It is not acceptable that children can be taught relationships should be placed in a hierarchy, depending on sexual orientation
The refusal of a school in Wicklow to include LGBTQI+ relationships in its Relationships and Sexuality Education is an indictment of the government’s failure to reform the curriculum, according to Social Democrats Education Spokesperson Gary Gannon.
“Lacken National School in Blessington recently wrote to parents to advise that “teachers do not cover topics such as contraception and same-sex friendships” in the school’s RSE programme.
“The fact that the school could not even bring itself to refer to “same sex relationships” tells you all you need to know about attitudes to LGBTQI+ relationships within the school. Same sex friendships are platonic. LGBTQI+ relationships are not – they are sexual and equivalent to heterosexual relationships in every respect, including under the law.
“Given this dismissive approach to LGBTQI+ relationships, it is therefore depressing, but not surprising, that last week’s INTO conference heard that LGBTQI+ teachers live in fear of being themselves in Catholic schools. Just 18 per cent of LGBTQI+ teachers in the Republic and 12 per cent in the North have declared their sexual orientation in the school community.
“The fact that this is happening in Ireland in 2022, seven years after the marriage equality referendum, is shameful indictment of the State’s failure to reduce the Catholic Church’s monopolistic control of our education system.
“While the government refuses to act on patronage, the least it could do is ensure that the RSE curriculum is standardised across all publicly-funded schools. It is not acceptable that children can be taught relationships should be placed in a hierarchy, depending on sexual orientation. It is also utterly unacceptable that LGBTQI+ teachers could be expected to teach that their relationships are somehow lesser.
“In a modern republic, we must have relationship and sexuality education that is informed by best practice in science and healthcare – not religious dogma. Last year, I introduced legislation to do just that and reform RSE, but the Minister refused to progress the Bill. She must do so now, as a matter of urgency.”
26 April, 2022
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