The Scottish Green Party have announced their support for LGBT+ inclusive education in schools.
CREDIT: Edinburgh Greens : CC FlickrThe Scottish Greens have backed a campaign by Time For Inclusive Education (TIE) which aims to introduce teacher training in LGBT+ inclusivity for Scottish schools in an effort to tackle homophobia and transphobia in the classroom.
The campaign which has been founded by Jordan Daly and Liam Stevenson has already been praised by Scotland’s First Minster Nicola Sturgeon who last week said,
“I think what Time for Inclusive Education are doing is impressive and I hope that whoever forms the next Scottish Government will work with them, as we will.”
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Speaking about TIE in an interview with Common Space, co-convener of the Scottish Greens Patrick Harvie said:
“During the next session of the Scottish Parliament we have to see real progress. We wouldn’t even be in that position, of understanding how that progress had to happen, if it hadn’t been for the TIE campaign getting the ball rolling. It really is inspiring, the work they have done.”
The comment comes following an upsurge in national debate around the topic of LGBT+ inclusive education as a result of TIE, which recently saw Nicola Sturgeon state that she was impressed by the campaigners, and committed to working with them within the next parliament as she admitted that “more has to be done” on LGBT+ inclusion within education.
Commenting on the news, a spokesperson for TIE stated:
“It is fantastic to gather more political support for our campaign. We are pleased that the Scottish Greens have adopted our aims and committed to a clear strategy for tackling LGBT-phobia in schools. With the amount of positivity coming from Scottish political parties around this issue, the next parliament looks to be very progressive on LGBT+ equality – particularly focussed on inclusive education.”
The Scottish Greens are the second major political party to support the campaign, following the unanimous passing of a motion in support of TIE by SNP members at the party’s spring conference earlier this month, which committed the SNP to creating an education system that is fully inclusive of LGBT+ identities and relationships within the next parliament, in order to promote a “safe, equal and accepting environment for all of Scotland’s young people”.
All party leaders, with the exception of UKIP’s David Coburn, have agreed with TIE’s calls for a commitment to improving accessibility to LGBT+ specific teacher training, with Patrick Harvie specifically highlighting that faith schools must not be exempt from any strategy proposals.
