Scotland Becomes the First Country to Mandate LGBTQ-Inclusive School Curriculum

Scotland is about to become the first country to mandate LGBTQ-inclusive curriculum. After approving a total of 33 recommendations by the LGBTI Inclusive Education Working Group, Deputy First Minister John Swinney on Thursday announced that all elementary and secondary public schools would start teaching students about LGBTQ issues and history.

According to a statement by the Scottish government, the curriculum will cover LGBTI terminology and identities, tackling homophobia, biphobia and transphobia, prejudice in relation to the LGBTI community and promoting awareness of the history of LGBTI equalities and movements.

The new curriculum will start immediately, although it will be up to the school to decide exactly what their students’ needs are and how the educational materials are to be delivered.

Swinney spoke of the intention behind the policy: “Scotland is already considered one of the most progressive countries in Europe for LGBTI equality. I am delighted to announce we will be the first country in the world to have LGBTI-inclusive education embedded within the curriculum.”

“Our education system must support everyone to reach their full potential,” he continued, “That is why it is vital the curriculum is as diverse as the young people who learn in our schools.”

Time for Inclusive Education (TIE), a progressive group which has long been campaigning for the policy, found that 80 percent of all teachers do not believe they are trained enough to break down homophobia, biphobia or transphobia, which is unfortunate because 90 percent of LGBTI people have experienced such discriminations at school.

As part of the initiative, the Scottish government will also fund capacity building projects for teachers and make sure that schools have sufficient resources to carry out these lessons.

TIE’s co-founder Jordan Daly highlighted the new initiative’s powerful impact on the “destructive legacy” of the discriminatory Section 28 which forbad the promotion of homosexuality and was abolished 18 years ago.

“We are delighted that LGBTI inclusive education will now become a reality in all of Scotland’s state schools,” he applauded the policy. “This is a monumental victory for our campaign and a historic moment for our country.”

“The implementation of LGBTI inclusive education across all state schools is a world first and, in a time of global uncertainty, this sends a strong and clear message to LGBTI young people that they are valued here in Scotland. ‘Eighteen years from the repeal of Section 28, we can finally put its destructive legacy to bed,’” he said.

Scotland is known for its progressive stance on LGBTQ rights. In 2014, the country legalized same-sex marriage. In 2015, it is named the best country in Europe for gay people to live in by GLA-Europe. Earlier this year, the government enacted the Historical Sexual Offenses Pardons and Disregards Bill, pardoning all those convicted of same-sex sexual activities before homosexuality was decriminalized in 1981.

However, critics of the new policy—mostly religious groups—voiced their worries regarding the over-politicization of the country’s school curriculum.

Simon Calvert, deputy director of the Christian Institute, expressed his concerns: “Parents, pupils, and teachers expect schools to do all they can to stop bullying of any kind. But they don’t want to see controversial political agendas embedded across the curriculum. Maths lessons should be about maths, not LGBT politics.”

“What this means is that children from families who do not share this commitment to radical LGBT politics will be made to feel isolated in their schools,” he added, appealing to the organization’s 6,000 supporters. “LGBT activists are often highly intolerant of traditional religious views and the people who hold them.”

Featured image via Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA