Is There Enough LGBTQ+ Education in Schools?
By Unseen Studio via Unsplash
By Emma Crossan
Following the UK Supreme Court’s ruling that gender can only be equated to biological sex, it seems like we’ve taken a huge step backwards from what once seemed to be a progressive society.
The Supreme Court ruled that women are defined by biological sex; therefore, the women’s bathroom can only be used by people who were assigned female at birth.
This has led to a multitude of cases of cisgender, masc-presenting lesbians being abused in women’s bathrooms due to being wrongly mistaken for being trans and women being subjected to degrading and humiliating practices, to “prove” that they’re a biological woman.
The level of bigotry and ignorance that is still being displayed towards the queer and trans community demonstrates the lack of LGBTQ education the older generation had.
To this day, there is still stigma around LGBTQ+ education, with far-right of-centre groups labelling this as “unsuitable for children” and “perverted”.
Many people are still under the incorrect assumption that LGBTQ education means encouraging or “brainwashing” children to become queer, trans or non-gender conforming. However, this doesn’t take into consideration that queer children exist, and they need guidance just as much as anybody else.
In 2024, Rishi Sunak called for a ban on education about gender identity for children under nine, claiming that he didn’t want children to be "exposed to disturbing content.”
However, what I find disturbing is the complete obliviousness to how comments like this can make queer and trans children feel.
LGBTQ+ education is not just about teaching children that queer and trans people exist; it’s about helping queer and trans children understand who they are and showing them that they are valid.
As a queer woman, I understand what it’s like to grow up in a heteronormative world and the consequences of ignorance and lack of education.
I experienced being outed and subjected to homophobic bullying as a child, with little to no support from the school. This is something I truly believe wouldn’t have happened in the same way if there had been education and normalisation about queerness from a young age.
Teaching children from a young age that queer and trans people exist can help eradicate the stigma against the LGBTQ community, saving thousands of children from going through homophobic and transphobic bullying.
LGBTQ education is less about trying to encourage children to be queer and more about teaching children to be kind towards people who are different and helping those who are different understand who they are.
As well as this, it’s important that LGBTQ children have the same level of sex education as cisgender, heterosexual children. What many people forget is that it’s equally vital that queer people know how to be safe during sex.
A lack of education in this can result in people being ignorant of the potential risks involved with unprotected sex as a queer person, increasing risks of STIs among queer people and a lack of knowledge surrounding consent.
LGBTQ education is crucial in helping queer children feel validated in themselves, preventing them from growing up with dysphoria around their gender or sexual identity and preventing them from developing ignorant and bigoted views.
This can provide potentially lifesaving support for queer, trans and non-gender-conforming children.
While the world appears to be more progressive nowadays, the Supreme Court ruling is proof that not enough is being done to protect the LGBTQ community.
There is still more that could be done to improve things; providing children with LGBTQ education can help the next generation to eradicate the stigma towards queer and trans people. This can ultimately make the world a safer and more accepting place for everybody.