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All schools should be forced to teach that homosexuality is “normal and harmless”, Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg urged today.
Mr Clegg unveiled the proposal — which would apply to faith schools as well as secular ones — as he warned that David Cameron could not be trusted to defend gay rights.
In a bid to prevent Mr Cameron from mopping up the pink vote, Mr Clegg called for a raft of measures to boost equal rights, including legalising gay marriage and a reverse on the ban on gay men giving blood.
The Tories stated that Mr Cameron's support for gay rights could not be questioned as he had backed civil partnerships and tax breaks for couples. A spokeswoman for the Tory leader said: “This is just a cheap shot from the Lib Dems.”
But the Tories rejected the calls for faith schools to be forced to teach that homosexuality was “normal and harmless”, in Mr Clegg's phrase.
A spokesman for shadow schools secretary Michael Gove pointed out that the Education Bill before the Commons made provisions for the Personal, Social and Health curriculum to become statutory. The curriculum contains elements that discuss homosexuality and issues such as civil partnerships.
Faith schools of all types are exempted by law from having to teach about sexuality. Asked if that should change, Mr Clegg said: “Yes — and faith schools should have a requirement to have an anti-homophobic bullying policy at their school”. One senior Anglican bishop said: “Instituting something that must be taught, come what may, is frighteningly fascist.”
Reader views (27)
Reading a selection of these comments from people who consider themselves to be 'the backbone of the UK', still believe HIV and AIDS are not most prevalent among young heterosexuals and seem to suggest that being homosexual is somehow a 'choice', it's clear that some sort of education needs to happen. Unfortunately, it's the adults who are probably more bigoted and ignorant than the kids. Should have happened years ago.
- Dawn, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 15/01/2010 19:36
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Yes, fantastic idea. Thank heavens there is a politician who actually wants to make society better. Gay people are born with their sexual orientation, and the sooner we accept this publicly the better.
Religion is divisive and controlling and only has a place in very primitive societies. I object to evangelical and extremist religious views, and I would prefer to love in a country where its influence is acknowledged as prejudiced.
- Sue, London, 14/01/2010 11:12
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"All schools should be forced to"
Sounds pretty Liberal to me Clegover!
- Steve, brentford, 14/01/2010 10:05
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The Liberal Party has been in opposition for nearly 100 years - with no prospect of any improvement while it has leaders like this.
- Alan Marsh, Ely, UK, 14/01/2010 09:56
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It used to be the looney left that all the nuts belonged to, now it appears to be the looney liberals. This man is an idiot, and I for one would never permit, under any circumstances, such nonsense to be taught to my children. The man should be locked away and the key thrown in the bin.
- Eoin Mcgreeghan, Derry, NI, 13/01/2010 23:20
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Interesting how any news topic in the press brings out the homophobes foaming at the mouth with intolerence and such unpleasant bigotry. Gay hate is the last bastion of the prejudiced and the ignorant - gay haters often hate people of different races but can't voice their racist thoughts anymore so they rant about gays instead hiding their other nasty views. How sad they are!
- Thomas, London, 13/01/2010 21:36
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I'm only guessing but is there an election coming up soon?
- Mike, Herts, 13/01/2010 18:58
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More Lefty-Liberal rubbish.
Labour with the support of the Liberals have destroyed this society completely.
Being heterosexual, employed, paying tax, white and Christian (ie the backbone of the UK), simply has no place in the trendy right-on politics of the loonies any more.
- Frank, Home Counties, England., 13/01/2010 17:32
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At last a politician with some gumption! i was educated in a Roman Catholic School, were I was made to feel that my sexuality was a mortal sin, homophobic bullying was rife and when confronted the teachers would turn a blind eye. suicide was attempted due to the daily hell i was living, and the solution offered to me by my school was to be transferred to another school.
Thank goodness that there is some one who is prepared to take this initiative. Too many times support and help is not there when it is needed.
- Stephen, London, 13/01/2010 17:00
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Religious schools have mantained decent standards of education whilst the state sector has imploded. Teaching a set of values and morals is a good thing. All this relativist, liberal rubbish will be the death of our society as we know it. I thought we believed in freedom of speech and expression?
- Mark, London, 13/01/2010 16:38
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From what I read in the papers it would seem a good idea to teach reading, grammar and arithmatic so that they are fit for jobs on leaving school.
Learning about sex should not be a school subject.
I am an old fogy but I still pay council and income tax that pays for education
- John, Buckley Flints, 13/01/2010 16:29
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Interesting point, Nigel. I would say that being AB+ is 'natural' rather than 'normal' given the dictionary definition. Now, if all homosexual people in the UK were AB+ maybe we could say that was normal?
- Paul, London, 13/01/2010 15:55
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Reversing the ban on gay men giving blood would put every man, woman and child at risk from getting Aids through our natioanl blood supply. The HIV rate amoung gay men is simply too high. Drug addicts are also banned, this is for everyones safety. Political correctness has no platform over the safety of others. Would Mr Clegg give his children thius blood if they needed it? I highly doubt it! More PC madness and the reason why the Lib Dem will never gain power with their extreme ultra left views.
- Porky Pies, Land of Make Believe, London, 13/01/2010 15:07
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Paul - "normal"? I was asking myself the same question and came to the opposite conclusion.
Is having blood group AB+ normal? I'm sure most people would say yes, but only 3% of the UK population have this group. That's not much different to the percentage born homosexual. Both are to be expected on occasion, as a consequence of being born a human being.
- Nigel, London, 13/01/2010 15:02
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Normal: conforming to the standard or the common type; usual; the average or mean; the standard or type.
So no , homosexuality is not 'normal', much like you can't have a single-sex 'marriage' (Marriage: the social institution under which a MAN and WOMAN establish their decision to live as husband and wife by legal commitments, religious ceremonies, etc.
I'm not saying either state/lifestyle choice is wrong (as long as neither is made compulsory), just that Clegg shows a startling lack of knowledge of the English language.
- Paul, London, 13/01/2010 13:32
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Well done Nick I totally support this. And while we are at it lets take religion out of education 100%. It's divisive and ugly.
- David, London, 13/01/2010 13:10
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Clegg provides no evidence that faith/church schools encourage homophobic bullying but demands something must be done. Nothing like slinging a bit of mud and hoping some of it stick is there? Still, I suppose next month when he does an interview for a religious newspaper he'll change his tone to suit that audience.
There is a problems with bullying in schools, period. Address that and the homophobic strand to it will be dealt with as well.
- Cary, London, 13/01/2010 13:06
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My sister's children attend a Catholic School and they have a very tolerant view of gays, in fact they are as enlightened as any other children. What they have learnt from their school is respect and compassion. I wonder how many people who actually engage in gay "hate crime" went to church schools - very few I suspect. The crime ridden underclass is the real problem. But then as Clegg is on the left he, like his ilk, don't really care about such people. Attacking 'faith' schools is much easier than tackling social problems.
- David Gould, Brighton UK, 13/01/2010 11:40
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Faith schools did a lot to further the damage and divide in the mixed communities of Ireland's big cities.
You'd think we'd have learned something from that. Instead, we let Islamic schools, so segregated and divided from all the other British communities, continue to grow and flourish in their apartheid from society.
- George, East London, 13/01/2010 11:20
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What an odd idea - faith schools should have anti-homophobic bullying policies in place, but non-faith schools should not. Why the distinction ? he does not claim the problem is absent from non-faith schools, just that it is less. "Faith schools" is a very broad category too - I can't imagine that this problem is greater at "say) Church of England schools than non-faith schools. I suppose really he means "Islamic schools" but he is scared to say.
- Roy Grainger, London, 13/01/2010 11:11
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So Clegg wants to police our language now and considers that the distinction between a gay partnership and marriage is some artificial invention of the homophobic.
Given the right technology this tolerance cult would glady police our thoughts, rooting out and punishing anyone backward enough to consider heterosexual marriage as a valuable building block of a society.
- Andrew, Hampton Hill, 13/01/2010 10:43
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I completely agree with mickinlondon, faith schools just ingrain religious bias and intolerance. What is the point in having other legislation to ensure that such prejudice is not allowed in our society and allowing so-called faith schools to practice their closed door, biased teaching - whatever their theology. We (society)need to understand and be tolerant of each other and each other's religions, to do this schools need to provide a broad based teaching of all major religions, after that it's up to the individual.
- Graham, Surrey, 13/01/2010 10:25
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Get rid of Faith Schools; and only have schools for general education.
If you want religious instructions, go to churches, mosques, synagogues, temples etc, there are thousands to choose from, all talking and teaching the same thing, ancient beliefs and man made theology etc.
- Mickinlondon, london
Dead right but go further and separate religion and state entirely. Start with kicking the bishops out of the House of Lords.
- Peter C-H, London, UK, 13/01/2010 10:06
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Get rid of Faith Schools; and only have schools for general education.
If you want religious instructions, go to churches, mosques, synagogues, temples etc, there are thousands to choose from, all talking and teaching the same thing, ancient beliefs and man made theology etc.
- Mickinlondon, london, 13/01/2010 09:39
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One can see who rules the Liberal party aghainst the intersts of the Majority. Im sick and tired of this governhment ramming sex and alternative life stylers down the throats of children. They are now demamding that they can dop it down to the age of five. #
Our forefathers would be horrified. No wonder this country is in so much trouble.
- Jas, Farnborough UK, 13/01/2010 09:35
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Totally right. Homophobic bullying is rife in schools and it has devastating effects on teenagers, even leading them to depression and suicide. I personally saw one fellow pupil hounded mercilessly. In religious schools, things are even worse and something needs to be done.
Well done, Clegg!
- Robert C, London UK, 13/01/2010 09:28
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Right on, that's really nailing the issues that are concerning the nation. Just when you might consider them not a totally wasted vote.
- Squiz, Islington, 13/01/2010 09:14
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