Protests in Birmingham and letters from parents sent to schools in other parts of England have begun to surface as a reactionary measure to teaching LGBTQ topics in schools, according to Apex LGBT.
Such lessons are scheduled to be taught starting next year, but some people believe that the lessons will “proselytize a homosexual way of life.” Many people are protesting outside of Anderton Park Primary School in which books that included gay families and transgender children were distributed. The books haven’t even been read (presumably) and people are already up in arms about them. Cool.
Shakeel Afsar, the leader of the protest is concerned that schools will teach their children about views that don’t align with their religion, as he says “all we are concerned [about] is we are having our children come home with material that contradicts our moral values.” It’s not like learning about gay people will make people gay because it just doesn’t work like that. I was taught about heterosexual sex in school multiple times and I’m still gay so go figure…
Amir Ahmed is another protester with something to say about the prospective curriculum, as he says “It’s not about gay lesbian rights and equality. This is purely about proselytizing a homosexual way of life to children.” When people say stuff like that I just have to roll my eyes because there is no such thing as a homosexual way of life – we all experience life differently even though some may share the same sexuality. He also said that children can be taught that being gay is an acceptable way to be and that they may experiment with the same sex and that gay people want to convert children. Okay.
While the protesters claim to not be homophobic, the BBC has seen messages from the WhatsApp group chat that suggests otherwise.
Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra, a local Islamic leader, said that the use of the word “proselytize” is disappointing and that he doesn’t think that schools are brainwashing children into being gay and that he recognizes that it’s not something one can choose to be. He said that the purpose of teaching LGBTQ topics is not to make children be gay but instead decrease anti-LGBTQ bullying by providing positive representation.
This isn’t the first time people protested an LGBTQ-inclusive curriculum, however. Earlier this month, about 700 students in the Sacramento area were kept home in protest of LGBTQ topics. These protesters are only hurting their own children by not allowing them to expand their mind and realize that LGBTQ people have always existed and will continue to exist. I hope that schools in England will still teach using an LGBTQ-inclusive curriculum because representation really does matter as a way to make gay students feel accepted and to show that we’re people too and that we deserve the same respect as everyone else.
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Source: Apex LGBT
No one can proselytize homosexuality or hereto sexuality it is a God given, genetic and environmental state of being. When are people going to understand this simple fact. I am a celibate Androsexual (homosexual) man who found out that I am attracted to males at 100% and had ZERO attraction to females when I was 11 years old — when I was watching Tarzan on a Viewmaster toy. I never changed my orientation since then, even though I tried to be with girls. This is a fact. There is a need to educate the parents to shed their primitive thinking.