The UK government has stopped schools in England from teaching about gender identity to children.
Government sources have told BBC that in a new draft guidance, the government has a plan to ban sex education as well as teaching gender identity to children under nine.
Prime Minster Rishi Sunak believed that the new guideline would ensure children were not ‘exposed to disturbing content.’
While announcing the guidance, Sunak said, “Parents rightly trust that when they send their children to school, they are kept safe and will not be exposed to disturbing content that is inappropriate for their age. That's why I was horrified to hear reports of this happening in our classrooms last year.”
Sunak asserted, “I will always act swiftly to protect our children, and this new guidance will do exactly that while supporting teachers to teach these important topics sensitively and giving parents access to curriculum content if they wish."
Under the plan, secondary school students will learn about protected characteristics; however, the government has clarified that schools ‘should not teach about the concept of gender identity’ and teaching material that ‘present contested views as fact, including the view that gender is a spectrum’ should be avoided.
The government said it was right to take a ‘cautious approach.’
Additionally, the draft guidance is now open to a nine-week consultation. Once finalised, it will become the constitution, and schools will be expected to follow it.
