Gay elements to be taught to four-year-olds in Britain
By IANSTuesday, January 25, 2011
LONDON - Young children in Britain as young as four are to be taught about homosexuality in their maths, geography, science and English textbooks.
As part of a government-backed drive to “celebrate the gay community”, maths problems could be introduced that involve gay characters and in geography classes, students will be asked why homosexuals move from the countryside to cities.
The lesson plans are designed to raise awareness about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual issues, the Daily Mail reported.
They will mean youngsters would be exposed to images of same-sex couples and books such as “And Tango Makes Three”, which tells the story of two male penguins raising a chick, which was inspired by events at New York’s Central Park Zoo.
However, critics warn that the drive is an unnecessary use of resources and distracts attention from learning.
Although the lesson plans are not compulsory, they are backed by the department of education and will be available for schools to download from the Schools Out website.
Sue Sanders, from Schools Out, said: “All we are attempting to do is remind teachers that LGBT people are part of the population and you can include them in most of your lessons when you are thinking inclusively.”
David Watkins, a teacher who is involved in the scheme, said: “When you have a maths problem, why does it have to involve a straight family or a boyfriend and girlfriend? Why not two boys or two girls?”
“It’s not about teaching about gay sex, it is about exposing children to the idea that there are other types of people out there,” he said.
However, Craig Whittaker, a Conservative MP and a member of the education select committee, said: “We are too far down the national comparative league tables in core subjects. Teachers should concentrate on those again.”
John O’Connell, of campaign group TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “Parents will wonder if this is a right use of funds and time, particularly when we keep hearing how tight budgets are.”
The plans are funded by a 35,000 pound grant from education NGO Training And Development Agency For Schools. They will be launched in February at the start of LGBT History Month.
The LGBT History Month started in 2005 and has previously focused more on raising awareness of prominent figures said to be homosexual.
A list on its website includes Hadrian the Roman emperor and Michaelangelo the Renaissance painter.
