Today I challenged the Minister for Schools to take responsibility for making education about sex and relationships compulsory and truly inclusive for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender pupils. No child should grow up in an education system that excludes or misunderstands their sexuality or their identity – as so many children did in the pernicious days of section 28.

Marching in the Bristol Pride parade this weekend, I was so inspired to see Bristol come together to celebrate the importance of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans equality. I believe everybody on that march would want their children or their relatives to receive high-quality education right throughout their school career, which provides them with information and role models to understand different sexualities and gender identities, and what makes for healthy relationships.

The government have brought forward legislation and guidance – which I voted for – that encourages schools to deliver this kind of education. I want them to go further than to merely ‘encourage’ schools to deliver LGBT-inclusive education. I want the government to demand it. Because as we have seen in recent months, schools that have done the right thing and delivered modern and well-resourced lessons about relationships and sexuality have been the target of awful and bigoted protests. The government can – and must – stop this, by stipulating that all schools must teach inclusive relationships and sex education, and not merely to be ‘encouraged’ to do so.

Seeing Bristol come together to celebrate Pride this weekend was a wonderful and inspiring glimpse of a society where lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people can feel and be truly equal. We will only achieve that society if we instil that principle at every level of our education system – from the day children start primary school, to the day they complete their GCSEs and A-Levels.

Education about relationships and sex must be compulsory and LGBT inclusive for ALL children

Today I challenged the Minister for Schools to take responsibility for making education about sex and relationships compulsory and truly inclusive for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender pupils. No child should grow up in an education system that excludes or misunderstands their sexuality or their identity – as so many children did in the pernicious days of section 28.Marching in the Bristol Pride parade this weekend, I was so inspired to see Bristol come together to celebrate the importance of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans equality. I believe everybody on that march would want their children or their relatives to receive high-quality education right throughout their school career, which provides them with information and role models to understand different sexualities and gender identities, and what makes for healthy relationships.The government have brought forward legislation and guidance – which I voted for – that encourages schools to deliver this kind of education. I want them to go further than to merely 'encourage' schools to deliver LGBT-inclusive education. I want the government to demand it. Because as we have seen in recent months, schools that have done the right thing and delivered modern and well-resourced lessons about relationships and sexuality have been the target of awful and bigoted protests. The government can – and must – stop this, by stipulating that all schools must teach inclusive relationships and sex education, and not merely to be 'encouraged' to do so.Seeing Bristol come together to celebrate Pride this weekend was a wonderful and inspiring glimpse of a society where lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people can feel and be truly equal. We will only achieve that society if we instil that principle at every level of our education system – from the day children start primary school, to the day they complete their GCSEs and A-Levels.

Posted by Thangam Debbonaire MP for Bristol West on Tuesday, July 16, 2019

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