Parents' fury as primary schoolchildren are taught about the 300 different flags of Pride - including an 'intersex-inclusive' and another that celebrates polyamory
Leaflets handed out by the charity Swindon and Wiltshire Pride claim there are more flags representing sexuality and gender identity than there are for countries.
The extensive list includes an 'intersex-inclusive Pride flag', a 'polyamory Pride flag, and even a black and white 'heterosexual flag' for straight people, which it says can include transgender people.
The information, displayed by the local council on social media, goes into detail about a 'small selection' of 29 varieties.
It says: 'While some might think [300] is too many, it's all part of a drive to be more inclusive of the expansive breadth of identity within the community'.
The leaflets are part of a free annual support guide produced by the charity, which says it aims to 'promote equality and diversity for the public benefit'.
The three double-page spreads about Pride flags describe the identity each is meant to represent, the meaning behind their colours, and when the flag was designed if known.
For example, beneath the pink, purple, and green 'trigender Pride flag', the charity explains that 'trigender is a gender identity in which a person switches between or among several genders, including a third gender', which may change depending 'on the individual's mood or environment.'
Parents of children at the primary schools had raised concerns about the material to the local Labour council but, they told The Telegraph they had been ignored.
One mother, a former teacher, said the guide being given out in primary schools was 'really concerning'.
'Obviously the polyamory one, encouraging children to have multiple sex partners, they shouldn't be sexualising children,' she said.
'In the guide itself, under education, it states it is 'for schools, teachers, and students'.
'A couple of sentences down, for example, it says 'raise awareness of the lesser known identities across the fetish spectrum',' she added, saying that was 'inappropriate'.
Among the other Pride flags are 'genderqueer', 'demiboy' and 'demigirl', 'pangender', 'abrosexual' and the 'straight ally flag', which places the rainbow colours in the shape of an 'A' on top of the black and white heterosexual flag.
Helen Joyce, the director of advocacy at human rights charity Sex Matters, said the flags 'draw children in' and 'suggest that they need to find themselves on the list' which is 'inappropriate and unnecessary'.
Ms Joyce added that the 'false belief' a child can be born in the wrong body can be 'deeply unsettling for young people' and they should be 'protected from such misguided and harmful ideas'.
A spokesman for Swindon and Wiltshire Pride said: 'We believe in 'Pride 365': a year-round commitment to celebrating identity, raising awareness, and supporting LGBTQIA+ people in our community.
'Throughout the year, we engage with a wide range of local events, organisations, and educational settings to build understanding and foster inclusion.
'During this Pride Month, we were invited into a small number of local schools to support their curriculum-led work around diversity and LGBTQIA+ relationships.
'Our support guide includes helpful information, links to support organisations, and content written for all audiences – it contains no sexual content whatsoever.
'It is disheartening, though sadly not surprising, to face unfounded attacks or misrepresentations of our work.
'As a visible LGBTQIA+ charity, we know that some individuals may seek to undermine the progress we are making in fostering a more compassionate, inclusive society.
'We remain proud of our mission and grateful to the many people, schools, and communities who continue to stand with us.'
It comes after last week a Christian company vowed to sue a council dubbed 'Wokeminster' over plans to hang up trans-inclusive flags to mark Pride Month.
In collaboration with Westminster City Council, the Crown Estate, who own the majority of properties on Regent Street, plan to fly Progress Pride flags in 20 locations throughout the central London area between mid-June and mid-July.
But if the proposed decorations are hoisted into the air within the next week, the council, nicknamed 'Wokeminster' by its own chief executive Stuart Love, and the Crown Estate risk facing legal action from the Christian Legal Centre.
Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, told The Telegraph that the Pride flags were an attack on traditional beliefs about sex and gender.
She warned that the Christian Legal Centre would have no option but to pursue legal action if the council chooses to proceed with the Pride display, arguing that everyone should feel welcome in Regent Street.
Ms Williams said: 'They send the message that people holding these views – which are worthy of respect in a democratic society – are not welcome.
'The majority of the public do not know the highly controversial and harmful symbolism presented by the Progress Pride Flag.'
The Pride flag was created by American artist and gay rights activist Gilbert Baker and was first displayed in 1978 as a symbol of the LGBTQ+ community.
The Progress Pride flag, designed by artist Daniel Quasar, is an amended version including black, brown, pink, pale blue and white stripes to represent people of colour within the LGBTQ+ community, the trans community and those living with HIV/AIDS.
Ms Williams continued: 'This ideology has been discredited by the Cass review, the closure of the Tavistock, and most recently Supreme Court ruling. When will the Crown Estate catch up with the rest of society?'
In April, five Supreme Court justices ruled that the legal definition of a 'woman' in the 2010 Equality Act refers 'to a biological woman and biological sex'.
Lord Hodge said he recognised 'the strength of feeling on both sides' and cautioned against seeing the judgement as a triumph for one side over another, stressing that the law still gives trans people protection against discrimination.
Despite this, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch praised the ruling as a 'victory' for women and said it meant the 'era of Keir Starmer telling us women can have penises has come to an end'.
The landmark ruling could have far-reaching implications on how sex-based rights apply, including how women-only spaces are allowed to operate.
Vicky Lee, founder of the Way Out Club, urged the Christian Legal Centre not to pursue legal action over the Pride decorations.
She argued they would need to sue 'for every pair of hot pants, every T-shirt and every flag worn as a cape because Pride Month is here and the superheroes [trans community] are not going away anytime soon.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
31 minutes ago
- BBC News
Rachel Reeves bounces back after tears but challenges remain
It might be uncomfortable territory, but it's worth reflecting on just how unprecedented Wednesday's events in the House of Commons images blared across the media of Rachel Reeves in tears as Sir Keir Starmer answered questions from the dispatch box were devastating for a chancellor who has made having an iron core central to her public believe it is unfair for the media to note that the chancellor was visibly distraught on live television for half an hour. Yet the markets, which quickly responded unfavourably, did not wait for media coverage to decide to trade against counter-intuitively, those market movements point the way through this for least in the interpretation of many, the markets were responding to the possibility that Reeves might soon be replaced as chancellor, and that her replacement would be less committed than her to limiting government borrowing for day-to-day may be why the markets then bounced back when Sir Keir Starmer told the BBC's Nick Robinson that Reeves would remain chancellor for many years to brief interview this afternoon was also geared at reassurance, attributing her tears to a "personal issue" and a "tough day".She insisted she was "totally" up for the job of chancellor - and that she and the prime minister would continue to work in "lockstep together".It came after she made an unscheduled appearance at an East London hospital for the launch of the government's 10-year NHS made no mention of her tearful episode in the short speech she made about the health service and the there were smiles all around and a hug from the prime minister, who said it was "just fantastic that she is here".That's probably enough to draw a line under this excruciating episode. But the challenge for Reeves remains the same as it was just before PMQs is a straightforward difference of opinion between the chancellor (plus the prime minister and perhaps the bond markets), and a large group of Labour MPs. The gutting of the government's welfare policy - in a series of panicky U-turns - displayed this in vivid rebel MPs who forced the U-turns believe strongly that a Labour government should not be, as many put it, "balancing the books on the backs of the poor". But it's broader than just that. "If the chancellor comes to us in the autumn with a cuts Budget," one member of the government said, "Labour MPs will say no."Yet the chancellor, in turn, is firm in her belief that the markets will not wear further borrowing for day-to-day spending, and that therefore the choice is either spending restraint or tax rises. On tax, she is hemmed in by the promises she and the prime minister made during the general election fundamental tensions between what Reeves, Starmer and - it seems - the markets want on the one hand, and what the Parliamentary Labour Party wants on the other will have to be resolved before long.
Telegraph
33 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Labour peer died while swimming in River Wye
A Labour peer died after getting into difficulty while swimming in the River Wye. The body of Lord Lipsey was recovered on July 1 after police in Powys, Wales, received a report about the safety of a man in the water. The 77-year-old was a journalist and political editor of The Economist before being appointed to the House of Lords by Sir Tony Blair in 1999. He worked as an adviser in Downing Street under Jim Callaghan and also chaired the influential Fabian Society, a centre-Left Labour pressure group, in the 1980s. In a statement issued on Thursday, Dyfed-Powys Police said the force 'received a report concerning the safety of a man who was last seen swimming in the River Wye, Glasbury'. The statement said: 'Following a multi-agency search on July 1, sadly, we can confirm the body of Lord David Lipsey was recovered. His next of kin have been informed, and our thoughts are with them at this difficult time. They have asked for their privacy to be respected.' Passionate about state of the River Wye The River Wye is the fourth-longest river in the UK and has remained popular among swimmers despite its deteriorating condition over recent years. Ministers published a £34-million action plan last year aimed at improving it. Lord Lipsey had a particular soft spot for the River Wye and turned the air blue as he discussed its decline in a Lords debate on pollution last year. He told peers: 'There are various causes, but overwhelmingly the most important – and I will use the word whatever the risk of offending Your Lordships, I'm sure you'll take it – the main problem is chicken s---. Something like 80 per cent of the pollution in the Wye is caused by chicken s---.' In the same speech, he warned that the river smelt of 'rotten eggs' and that children were becoming ill after swimming in it. Peers were told of Lord Lipsey's death on Wednesday as Lord McFall, the Lord Speaker, extended his condolences to his family and friends. Lord Lipsey described himself as having 'fingers in pies from greyhound racing to elderly care'. He was praised on his death as one of the key power brokers in greyhound racing during the past few decades. He was also a member of the all-party parliamentary group on horse racing, and the sport's official body paid tribute to him as a 'staunch supporter'.
Daily Mail
34 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Douglas Murray: Only an October 7th-style attack against a Western country would wake up the pro-Hamas mob at Glastonbury to the existential threat Israel faces
Douglas Murray launched a scathing attack on Glastonbury artists and festival-goers, branding their pro-Hamas stance a dangerous 'fetish' on the Mail's Apocalypse Now podcast. Speaking to special correspondent David Patrikarakos, the bestselling author and broadcaster drew a sobering parallel between the music event and Hamas 's attacks on the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023. Mr Murray argued that only by witnessing a similar terror attack on young Westerners would Glastonbury's 'moral reprobates' finally grasp the threat Hamas poses and Israel 's existential struggle. This year's Glastonbury courted controversy when punk-rap duo Bob Vylan led a televised crowd in chants of 'death to the IDF' – sparking a police investigation and condemnation from Prime Minister Keir Starmer. 'The festival at Glastonbury has long been a sordid and immoral affair', Murray said. 'There's always support for anyone who displays a hatred of the West. It is a shame because I think music should be a non-political place. 'The fact that somebody can get a crowd to chant death to the IDF is morally despicable. We all know what that really means. This year's Glastonbury courted controversy when punk-rap duo Bob Vylan led a televised crowd in chants of 'death to the IDF' 'The IDF is a citizen army, and Israel is the only Jewish state in the world. It means they're wishing death upon thousands of brave, young men and women who fight for their country and the survival of their people.' The Spectator columnist highlighted Bob Vylan's other chant - 'you want your country back, f*** that' – labelling it hypocritical from supporters of a supposedly anti-colonialist cause. The author argued: 'This is a man who is saying that he's against colonisation – but has expressed a desire to colonise my country, Britain. 'He expressed that desire while morons are flying Palestinian flags – presumably because they too are interested in the indigenous rights of the Palestinians. 'Well maybe the indigenous rights of the British people are worth protecting too. But they don't care about that because the standard only applies if it's anti-Western, anti us, in favour of literally anyone else.' According to Mr Murray, this naive 'anti-western cult', spawned by modern social justice movements, has chosen Palestine as its 'great fetish'. The bestselling author first tackled this anti-Western ideology in his 2022 book, The War on the West. His latest work, On Democracies and Death Cults, explores how these worldviews have shaped the Israel-Hamas conflict. 'The great fetish of these people's lives is the Palestinian people', Murray told the podcast. 'But what exactly do they think will happen if their pet fetish is ever allowed to win? 'The best-case scenario would be another Arab state in the region – which would be no more successful than say, Jordan. 'Palestine would likely be another outpost of the Mullahs, as long as they're still in power in Tehran. You'd just have yet another failed Arab state. 'You won't get an outbreak of world peace and love, as these people seem to believe. It's as if were Palestine to get a state, something magical would happen. 'Suddenly this unicorn would arrive and rights would be given to people all around the world, and trans people would be freed and there would be no more racism and injustice.' Exasperated, the cultural critic concluded his attack on the festival by issuing a grave warning. 'One wishes to resist the nastiest urges but… maybe the only thing that would ever wake up these moral reprobates at Glastonbury is if something like what happened at the Nova music festival happened to them or one of their friends. 'Not more than 18 months ago, a music festival like Glastonbury had hundreds of Hamas terrorists come into it. 'I heard first-hand how women were gang raped, shot in the jaw and tortured. I pray to God these people never have to discover the consequences of their own semi-thought.' To listen to the exclusive interview with Douglas Murray, search for Apocalypse Now, wherever you get your podcasts.
