U.K. School Sees More Protests Over Lessons on LGBTQ Acceptance

Protests resumed this week at an elementary school in Birmingham, England, over lessons on acceptance of LGBTQ people.

Parkfield Community School, like Anderton Park Primary School in the same city, was the site of protests, mainly by Muslim parents, this past winter and spring, The Guardian reports. In March, the upset parents pulled hundreds of children from Parkfield for a day to register their displeasure.

In April, Parkfield officials announced that no lessons in the "No Outsiders" program would be taught until an agreement was reached with parents to create a modified version of the program. The school announced last week that the new version, "No Outsiders for a faith community," would be a part of the curriculum beginning in September.

"'No Outsiders for a faith community' has been especially designed for Parkfield community school, acknowledging and respecting the concerns and sensitivity expressed by some parents in the present school community," a school spokesperson told The Guardian. "In the resource, there are lessons referencing race, religion, age, gender, gender reassignment, sexual orientation and disability."

Almost immediately, though, some parents began objecting. Parkfield officials told The Guardian that the protests had resumed Tuesday, and a video clip viewed by the news outlet showed one parent, Mariam Ahmed, trying to push through the school gates despite being told she was banned from the premises. Ahmed had been among the first to take issue with the "No Outsiders" lessons, saying children in elementary school were too young to learn about same-sex marriage and other aspects of LGBTQ life.

Fifty members of Parliament recently wrote to U.K. Education Secretary Damian Hinds, urging him and other national officials to show stronger support for education about acceptance and inclusivity. He responded, "Our new guidance is clear that children should leave school having learnt about LGBT relationships, and I strongly encourage primary schools to teach about different types of family, including families with same-sex parents."