Do not remove LGBT content from the Relationships Education curriculum
The Parliament petitions site records 104,920 signatures for this petition, which closed on 20 July 2023. The Government responded on 31 January 2023. MPs debated it in Westminster Hall on 18 March 2024.
The petition
The petition's creator is not named in the Petitions site's published record. Quoted in full from the UK Parliament petitions site.
Do not remove LGBT content from the Relationships Education curriculum
We believe kids should learn about this at an early age. I am sure there are many parents who want their and other children taught about LGBT issues in primary school.
There is a petition to remove this content, which we believe is discriminatory. LGBT people exist, they have the same rights as the rest of us and kids should know them and accept them without judgement or issue. Despite what their parents might believe.
The Government's response
The Government published its response on 31 January 2023; the petitions site lists the Department for Education as responsible. Its summary:
Primary schools are not required to teach LGBT content but can choose to teach it in an age-appropriate way. The Department for Education has no plans to change its advice to schools on this subject.
The response in full:
To prepare children for life in modern Britain, pupils need to understand the world in which they are growing up. RSHE is therefore designed to give pupils the knowledge they need to lead happy, safe, and healthy lives and to foster respect for other people and for difference.
The statutory guidance states that all pupils should receive teaching on LGBT content during their school years. Secondary schools should include LGBT content in their teaching. Primary schools are strongly encouraged and enabled, when teaching about different types of family, to include families with same sex parents.
Through these subjects, children will be taught about the importance of respectful relationships and the different types of loving and healthy relationships that exist. This can be done in a way that respects everyone’s views.
The Department for Education has no plans to change its advice to schools on this subject.
Department for Education
Where the signatures came from
Signatures came from 650 constituencies on the boundaries used until the 2024 general election. The largest number, 957, came from Brighton, Pavilion.
103,553 of the signatures were from the UK and 1,367 from elsewhere, by the location signers gave.
| Constituency | Signatures |
|---|---|
| Brighton, Pavilion | 957 |
| Manchester Central | 731 |
| Bristol West | 687 |
| Hove | 680 |
| Lewisham, Deptford | 585 |
| Brighton, Kemptown | 577 |
| Vauxhall | 556 |
| Salford and Eccles | 526 |
| Bethnal Green and Bow | 521 |
| Hackney North and Stoke Newington | 515 |
| Region | Signatures |
|---|---|
| London | 17,881 |
| South East | 16,842 |
| North West | 11,353 |
| South West | 9,822 |
| East of England | 9,436 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 8,259 |
| Scotland | 7,508 |
| West Midlands | 6,571 |
| East Midlands | 6,462 |
| Wales | 4,347 |
| North East | 3,254 |
| Northern Ireland | 1,039 |
Debate in Parliament
MPs debated the petition in Westminster Hall on 18 March 2024. Read the debate in Hansard.
Source and receipt
- https://petition.parliament.uk/archived/petitions/631529.jsonUK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
38e29fb9d3fb5414… - The petition on petition.parliament.uk
The petition's words are its creator's and the response is the Government's; this site quotes both and gives no view on either. Signature counts can still change while a petition is open. To report an error, send a correction request.