Labour’s Jess Phillips to write to Government over ‘unacceptable’ Catholic sex education resource

'To suggest a passive role for women in anything but especially regarding sexuality is dangerous, it is the culture that ends in gross levels of sexual violence'

The Labour MP Jess Phillips is to write to the Government after the i revealed that a sex education textbook being used in Catholic schools says that men were “created to be the initiator in sexual relationships”

Ms Phillips said the resources were “totally unacceptable”. “To suggest a passive role for women in anything but especially regarding sexuality is dangerous, it is the culture that ends in gross levels of sexual violence,” she tweeted. 

‘Myths and stereotypes’

Earlier this week reported that a Catholic relationships and sex education (RSE) programme called A Fertile Heart teaches that “within a romantic relationship between male and female, masculinity is more about initiating”, whereas “femininity is more about receiving and responding”. 

The textbook also says that contraception is “wrong” and suggests that gay people should abstain from sex.    

Ms Phillips told i that “the whole point” about making RSE compulsory was to “teach kids about healthy, happy relationships”. 

“The kind of materials you’ve found are doing the exact opposite. They are leaning into the kinds of myths and stereotypes about gender roles and types of family that mean people are more likely to be abused, not less likely.” 

‘Crackers and anti-feminist’

Ms Phillips said that the textbook’s presentation of being gay and other aspects of sexuality were also harmful. 

“Fundamentally for children to be told that their experiences are beyond the norm and there is something wrong with them, to suggest that there is a norm, is dangerous,” she said. 

“I don’t just not like it because it’s crackers and antifeminist and anti-women, it’s not just that, it’s actually dangerous to tell children these things.” 

‘For schools to decide’

In November, the Labour MP Stella Creasy asked the Government whether the material published by A Fertile Heart was permitted to be used for RSE

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 The schools minister Nick Gibb said it was “for schools to decide which resources they choose”, although he added that “schools should not work with agencies that take extreme positions, and this should also be reflected in the school’s choice of resources”.   

The Department for Education’s guidance on RSE meanwhile says that schools should be “alive to issues such as everyday sexism, misogyny, homophobia and gender stereotypes and take positive action to build a culture where these are not tolerated”. 

Government ‘cop out’

Ms Phillips said: “The DfE says it’s not up to them to tell schools what sort of resources they can and can’t use, which is a cop out isn’t it? 

“If we’re going to have guidance, the DfE has to have some manner of enforcing that guidance. 

“These things aren’t a matter of opinion, they are a matter of equalities law.” 

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