Students can now get a GCSE in Homophobia?
St Joseph’s Catholic School in Newport has come under fire for teaching pupils that homosexual acts are 'morally wrong' and that sex between two men or two women is purely self gratification.
The details of the school's curriculum were discovered by Cain Otley, who runs the Gay Business Network in South Wales. Students have been provided with learning material with the heading “What is the Catholic Church’s attitude to homosexuality?”
The notes provided by the school explain that sex is seen in the Bible as a way of a man and a woman to become ‘one flesh’ to be 'fruitful and multiply'. In contrast, ‘Homosexual sex can never be open to the potential of new life and so sex simply becomes a selfish way of gratifying a person.’
Otley was enraged to read claims that AIDS is seen by some Protestant groups as the ‘gay plague’ and as God’s punishment on gay people and their immoral lifestyle, which they argue, is against God’s law.
Otley explains, “I was completely shocked and disgusted at what I saw. The information contained in the booklet could incite homophobic bullying and homophobia in general.”
The school have defended the teaching material which was distributed to the students of St Joseph's Catholic School which they suggest was designed to help pupils understand what is required by the Welsh Joint Education Committee exam specifications.
A spokesman for St Joseph's said “The information is purely factual as these are the points that students need to know for the examination.”
“In a Roman Catholic school the church’s teaching on sexuality has to be presented clearly and in lessons this is done in a sensitive way […] In lessons they will have discussed these points and put forward opposing views and these will also be included in their examination answers where they are required to give all sides of the argument.”
In response to the notes which claim that AIDS is the 'gay plague', she argued that pupils are taught that whilst AIDS is sometimes seen as the 'gay plague' the Catholic Church teaches that no illness is God's punishment.
Subscribe