BBC News, UK
written by Sima Kotecha
Tuesday March 19, 2019
Four more schools in Birmingham have stopped teaching about LGBT rights following complaints by parents.
Leigh Trust said it was suspending the No Outsiders programme until an agreement with parents was reached.
Earlier this month the city's Parkfield Community School suspended the lessons after protests were held.
Campaigner Amir Ahmed said some Muslims felt "victimised" but an LGBT group leader said No Outsiders helped pupils understand it is OK to be different.
In a letter seen by the BBC, Leigh Trust said it was halting the lessons until after Ramadan, which finishes in June.
The schools involved are Leigh Primary School, Alston Primary School, Marlborough Junior and Infants School and Wyndcliff Primary School.
'Outrageous'
Leigh Trust - which is yet to comment publicly - said it wanted to discuss the programme with parents to find "a positive way" of teaching about the Equalities Act.
Some parents at Parkfield, and the other four schools, claim the classes are inappropriate for young children and the schools' LGBT message contradicts Islam.
The No Outsiders project was created and piloted at Parkfield in 2014 by assistant head teacher Andrew Moffat, who was made an MBE for services to equality and diversity in education in 2017.
Ofsted has deemed the lessons as "age-appropriate".
Mr Ahmed, one of the leaders of the Parkfield protests, said he had seen a presentation about the programme that was to be shown to the government as part of the school's Prevent strategy - which is aimed at reducing radicalisation.
"I think that's outrageous," he said.
"It's quite disgusting that the school has presented our children as potential radicals."
A spokesperson for Parkfield Community School said: "The powerpoint was written four years ago in line with Prevent duty at that time.
"No Outsiders is all about tolerance, accepting difference and respect, which are all key aspects of community cohesion and our fundamental British values."
Mr Ahmed said his community was "respectful and tolerant" of British values but now felt victimised.
He claimed parents who had protested were "effectively seen as homophobes in the wider community".
"Fundamentally the issue we have with No Outsiders is that it is changing our children's moral position on family values on sexuality and we are a traditional community.
"Morally we do not accept homosexuality as a valid sexual relationship to have. It's not about being homophobic... that's like saying, if you don't believe in Islam, you're Islamophobic."
But Khakan Qureshi, a gay Muslim activist who runs Birmingham South Asian LGBT and was invited to visit Parkfield School last week, said he supported the need for the lessons.
"Myself and many others knew from a young age that we were different and we wish we had this sort of education," he said.
He feels the Muslim community as a whole is not homophobic, but believes a minority within the protesters are "agitating".
"The attitudes of the protesters towards the No Outsiders programme is completely homophobic," he said.
"No matter how they package it, it still comes across as homophobic."
He said given the existing legislation to stop discrimination, "I don't understand why certain communities here in the UK are not adhering to those laws".
Fox News
written by Lukas Mikelionis
Thursday March 7, 2019
Hundreds of Muslim parents and their children – dressed up as superheroes – protested outside a primary school in Britain on Thursday against planned lessons on LGBT rights.
More than 200 protesters organized the demonstration against Parkfield Community School in Birmingham over the school program called “No Outsiders” that includes teachings about homosexuality, including same-sex relationships and marriages, and challenges homophobia.
The organizers accused assistant head Andrew Moffatt, who is gay, of promoting LGBT rights against the wishes of the parents, who carried placards reading “Say no to sexualizing children” and “respect and be respected.”
Thursday’s protest came even as the school, where virtually every child has Muslim parents, reportedly suspended the curriculum in response to the outrage and protests. About 600 children were withdrawn from the school in a day as a result of the program, which also teaches about race, religion, gender identity, age and disabilities.
“Up to the end of this term, we will not be delivering any No Outsiders lessons in our long-term year curriculum plan, as this half term has already been blocked for religious education (RE),” the school said in a letter to parents, the Guardian reported. “Equality assemblies will continue as normal and our welcoming No Outsiders ethos will be there for all.”
The school denied that it caved to the protesters and said that the class on gay rights stopped at half-term as planned.
But the school admitted that before the return of the classes they will need to have a discussion with parents and teachers about it, according to the BBC.
Some parents during the protest spoke to the crowd through a megaphone, saying the lessons weren’t “age appropriate” and accused the school of violating not only children’s but also their religious beliefs, as Islam doesn’t approve homosexuality.
Protesters said they will continue to protest every week until the school nixes whole program.
According to a 2016 Channel 4 survey on attitudes of British Muslims, more than 50 percent of respondents said they don’t believe homosexuality should be legal in Britain, while 47 percent of respondents said that it’s not acceptable for a teacher to be gay.
