican comes out with. It’s disgraceful. I feel for the gay kids in that school, just another reminder that many people Think they’re ‘wrong’ in some way just for existing.

Well then the parents shouldn't be surprised that the school upholds Roman Catholic beliefs? Why send your children to a Catholic school if not a practicing Catholic and then be offended when the school behave like Catholics?!

@LadyRoughDiamond

We live in a secular country. Anyone who goes to the effort of finding a job at or getting their child a place at a place at a religious school knows what they’re getting. And, frankly, they deserve what they get.

That's not true, there are areas where you have a choice of a faith school or a faith school.

You might learn to live with that a your 5 year old goes off to school, but then find it is almost impossible to get them out of the faith system because they are in a 'feeder' school and therefore expected to go to the secondary it feeds and are therefore low down the list for the 'bog standard' comp round the corner.

‘ Well then the parents shouldn't be surprised that the school upholds Roman Catholic beliefs? Why send your children to a Catholic school if not a practicing Catholic and then be offended when the school behave like Catholics?!’

So that’s okay then? What if a C of E school ( they have the same ‘beliefs’ around LGBTQ+ people ) did this?

I didn’t mention the parents. I’m sure some will be okay with this but many would not.
This is a state school in modern U.K.

• that’s why this outdated bigotry has made the news.

@HomeHomeInTheRange

sex education is not something I personally feel should be taught to that age group

Secondary school children?? Why?

Deep sigh.

Countries where sex education is done well and from an early age have lower teenage pregnancy rates, lower abortion rates, lower STI rates. And yes, that shoud and does include education about homosexuality. If mummykel16 doesn't think this should be taught in the secondary age sex ed curriculum, she is a big part of the problem.

@Rosieposie101

It's a state school, so all kind of sexual orientation need to be taught.

Also, you imply that parents have a choice. We moved away to avoid the choice of state RC vs state CoE, there was nothing else distant wise for us. We were lucky that we found a part of the borough where we have 4 non-faith schools around and could get DD into one.

My best friend is Catholic and after a heated run-in with her priest about how they are teaching sexuality in Sunday School changed churches and wouldn't dream of sending her children to a school run by "narrow minded idiots". Not all Catholics are happy with these views.

@MissConductUS 'mysoginistic?'

[quote SauceGirl]@MissConductUS 'mysoginistic?'[/quote]
How many women RC priests and bishops are there?

I think the Archdiocese got it badly wrong, but then many Mners wouldn't want trans activists speaking at primary schools.

[quote Simonjt]@mummykel16 If letting children know that gay people exist is sex education, surely you’re also against children knowing about straight people as that would also be sex education. So I take it you want marriage for example to never be mentioned by schools, reproduction not to be mentioned, periods to never be mentioned.[/quote]
To primary school children there is no need for any of that to be mentioned, they will see all that in the usual course of events, I'm pretty sure the vast majority of children know all types of relationships relationships exist.

Might not be so bad if we could trust school staff to just teach it's fine for consenting adults to love who they want , but we can't.

@HomeHomeInTheRange

sex education is not something I personally feel should be taught to that age group

Secondary school children?? Why?

Children under ten

If mummykel16 doesn't think this should be taught in the secondary age sex ed curriculum, she is a big part of the problem.

The biggest part of the problem would be people like you responding to things that have not even been said.

@whynotwhy

I think the Archdiocese got it badly wrong, but then many Mners wouldn't want trans activists speaking at primary schools.

And that would be their right.

@mummykel16 you posted that sex education should not be provided to children under 10.

Are you aware that many girls under 10 have already started their periods?

Age appropriate sex education should be modelled on the way it is done in my native Netherlands and similar countries. And it starts young with simple matters of anatomy, privacy and respect. Homosexuality is mentioned because in every class (except possibly in schools in places like Staphorst) there will be children of same sex xouples.

[quote pointythings]**@mummykel16 you posted that sex education should not be provided to children under 10.

Are you aware that many girls under 10 have already started their periods?

Age appropriate sex education should be modelled on the way it is done in my native Netherlands and similar countries. And it starts young with simple matters of anatomy, privacy and respect. Homosexuality is mentioned because in every class (except possibly in schools in places like Staphorst) there will be children of same sex xouples.[/quote]
Some not many.
As I said if we could trust school staff maybe I'd think differently, but we can't.

Some not many.
As I said if we could trust school staff maybe I'd think differently, but we can't.

So what happens to the primary school children who start their periods having never heard of them before? Do you know how traumatising that could be?

Besides, this is about a high school banning a gay author. Not sure what sex ed in primary has to do with it.

@georama

*Some not many. As I said if we could trust school staff maybe I'd think differently, but we can't.*

So what happens to the primary school children who start their periods having never heard of them before? Do you know how traumatising that could be?

Besides, this is about a high school banning a gay author. Not sure what sex ed in primary has to do with it.

That's because you couldn't be bothered looking at what I replied to.

As for this gay author being banned it is daft, but I'm not surprised given what some faith schools have been found to be teaching.

@mummykel16 So we would also need to change how religion is taught as we wouldn’t be able to mention marriage, including teachers having to hide weddings rings etc.

We would also have to ban the pants rule.

That's because you couldn't be bothered looking at what I replied to.

The don't say gay law? That goes beyond sex eduction in primary school. It bans teachers from talking about same-sex relationships in any context. They even wanted to make it compulsory for schools to out pupils to their parents although thankfully that never passed. It has fuck all to do with protecting children.

I think it might actually do a lot of good. Showing how bigoted and backwards they are will drive young people away from the church at an even faster rate!

That's actually a very fair point; much better IMO for their choices to be known publicly - though as we've seen with the child abuse they do everything they can to avoid this

Sickening, too, to see the rationalising on here from the faithful - predicable of course, but sickening all the same

If we could trust school staff maybe I'd think differently, but we can't

I'd like to disagree with that, but then I write as one who was taught RE by a staunch catholic who used the lessons as a recruiting drive, no doubt mindful of the brownie points it would earn her with her local priest - and for context this wasn't a catholic school

So I think I'll stick with "We can't automatically trust school staff"

[quote Simonjt]@mummykel16 So we would also need to change how religion is taught as we wouldn’t be able to mention marriage, including teachers having to hide weddings rings etc.

We would also have to ban the pants rule.[/quote]
Religion shouldn't be taught in any school paid for by the state because yet again you can't trust what is being taught.

@georama

That's because you couldn't be bothered looking at what I replied to.

The don't say gay law? That goes beyond sex eduction in primary school. It bans teachers from talking about same-sex relationships in any context. They even wanted to make it compulsory for schools to out pupils to their parents although thankfully that never passed. It has fuck all to do with protecting children.

Have you read it?

Have I read the whole bill word for word? No. Have you?

I do know that it bans school staff, including counsellors, from talking to children about sexual orientation or gender identity to children under a certain age, or above if it's "age-inappropriate", whatever that means. It's deliberately vague enough that it could be applied in a variety of contexts. But I don't see how a child going to the school councellor because they are confused or worried about their sexual orientation, and the councellor refusing to help because it's illegal and their parents might sue, can be a good thing. Or teachers being too scared to read a story featuring a same-sex couple, or letting a child with same-sex parents talk about their family, or tell pupils that it's okay to be gay.

Surprised you admitted that.