These articles were first published in our December edition of the newspaper, click here for more.
An Eastbourne independent school headmaster complained in mid-October about ‘stifling’ health and safety rules and red tape that oblige him to vet, among others, a visiting Church of England bishop for extremism.
He felt that to comply with government anti-terrorism measures, he had to ask respected senior clergy for advance texts of the sermons they were due to preach at the school. He is also unhappy about other administrative burdens placed on the school by the Prevent strategy.
Collecting Christmas gifts for disadvantaged children is an ‘appalling’ promotion of Christianity, a humanist group claimed in the Autumn.
Humanists UK – also known as the British Humanist Association – warned against a Christian organisation that sends gifts and supplies in shoeboxes to children around the world. This has been an annual complaint by the Association. Humanists UK claimed that donors are often left ‘unaware of these ulterior motives’. The group prepared a template letter for parents to send to schools opposing Operation Christmas Child.
A man running a website helping men find additional wives claimed, in October, that it benefits women.
Azad Chaiwala said if men could support an additional wife, as the Qu’ran says, it would build ‘bigger and better families’. His second wife said she was renegotiating her contract up from one to two days, and that: ‘I’ve been insecure… it’s really affecting me… I wouldn’t do it again, because it’s not easy emotionally’. Polygamy is illegal in the UK, but such marriages performed in countries where the law allows it are recognised .
School children should learn about LGBT issues in sex education classes, Theresa May said in October.
She declared there is ‘much more to do’ after introducing same sex marriage. She reiterated plans to make it easier for people to ‘change sex’ by demedicalising the process. While not directly addressing primary school education, the Prime Minister said: ‘We are pressing ahead with inclusive relationship and sex education in English schools, making sure that LGBT issues are taught well’. The PinkNews Awards was backed by Lloyds Banking Group.