Conservative motion of support receives city council backing.
Birmingham City Council has sent a clear message in support of schools running the No Outsiders programme in the face of mounting homophobic protests against the inclusion of LGBT within the programme.
The Conservative Group put forward an amendment to a debate on hate crime in the city to make clear the important role that education and specifically programmes such as No Outsiders had in combating intolerance in all its forms.
Erdington councillor Gareth Moore said: “It was really important that the Council were unified on this issue as the LGBT community have been made to feel extremely vulnerable in the last few weeks. The No Outsiders programme teaches children that no-one should be made to feel they don’t belong because of the colour of skin, their religion, disability or sexuality or that of their parents and families. No one is ever too young to learn that lesson and it goes to the very core of our values.
“I am delighted therefore that as a council we were able to pass this motion unanimously and send a clear message that No Outsiders and the schools that teach it have our full and unequivocal support.”
Protests outside schools against the programme have included disturbing homophobic chanting and Cllr Moore has called for more support from the council and police to tackle this.
Cllr Moore added: “There can be no place in our society for the vile chanting and hate speech we have witnessed outside schools in recent weeks and it is absolutely vital that all children and teachers can attend school free from intimidation. I will be meeting with the Cabinet Member in the coming weeks to discuss what more can be done by the council and the police to combat this.”
