A gay lesson for kids
'The Sissy Duckling' is a storybook on gay life aimed at children as young as five years that is being used in the Griffiths Barracks Multidenominational School in Dublin
Books with gay characters have been given to pupils as young as five to read in class. And older pupils in sixth class at the same Dublin school have received detailed lessons on gay rights.
Griffith Barracks Multi-denominational School has become one of the first in Ireland to give children gay literature such as 'The Sissy Duckling' and 'King and King'
The move is likely to spark a debate on teaching about homosexuality, especially as the Department of Education said last night that sexual orientation is not on the primary school curriculum.
The multi-religious school itself says it has received positive reaction from the pupils about the classes.
The two teachers involved in the programme say addressing homosexuality in the classroom is a challenge to human rights education. But it makes teachers uncomfortable.
"It may put us into conflict with our own prejudices and the belief systems of our patrons but also it may force us to deal with the messier subject of sexual attraction, and to acknowledge the burgeoning sexuality of children," say Fintan Walsh and Fionnuala Ward.
They describe the initiative in their school which started last October in the current issue of the INTO journal 'Intouch'. They say they wanted to correct the obvious bias in the curriculum, and to challenge the use of homophobic language -- such as the pejorative 'gay', bandied about by children throughout the country -- as they would if any other marginal group were implicated.
Mr Walsh and Ms Ward say: "We found that while children clearly understood that the word 'gay' referred to same-sex orientation, they also assumed they could go unchecked for using the term, not least of all because adults appeared reluctant to discuss the matter in depth, for fear of broaching more awkward issues."
The topic was introduced by examining the life and work of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected city official in the USA who was shot and killed shortly after taking office.
In response to the children's interest, the class continued to explore the history of gay rights in the Ireland.
The work was supported by complementary analyses of human rights and gender discrimination.
"To consolidate this scheme of work, the school invited Senator David Norris to speak to the children. His brief was to talk about his role in the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Ireland, and his involvement in other human rights campaigns.
"Although Senator Norris had never spoken to primary school students on this matter before, he engaged the class immediately," Mr Walsh and Ms Ward say.
"The scheme of work for Sixth Class, which culminated in Norris' visit, marked a significant step in the school's commitment to human rights education.
"Teachers from other classes reported positive feedback from the children on the story books that addressed gay issues.
"Some challenging discussions took place from Second to Fourth class on various characters' motivation, plausibility and likeability.
"For the younger classes (Infants to First), the sexual orientation of the main characters failed to be of relevance.
"We remain aware that a single module exploring homosexuality in Sixth Class, and a handful of story books scattered throughout the junior classes will not rectify the imbalance in addressing issues surrounding homosexuality and gay rights in the primary school, but it is a necessary first step towards fulfiling our obligation as educators" they add.
However, the Catholic Church, which runs more than 90pc of the country's primary schools, won't be following the initiative taken by Griffith Barracks multi-denominational school.
Brendan O'Reilly, Director of the Bishop's National Cathetical Office said homosexuality was not dealt with at primary level in Catholic schools.
Sexuality was dealt with in the context of right relationships with oneself, between a man and a woman in the context of marriage and in relationship with the Kingdom of God.
He did not think the Catholic Church would look favourably on the use of the books with gay characters in Catholic primary schools.
The Department of Education and Science said that "sexual orientation and safe sex are not featured as part of the curriculum in primary schools, but the generic skills and values for respecting difference and relating to others are fostered".
At second level there is emphasis is on recognising the ways different sexual orientations can be discriminated against, discussion of attitudes to sexual orientation, and understanding the need to value and respect difference, it said.
