Transsexual lessons for 5-year-olds
Children as young as five could be taught about transsexuals in 'gender equality' classes, it was announced yesterday.
Lessons on equality and domestic violence will be included in personal, social and health education, which will be a compulsory part of the curriculum from 2011.
Officials will produce new rules for teachers on tackling 'sexist, sexual and transphobic bullying' in the classroom and schools will be marked on how well they are teaching children, schools minister Vernon Coaker said.
'The appropriateness of what you do with someone who is five years old is totally different in terms of content and how you will be taught to someone who is 15 or 16,' he said.
'You can teach [younger children] about not bullying people and how names can hurt people.'
A spokesman for transgender lobby group Press For Change, Prof Stephen Whittle, said the move could lead to fewer people having operations to change their gender later in life.
'We welcome wholeheartedly this move. When children are stifled through bullying they are more likely to feel gender reassignment is their only option later in life.'
But Margaret Morrissey, from the Parents Outloud campaign group, said youngsters would be turned into 'confused mini-adults'.
'The government should stop interfering with parents bringing up their children and focus on teaching children to read, write and all those things they need to get a career. This has nothing at all to do with academic learning,' she added.
Meanwhile, Tory backbencher Philip Davies said: 'I have heard of some ludicrous things in my time but this one tops the lot.'
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