> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.scenemag.co.uk/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Western Isles rejects LGBTQ+ inclusive education
- URL: https://www.scenemag.co.uk/western-isles-rejects-lgbtq-inclusive-education/
- Published: 2021-01-03T13:15:28.000Z
- Updated: 2021-01-03T13:15:28.000Z
- Description: The Western Isles council voted overwhelmingly in favour of rejecting LGBTQ+ inclusive sex education in place of Roman Catholic teachings on relationships, sexual health and parenthood (RSHP).
- Author: Rachel Badham
- Tags: News, Politics, LGBTQ, LGBTQ Inclusive Education, Ofsted, Scotland, Stonewall, UK News

![](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/stornoway_scotland-1.jpg)

The Western Isles

The **Western Isles** council voted overwhelmingly in favour of rejecting LGBTQ+ inclusive sex education in place of Roman Catholic teachings on relationships, sexual health and parenthood (RSHP). According to [**The Guardian**](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/dec/28/western-isles-council-rejects-official-sex-ed-in-favour-of-catholic-teaching?ref=scenemag.co.uk), the Isles, which are just off the coast of **Scotland**, held the vote after Church of Scotland ministers complained about new LGBTQ+ inclusive teaching regulations, which were backed by the country’s government.

Minister **Rev Hugh Stewart**, lobbied councillors to reject the official education materials, claiming it was inappropriate for young children to be taught about anatomy and would force religious families into tolerating LGBTQ+ people. He said: *“It is one thing for a child or young person to be educated and objectively informed, it is another to require them to ‘embrace’, which infers a tacit support for, a view that contradicts their own morality or faith position.”*

![](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/lgbt-education-1-1.jpg)

A **Hebrides Pride** organiser and LGBTQ+ activist, who has children at a local school, was disappointed by the council’s decision: *“I’m now facing the prospect of attempting to provide this education for my children myself at home. I’d much rather my kids be taught the Scottish government-approved RSHP curriculum at school, by a trained and qualified teacher.”*

They continued: *“My anxiety over the RSHP decision is not just about how my children will be taught right now, it’s also a long-term concern about how they’ll be taught throughout their school years, both in primary and in secondary.”* The debate in the Western Isles came after the 2020-2021 academic year was the first in which LGBTQ+ inclusive education became [compulsory](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/lgbtq-inclusive-school-curricula-to-be-implemented/) in the UK, with schools which fail to adhere to the new regulations being marked down by Ofsted.

![](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/stonewall-education-600.jpg)

New teaching topics include consent, pornography and LGBTQ+ rights, and schools will be expected to improve support networks for queer students. LGBTQ+ organisation, **Stonewall**, said the changes to UK education will be ‘life changing’. It also suggested that *“young people attending schools that accept LGBTQ+ people”* will alleviate bullying and encourage more progressive attitudes towards the queer community.