The Department for Education is
‘proud to support Just Like Us UK’s School Diversity Week’.
Department For Education
A superficial examination of this organisation’s content reveals that its ethos is very similar to content complained about over a year ago – material from the CPS for schools organised by Stonewall, that resulted in a court case, removal of resources and suggested links, and new guidance from the Department for Education.
All of this comes to the fore in the reproduction of a photo from London Pride 2018 used by Just Like Us. A group of lesbians entered the march to make a point that lesbians were being erased and endangered by the ridiculous assertion that men could be lesbians; had a right to enter lesbian spaces, and that lesbians were ‘transphobic’ if they refused to sleep with men claiming to be ‘lesbians.’
I am appalled to see the wording accompanying the image (above) being endorsed by the Department of Education. This wording suggests erroneously that lesbians ‘do not fully ‘’get’’ someone’s identity’. It is libellously suggesting to children that lesbians asserting their rights to be same-sex attracted, as protected by law, is hatred and bigotry. It is telling young women that lesbians have to accept penises in their sexual lives.
Denying that lesbians have a right to demonstrate their same sex attraction, is not only homophobic and misogynist, but appears to be deliberately inviting students to set lesbians up as a target, for harassment and bullying. And it is telling girls who are same sex attracted, that they have no right to exclude ‘lesbians with penises’ from their potential relationships.
Are you going to continue to endorse this?
Elaine Hutton,
Member of Bristol Education Research Group and Lesbian Rights Alliance.
rESPONSE
Subject:Just Like Us CRM:0607021
Date: Thu, 1 Jul 2021
From: ACCOUNT, Unmonitored Unmonitored.ACCOUNT@education.gov.uk
To: Elaine Hutton
Dear Ms Hutton
Thank you for your e-mail regarding Just Like Us.
The Department for Education (Department) wants our schools and colleges to be welcoming places that teach young people about the values needed to prepare them for life in modern Britain. As such, we support ‘Just Like Us’s broad aim of celebrating diversity. However, it is for individual schools to decide how they teach about diversity, and it is not the role of the Department to comment on specific externally produced materials, and in this case, the Department’s message did not endorse any materials produced by Just Like Us.
The Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) implementation guidance sets out clear guidance for schools in choosing resources and states that schools should assess all resources carefully to ensure they are age appropriate, meet the outcome of the relevant part of the curriculum, and are in line with the school’s legal duties in relation to impartiality and particularly when using materials produced by external organisations.
The Department does not typically advise schools on which resources will be the most suitable for schools to use, not least because schools operate in a variety of different contexts and have both the expertise and knowledge that makes them best placed to make these decisions. The law is clear that schools must remain politically impartial. It is important that schools uphold their duties with regards to political impartiality. We are developing further guidance to support schools to understand and meet their duties in this area.
Yours sincerely Muniza
RSHE and Citizenship Unit
School Safeguarding and Pastoral Care
Website: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-education
