Anger as UK school tells children aged five about gay issues...to the sound of Elton John
Pastor Dale Morgan
Anger as UK school tells children aged five about gay issues...to the
sound of Elton John*
By Laura Clark
The Daily Mail UK
Soundtrack: An Elton John record was played at the school assembly
Pupils as young as five were left 'confused and worried' after a school
assembly to explain homosexuality.
Teachers played a recording of Elton John's Your Song before explaining
that the singer is homosexual and what the term means.
The children were then shown images of same-sex couples.
Parents said the experience left some pupils afraid to cuddle each other
in the playground in case other children thought they were gay.
They have complained they were not consulted over the content of the
assembly.
Although it may have been appropriate for older children, they say it
left the little ones confused and self-conscious about being friends
with classmates of the same sex.
When parents complained to the headmaster, they claim they were treated
as 'homophobic' for even raising the issue.
The assembly, given to pupils aged from five to 11 at Bromstone Primary,
in Broadstairs, Kent, aimed to steer them away from homophobic bullying.
It also covered bullying on the grounds of race, language and weight.
Bromstone Primary School in Broadstairs, Kent, where the children took
part in an anti-homophobia awareness assembly
Gemma Martin, 28, whose children, Chloe, seven, and Danny, four, attend
the school, said some pupils were now worried 'about being friends with
each other'.
'Little girls often cuddle each other if one of them is crying or has
fallen over, and now they are afraid to do that in case the others think
they are gay,' she said.
Michelle Cosgrove, 33, said some parents felt they were treated as
homophobic just for asking why they had not been consulted about the
assembly.
Her three children, Jasmine, ten, Luke, seven, and Freya, five, attend
the school.
She said the example of two boys holding hands and two boys kissing was
mentioned in the assembly - held the day after the International Day
Against Homophobia. She found herself answering questions on
homosexuality when her children raised it at home.
'There is no way on this earth I'm homophobic - I just want the choice
as a parent to talk to my children about this when the time is
appropriate,' she said.
Headmaster Nigel Utton said the 30-minute assembly contained only a
small section on homosexuality which was appropriate for the age of the
children.
It was part of an initiative spearheaded by Kent County Council, he said.
Other parents had approved of the assembly, he said. It had not been
necessary to consult them beforehand.
'Five-year-olds understand about relationships and about liking people,'
he said.
Kent education officer Lynne Miller said: 'This was an assembly about
bullying and parents have praised the school for its handling of such a
sensitive matter.
'Young children are exposed at a very early age to homophobic language.
If language is not challenged it makes it much more difficult to address
homophobic bullying in secondary schools.'