LGBTory raise concerns with the Department for Education

LGBTory, the Conservative LGBT Group, has questioned the Department for Education (DFE) after they removed gender identity from the latest draft of the National Curriculum for Schools.

Concerns are based mainly on the new wording of the education document, which in a previous draft stated that “teachers should take account of their duties under equal opportunities legislation that covers disability, ethnicity, gender, sexual identity, gender identity, and religion or belief.”

However, in the latest draft, this wording has changed to omit gender identity and says simply that “teachers should take account of their duties under equal opportunities legislation that covers disability, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation”.

Despite official explanations that ‘gender identity’ has been included in ‘sex’, LGBTory, has contacted the DFE to raise their concerns.

Zoe Kirk-Robinson, LGBTory’s Trans Officer, said:

“Despite claims that gender identity has been included in ‘sex’ in the latest National Curriculum draft, this is unacceptable. Sex and gender identity are entirely different things.

“While the decision to merge ‘gender’ and ‘gender identity’ in order to eliminate segregation is laudable, children in school – especially transgendered children, who are especially vulnerable – need the protection offered by an outright statement that their status is protected.”

The group has already received an initial response from the DFE but is awaiting a more comprehensive one.