Why LGBTQ+ inclusive RSE is essential in every school - Part One

Richard Palmer Director at Chameleon PDE

In the first article of this series Richard Palmer, Director of Chameleon PDE reviews evidence showing how important and beneficial LGBTQ+ inclusive relationships and sex education is for all students

The rights of LGBTQ+ people are on the world stage again with the football World Cup being hosted in Qatar, where homosexuality is illegal.

This series of articles, written by Richard Palmer of Chameleon PDE, will explore the benefits and challenges of creating an LGBTQ+ inclusive personal development curriculum. In this first part, we will look at the evidence base for inclusive relationships and sex education (RSE).

What’s the evidence that LGBTQ+ inclusive education is necessary?

RSE, taught at a developmentally appropriate age, is protective of all young people regardless of sexuality or gender

There are young people in our schools who have already identified themselves as being LGBTQ+, and some will be questioning this as part of their identity. And while the majority of pupils may not be LGBTQ+, they will still want to learn about it. Why can we be so confident about this claim?

At Chameleon PDE, we are in the fortunate position of collecting the anonymised views of thousands of secondary school students every year (exceeding 10,000 responses annually). Our How Are You? pupil survey asks pupils to evaluate the personal development education (PSHE) they receive. Open comment boxes allow students to state any topics they want to know more about. LGBTQ+ is always one of the most highly requested themes in every school we have surveyed, both in the UK and internationally. This is from all pupils, not just those who are LGBTQ+.

There is more prominence of LGBTQ+ people in the media and in global society. In some countries it’s now commonplace to see representation in adverts, TV shows and movies. Shows like ‘Heartstopper’ on Netflix, and ‘Glow-Up’ on BBC3 feature a diverse and inclusive LGBTQ+ cast targeted at young people. Global phenomena such as Netflix’s ‘Stranger Things’ include LGBTQ+ characters, and Dr. Who will have a trans companion in 2023. With this increased visibility, all young people want to understand more and be educated.

It can be very easy to fall into the trap of thinking that we know what young people need to be taught. Do we always give them enough credit to take responsibility for their education, to ask questions, seek answers and discuss the world that is in front of them? But if we leave it up to them to investigate on the internet or social media, what sort of information are they likely to find? Surely, it is better to have LGBTQ+ explained properly in school rather than leaving it to chance.

There is also a strong evidence base that RSE, taught at a developmentally appropriate age, is protective of all young people regardless of sexuality or gender.

RSE reduces harm including sexual violence.

Goldfarb and Lieberman (2021) conducted a systematic literature review in which they examined the past three decades of research on school-based RSE. This provided convincing evidence that RSE can reduce both sexual and domestic violence. In the UK, LGBTQ+ people are more likely to be victims of crime, including sexual violence and domestic abuse, (Government Equalities Office, 2019), and this is likely to be the same in other countries. They are also more reticent to report being a victim of crime. We clearly have strong reasons to teach all pupils RSE and ensure it’s inclusive of LGBTQ+ pupils.

RSE can reduce LGBTQ+ targeted bullying and improve pupil mental health

In the same study, Goldfarb and Liberman found that LGBTQ+ inclusive curricula were associated with higher reports of safety for individuals and lower levels of bullying in school. They also cite other methodologically strong studies which have linked LGBTQ+ inclusive education to lower reports of adverse mental health among all young people, irrespective of gender or sexuality.

RSE encourages young people to speak out if they are being abused

Walsh et al (2015), found that pupils who are taught about preventing sexual abuse at school are more likely to tell an adult if they had experienced or were experiencing sexual abuse. The researchers reviewed data from 24 trials in which a total of 5,802 children took part in school-based prevention programmes. LGBTQ+ inclusive RSE is therefore likely to support all pupils, including those who are LGBTQ+, to seek support.

RSE encourages safer sexual practices and improves health outcomes for sexually active young adults

The second Longitudinal Study of Young People in England from the Department for Education found that young people who did not receive any RSE in school were more likely to take more sexual risks, including intercourse before the legal age of consent and unprotected sex. UNESCO (2016) conducted an evidence review on RSE, based on results from rigorous systematic reviews and randomised controlled trials in a broad range of countries and contexts. Both these studies concluded that RSE contributes to reduced risk-taking, and increased use of condoms and contraception. UNESCO also found that RSE does not increase sexual activity, sexual risk-taking behaviours or sexually transmitted infection rates in young adults.

This information (and more) can be found in the Sex Education Forum’s latest briefing ‘Relationships and Sex Education: The Evidence’ and can be downloaded here.

In the next article of the series, Richard will examine some of the contextual challenges of creating an LGBTQ+ inclusive curriculum.

Reflective questions:

Do your pupils want to be educated about being LGBTQ+? How do you know? Have you asked them?
What is your school’s current approach to RSE? How inclusive is it?

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