Anglican Mainstream

From the Daily Mail online

A council has removed books used for an anti-homophobic programme at two primary schools after parents complained,
authorities said today.

Bristol City Council said it had temporarily removed books and teaching materials from Easton Church of England Primary School and Bannerman Road Community School and Children’s Centre.

The decision to remove the books was taken on Friday after parents took part in meetings held at the two schools.

The books and teaching materials, which are predominantly aimed at five to 10-year-old children, were introduced in an attempt to deter homophobic bullying.

One story that angered parents featured a king who could not find a suitable woman so he married a prince instead.

Members of the Bristol Muslim Cultural Society said parents were not outraged by the school’s anti-bullying agenda but were frustrated by the lack of consultation offered to parents.

Farooq Siddique, community development officer for Bristol Muslim Cultural Society and a governor at Bannerman Road Community School and Children’s Centre, said many children were too young to define heterosexuality and homosexuality.

He said: ‘The main issue was there was a total lack of consultation with parents.

‘The schools refused to deal with the parents, and were completely authoritarian.

‘The agenda was to reduce homophobic bullying, and all the parents said they were not against that side of it but families were saying to us: "Our child is coming home and talking about same-sex relationships, when we haven’t even talked about heterosexual relationships with them yet."

‘In Islam, homosexual relationships are not acceptable, as they are not in Christianity and many other religions, but the main issue is that they didn’t bother to consult with parents.’

Siddique continued: ‘The issue should have been "how do we stop bullying in general?" and teaching about homosexuality can be a part of that. This was completely one-sided.

‘Homosexuality is not a priority to parents but academic achievement is. This just makes parents think "what the heck is my child being taught at school?".’

Traditional Islamic views condemn homosexuality but there are liberal Muslim movements, such as the Al-Fatiha Foundation, which is dedicated to gay Muslims.

Julia Walton, spokeswoman for Bristol City Council’s education department, said: ‘All Bristol schools have a legal duty to report and deal with homophobic harassment as part of the curriculum since April 2007.

‘As part of this, schools can choose to seek specialist advice and training on topics such as homophobia.

‘Bristol City Council has temporarily withdrawn the use of materials that can be used to explain homophobia to children to ensure that both Bannerman Road and Easton primary schools can meet their legal responsibilities and operate safely.

‘We are now liaising with community forums in the city, local clerics, teachers’ unions, the Institute of Community Cohesion and the Equality and Human Rights Commission to ensure that the topic can be addressed in an inclusive manner in the curriculum.’

Gay rights campaigners Stonewall said removing the books from the schools was likely to cause children to think there is something wrong with homosexuality.

Ben Summerskill, chief executive of Stonewall, said: ‘All children have the right to be protected from bullying, whether they are growing up gay or Muslim or Christian.

‘Appropriate ways of dealing with bullying should not be shut out of schools. All the materials we have seen from this project are extremely carefully designed.

‘We’ve looked at these materials and they seem to be appropriate for children. The only people who raised the issue of sex were those who objected to them.

‘The small number of parents who make a fuss will cause children to think there is something wrong.’

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