Latest news with #FarehamAcademy
Daily Mail
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
School drag artist performance for 11-year-olds during Pride Month is branded 'morally reprehensible'
A school's drag artist performance for children as young as 11 years old has been branded 'morally reprehensible' by a Conservative MP. The display on June 27, featuring a drag artist, is set to form part of the annual pride event held at Fareham Academy, Hampshire. Described as a 'thriving mixed academy at the heart of our community', the secondary school said that the event offers a 'wonderful opportunity for our community to come together and raise awareness and show support for the LGBTQ + community'. However, Suella Braverman, who previously served as Home Secretary and is the Conservative MP for the local area, urged the institution to rethink their plans, describing it as 'morally reprehensible' that such performance would go ahead. Speaking to The Daily Telegraph about the 'utterly inappropriate' performance, she said: 'Adults are free to enjoy drag, but children should not be exposed to it at school. 'It is highly sexualised, presents a demeaning and distorted image of women and does not fairly represent the LGB community either'. Urging the school to withdraw their invitation to the drag artist, Ms Braveman declared that allowing them to perform was as a 'morally indefensible safeguarding issue' and an 'offensive, sexualised and inappropriate action'. The Tory MP, who said she had received complaints from parents about the planned performance, also feared that it wrongly suggests to children that a man can be a woman with makeup and a dress on. In a statement released on their website, Fareham Academy, who said that this year's event is set to be 'bigger and better than ever before', added that the 'celebrations' are also set to include a bake sale, face painting and a non-uniform day'. The school also said that the event will also be raising funds for local LGBTQ+ charities and members of the community. The statement continued: 'We look forward to seeing our community come together for a day of colour, education and celebration, highlighting diversity, promoting understanding, and showing our pride together'. It comes just days after parents were left furious having discovered that their primary-aged children are being taught about the 300 different flags of pride at school. 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 information, displayed by the local council on social media, goes into detail about a 'small selection' of 29 varieties. 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. Parents of children at the primary schools had raised concerns about the material to the local Labour council but they told The Daily Telegraph that they had been ignored. The information, displayed by the local council on social media, goes into detail about a 'small selection' of 29 varieties. Parents of children at the primary schools had raised concerns about the material to the local Labour council but they told The Daily Telegraph that 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. Under UK Government guidance, schools should include age-appropriate LGBTQ+ content in their curriculum, rather than being taught as a standalone lesson. LGBTQ+ content should be included in Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) in secondary schools, while primary school pupils should learn about different family structures, including same-sex parents, in an age appropriate manner. More broadly, schools are advised to foster an inclusive environment that promotes the safety, acceptance and wellbeing of all of its students.
Telegraph
22-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
School under fire over drag act for 11-year-olds
A secondary school has been criticised over plans to stage a drag artist performance to children as young as 11. Fareham Academy, in Hampshire, said the display would form part of its annual Pride event on June 27. But Suella Braverman, the former Tory home secretary, has urged the school, which is in her constituency, to rethink the 'morally reprehensible' plans. She told The Telegraph that such a performance would be 'utterly inappropriate' for children, adding: 'Schools should be places of learning, not adult entertainment.' The MP said several parents had complained to her about the plans, which follow a similar Pride event at the school last year when a drag artist also performed. A statement on the academy's website said: 'This event is a wonderful opportunity for our community to come together to raise awareness and show support for the LGBT+ community. 'We will also be raising funds for local LGBT+ charities during the day.' However, Mrs Braverman said: 'This is utterly inappropriate for children at school. I've been contacted by several parents and I've urged the school to withdraw their invitation to this drag artist. 'Adults are free to enjoy drag, but children should not be exposed to it at school. It is highly sexualised, presents a demeaning and distorted image of women and does not fairly represent the LGB community either.' She added: 'Pretending to children that a man can be a woman if they put on some make up and wear a dress is wrong and sexualises the education of children. 'There are many other ways in which the school could mark Pride, eg by inviting a lesbian woman or a gay man to talk about their experiences, instead of this offensive, sexualised and wholly inappropriate action. 'I consider this a morally indefensible safeguarding issue and urge Fareham Academy to change course.' Government guidance states that schools should include age-appropriate LGBT+ content in their curriculum, including during Pride events, and foster an inclusive environment. It also advises that LGBT+ teaching should be integrated into the curriculum, rather than being taught as standalone lessons, and that schools should ensure all pupils feel accepted and safe. On Saturday, The Telegraph revealed that Swindon and Wiltshire Pride, a charity, had been handing out leaflets to primary schools to teach schoolchildren about 300 different varieties of LGBT pride flags – and the sexualities and gender identities behind each of them.
