Managing Equality and Diversity, Part 4: Sexual Orientation - Orient express

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LGBT issues have no relevance in my setting because I work with little children. These things should only be discussed when children reach secondary school, if at all.’ This standpoint, as quoted from an early years practitioner in LGBT Diversity and Inclusion in the Early Years by Deborah Price and Kath Tayler, demonstrates common confusion about sexual orientation: that someone’s preference in the context of relationships is the same as talking about sexual activities. As evinced by recent demonstrations by some Muslim parents in Birmingham against teaching LGBT rights in primary schools, the issue can be a fraught one.

‘What puts people off is the misconception that LGBT inclusion is about sex,’ says Anna Carlile, senior lecturer in educational studies at Goldsmiths University, who also works with LGBT+ charity Educate & Celebrate. ‘It’s not. It’s about identities and relationships.’

To include LGBT+ staff, families and curriculum in practice involves supporting different relationships and promoting positive attitudes to diversity, in the same way as disability, races and religions are celebrated, say Ms Price and Ms Tayler.

‘At that age we’re talking about children who might have two mummies or daddies, or how children don’t have to be in a typical gender box; for example, what they’re encouraged to wear when dressing up,’ Dr Carlile adds.

It is important to recognise that gender and sexuality are not the same thing either. LGBTQ+ stands for ‘lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and more’. But even though this definition itself conflates gender (transgender) and sexuality (lesbian, gay, etc.), the sex a person is born with, their gender identity and their sexuality are all different concepts.

Early years settings are legally obliged under the Equality Act 2010 and the Early Years Foundation Stage to give due regard to protected characteristics. Settings must also promote inclusion, rights and equal opportunities and adhere to the British Values duty of ‘individual liberty and mutual respect’. Ofsted criteria include exploring education settings’ ‘actions to prevent and tackle homophobic bullying’, and in 2013 the watchdog added protections for transgender people. These sector-specific policies come in addition to legal changes affecting the wider population, including the Civil Partnership Act and Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Act.

Despite these requirements, Dr Carlile says early years tails behind in LGBT+ inclusion. ‘The younger you get, the less is done,’ she says. In 2016, 2 per cent of the UK population aged 16 and over identified themselves as lesbian, gay or bisexual, according to Government statistics. But once you take into account children with family members or friends who identify as LGBT+, it is not a minority issue.

Ms Carlile says early years practitioners can be nervous about including LGBT+ resources in their curriculum, for fear parents will complain they are trying to ‘turn their children into gays’. She suggests practitioners invert such criticisms. ‘If you read them a story with a mummy and daddy in it, are you trying to make them straight?’ she asks. ‘It’s about helping children understand who’s out there in the world. If you were going to do Black History Month, you wouldn’t write a letter to parents saying: “If you object to this let us know and feel free to pull your child out.”’

The charity Stonewall’s head of education programmes Sidonie Bertrand-Shelton says practitioners must look for opportunities to weave LGBT+ awareness into everyday practice, building on what is already familiar to children, and subsequently reflect carefully on their conduct.

For example, when role-playing a wedding, allow two girls to get married if they wish, and avoid language that assumes who is in a family. LGBT+ parent families are all different. Their child may have been born to a previously heterosexual couple that split up, could be the result of insemination, or could be adopted or fostered. Children may have original ways to describe their parents; for example, Mama and Mummy.

Ms Bertrand-Shelton says openness and clarity are of the utmost importance when dealing with parents who express objections. She recommends pointing them towards the setting’s equality policy, and inviting them in to review resources and books on LGBT+ topics. ‘The most important thing is that LGBT+ isn’t completely erased and never mentioned,’ she says.

Reflective questions:

1. Have you trained staff or updated your own training recently to ensure language used in your practice is inclusive?

2. Are your displays and resources reflective of different kinds of families, or do you subconsciously use heterosexual examples as the norm?

3. Have you thought through what you would say to parents who feel uncomfortable with the adaptations you have made to make your setting more LGBT+ inclusive?

Case study: London Early Years Foundation (LEYF) Soho Family Centre. Nursery manager Gregory Lane explains why he invited drag queens in for storytime

‘A high proportion of LGBT+ people live in Soho, which was the starting point. One of LEYF’s areas of pedagogy involves understanding your community. When I discovered Drag Queen Story Time online, it struck me as a great opportunity to increase the children’s language and communication. Of course, the activity also promotes inclusion, but that came with genuine pedagogical advantages. This made it easier to sell to parents too.

‘We’ve held three sessions over the past two years. The drag queens have also visited five other LEYF settings. Topsy is our usual, as she’s good at matching books and songs to the children’s ages and stages. I screen what she reads – there’s no need for “Suzy became John” at this age or anything overly political. We invite all the parents to come too, and throw a large tea party for everyone, including the babies.

‘Topsy sings songs from Disney’s Frozen and gets the children up and dancing. She reads traditional stories about princesses that go their own way, and asks the children questions. They just love it – I was surprised how easily they got into it. A couple of shy ones, who don’t normally get up and strut their stuff, were doing just that.

‘It’s got nothing to do with sex education, which is one of the fears parents often have. It’s just a man in a dress. But you have to be brave to host this, because people get upset that some children will grow up to be LGBT+. If you ask LGBT people about their childhood experiences, they felt isolated. This experience sends the message that different people exist in this world.’

Managing sexual orientation in the workplace, by Michael Halsey, employment partner at law firm VWV

The Equality Act 2010 states it is unlawful to discriminate against anyone because of their sexual orientation, being in a civil partnership, or being transsexual.

Discrimination happens when someone is treated less favourably because of their sexual orientation, if a rule or practice has a disproportionate and negative impact on employees with a particular sexual orientation, if someone is treated detrimentally because they have raised a sexual orientation issue, or if people engage in unwanted conduct related to sexual orientation; for example, name-calling.

Less favourable treatment can be unintentional. Unconscious bias is a real issue in sexual orientation cases.

Some religious groups have negative views about homosexuality. Both sexual orientation and religious beliefs are protected under the Equality Act, but no special protection exists for those with religious beliefs to express inappropriate views about homosexuality at work.

Investigate allegations carefully. In a recent case, a nursery worker and evangelical Christian expressed negative views about homosexuality to her lesbian colleague. She was dismissed, but this action was found to be unfair and discriminatory. While the nursery was entitled to take disciplinary action, it had jumped to conclusions without proper investigation.

When hiring, ensure job adverts focus on skills, qualifications and experience and confirm the organisation’s commitment to equal opportunities. Provide managers with relevant training on sexual orientation and unconscious bias, and have an up-to-date equal opportunities policy. If a complaint is received, follow your processes and don’t jump to conclusions.

Tips for your setting

• Ensure language in communications is inclusive. Replace ‘mums and dads’ with ‘parents and carers’. Refer to ‘boys and girls’ as ‘children’.
• Adopt inclusive and gender-neutral approaches. Avoid using gendered toys or dressing-up clothes. Include books, songs, posters and resources that portray all kinds of families.
• Display an equality and inclusion statement in reception.
• If a staff member or parent comes out as transgender or non-binary, welcome them. Offer counselling support. Make a plan with them for a social transition.
• If you are concerned about criticisms from parents, script responses so you are ready to answer any challenging questions.

From How to Transform Your School into an LGBT+ Friendly Placeby Dr Elly Barnes and Dr Anna Carlile