The Government’s former integration tsar, Dame Louise Casey, has chastised Education Ministers for being ‘too silent’ in their defence of schools that have endured public protests this year for promoting acceptance of LGBT people. Dame Louise offered her criticism to Radio 4’s ‘Today’ programme this morning and accused the Department for Education of placing the harassment of schools on these grounds in the ‘all-too-difficult-box’.
Back in July the Accord Coalition co-organised an open letter to the Education Secretary from a diverse group of 78 civic leaders who described the Department for Education’s support for schools being attacked for teaching about LGBT people as ‘half-hearted’. The signatories urged the Government to provide schools with greater ‘moral and regulatory support’ in this area. Dame Louise’s latest comments echo their public call.
Chair of the Accord Coalition, the Reverend Stephen Terry, said ‘The Government’s half-hearted public support for schools that have been attacked for promoting acceptance of LGBT people has completely failed to de-escalate protests. On the contrary, their weak response has encouraged those with prejudicial attitudes to continue their protests in the expectation that their views will be accommodated.’
‘Accord calls again on Education Ministers to state clearly and unambiguously that the equality laws which require schools to promote acceptance of LGBT people must be implemented, not disregarded. It may be an awkward message that Dame Louise has delivered to the Government, but it is vitally important and requires urgent action.’
Dame Louise has been employed in a number of different roles by central government to advise and act as a trouble-shooter in regards to various areas of social policy. They include her having published an in-depth report in 2016 into how government can better promote equality of opportunity and integration, which advised that ethnic and religious mixing in schools be promoted.
Notes
The ‘Today’ programme’s report on Dame Louise’s comments and the public protests that have been witnessed in Birmingham this year against schools that promote acceptance of LGBT people can be found from 1 hour, 34 minutes and 36 seconds at https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0008jny.
