CAMPAIGNERS for inclusive education are celebrating a landmark achievement with the launch of a new LGBT teaching resource.
The Time for Inclusive Education(TIE) campaign, set up in the wake of the 2014 referendum, has been calling for greater awareness and inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender identities in the school curriculum for the past seven years.
Today the Scottish Government and TIE have launched a new set of inclusive treaching resources for both primary and secondary pupils across the country. It is the first such resource of its kind in thw world, according to the Scottish Government, who say it will ensure LGBT history and understanding is embedded into the school curriculum.
Along with facts and worksheets on well-known LGBT figures in history, the resources also include information about disabled people and women who may have been overlooked in the past due to their minority status.
The resources include the life story of gay civil rights leader Bayard Rustin to understand the impact of discrimination, and a lesson plan interpreting a same sex love poem believed to have been written by Marie Maitland over 500 years ago in Scotland at a time when homosexuality was an offence and the Witch Hunts and Trials were ongoing.
They have been developed by TIE and teachers all across the country, and welcomed by teaching union the NASUWT and the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
Jordan Daly, who co-founded the TIE campaign alongside Liam Stevenson, said: "I experienced bullying and prejudice at school for being gay, and it had a detrimental impact on my confidence and wellbeing for some time.
"We know that for some LGBT young people in our schools today, their experience is no different than mine was.
"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. Just as I learned about Emmeline Pankhurst and Rosa Parks, I wish I had learned about Bayard Rustin and Sally Ride.
"This new platform, which has been co-developed with teachers across Scotland, will support teachers to take a proactive, educational approach to tackling prejudice, and provides freely available curriculum resources and a two stage professional learning opportunity.
"Most importantly, 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."
Children’s Minister Clare Haughey MSP said: “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.
“The launch of this ground-breaking suite of resources for schools takes us another step forward in ensuring that our curriculum is as diverse as the young people who learn in our schools.
“The Scottish Government, in partnership with COSLA, is determined to provide a fully inclusive education for Scotland’s children and young people.”
A spokesman for the Equality and Human Rights Commission added: "LGBT inclusive education is essential if we are to ensure that all pupils and staff are able to reach their full potential, and can help schools in Scotland meet the legal duty to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between people from protected groups.
"We are pleased to have been able to support this work and hope that it will go a long way towards making sure that the needs of LGBT staff and pupils are considered in a whole school approach."
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