Scotland has officially become the first country to embed lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) education into all school’s curricula. Earlier this week Scotland launched an educational tool kit for teachers, including an E-learning course teaching topics related to the LGBT community. Inclusive lesson plans, supportive educational materials and information on how to integrate these tools and new teachings into everyday inclusive learning are provided as well.
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersexual (LGBTI) Inclusive Education Group was established in 2017 to help the young people of Scotland. The group’s goal was to help LGBTI members and allies feel safer, inform citizens and address discrimination and bullying partaking in schools. The group is part of the Getting It Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) organization located in Scotland. This activist group made 33 recommendations to the Scottish Government to help improve young LGBTI members’ educational experiences. The forum includes further review and development of LGBTI curriculum, adding basic training courses on LGBTI inclusion and ensuring long term partnerships to continue the inclusive education within the Initial Teacher Education (ITE). This proposal was accepted in full and has now been implemented into education systems around the entire country, resulting in Scotland to be the first country in the world to require LGBT curriculum.
According to the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersexual Association (ILGA) of Europe, Scotland has been one of the top four countries for LGBTQ+ equality and human rights since 2017. In 2007, Scotland passed the Adoption and Children Act, allowing same sex couples to adopt jointly. Scotland has also introduced the Sexual Offences Act (2009), eliminating sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination from law enforcement. This new education is going to build upon what is in place already for educators to teach with more background knowledge, resources and training.
One of SUNY Brockport’s Women and Gender Study (WGS) professors, Barbra LeSavoy, hopes to see similar growth within New York State.
“Teaching for inclusivity across all social identities is important for empowering LGBTQIA+ youth and their allies and educating in ways that will reduce bullying, homophobia, biphobia and transphobia. New York, let’s follow this lead and make all of our schools LGBTQIA+ safe and informed,” LeSavoy said.
This educational tool is going to help LGBTQ+ students feel more comfortable in their learning environments and communities. Hopefully, other countries follow in Scotland’s footsteps to make learning for all students safe, inclusive and informative.
