Scotland became the first country in the world to require the inclusion of LGBT education in school curricula earlier this month, according to the Scottish government.
“Subjects across age groups will now include LGBT identities, issues and history,” explains a press release. The government says that the new initiative is “focused on promoting equality, reducing bullying and improving the educational experiences of LGBT children and young people.”
The press release adds that schools will have access to:
- a website where school staff, parents, carers, children and young people can access information to support LGBT children and young people
- a basic awareness e-learning course for education staff on LGBT inclusive education
- a toolkit of LGBT inclusive education teaching resources
Digital outlet them. explains:
While LGBTQ+ subjects will be taught explicitly, the new curriculum also seeks to integrate inclusion into everyday learning. Lessons offered on the website range from exercises on discrimination to a math problem involving a young girl purchasing Father’s Day cards for her two dads.
The curriculum also spotlights LGBT role models like astronaut Sally Ride and civil rights icon Bayard Rustin.
“I am proud to say that Scotland is leading the way as the first country in the world to embed LGBT inclusive education right across the curriculum. By doing so, we can help young people to reach their full potential and flourish in a diverse and inclusive society,” said Scottish Children’s Minister Clare Haughey.
Jordan Daly, the head of Time for Inclusion, a LGBT Inclusive Education charity added, “this work will empower young people and provide them with an opportunity I didn’t have at school – to feel valued, confident, and proud of who they are.”
“It wasn’t until I learned the history of my community that I began to understand that it was perfectly alright to be who I was, and that there were many other people just like me. It would have changed my life to have known that sooner,” Daly said.
them. provides context:
Scotland has also taken other steps to better support LGBTQ+ students in recent months. In August, the Scottish government provided guidance encouraging schools to adopt gender-neutral dress codes and allow trans students to use chosen names, pronouns, and bathrooms. The recommendations were not compulsory.
In the U.S., only seven states have adopted curricular standards that affirm LGBTQ+ people, according to the anti-bullying advocacy group GLSEN. Those states are California, New Jersey, Nevada, Illinois, Oregon, Connecticut, and Colorado. Conversely, at least four states — Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi — still have so-called “no promo homo” laws on the books that actively bar educators from depicting LGBTQ+ issues in a positive light.
USA Today expands:
LGBTQ-inclusive curriculum is lacking in many [American] classrooms. Nationally, 19.4% of respondents to GLSEN’s 2019 National School Climate Survey said they had been taught positive representations of LGBTQ+ people, history or events in their schools.