LGBTQ+ organisation disappointed at calls for children not to be taught about trans issues

Vivienne Clarke

BeLonG To, a national organisation that supports LGBTQ+ young people, has expressed disappointment at calls from the Catholic Primary Schools Management Association (CPSMA) for children not to be taught about transgender issues.

Moninne Griffith, CEO of BeLonG To, told Newstalk’s Breakfast Briefing show that children as young as six and seven years old can know that they are LGBTQ+.

Educating children about transgender issues could help trans children “feel safe and included in their school”, she said.

Ms Griffith said she was concerned about the safety of children. “We know from research that 12 is the most common age for a young person to know they are LGBT, but I know from talking to teachers and parents all over the country that there are young people as young as six and seven who know they are LGBT – mostly maybe trans,” she said.

“It is a small number but what is the harm in making sure that they feel safe and included in their school?”

BeLonG To is working with “brilliant teachers all over the country already who are trying to make sure that students feel included”, she added.

The Irish Independent reported on Monday that the CPSMA wrote to the Government stating that pupils should not be taught what it means to be transgender.

Ms Griffith said she was very disappointed to hear about the letter from the CPSMA. “We are working with post-primary catholic schools all over the country who are doing amazing work to ensure that all their students, including LGBT students, feel safe and supported in school”.

The association — which represents 89 per cent of primary schools — wrote to the government warning that children should not be prematurely introduced to "complex" topics around which there is no "medical consensus".