Gay families scrapped from lesson on diversity

The Federal Government had dumped references to same-sex families in the second draft of its Early Years Learning Framework, despite the fact that several Sydney primary schools and preschools have been using material portraying gay relationships for years.
The revised early learning curriculum, recently trialled in 29 childcare centres nationally, originally talked about gay and lesbian families as part of the need to include different groups in society. But childhood educators and academics are upset to see that part is now missing.
“They refer to cultural diversity, they refer to people with disabilities, they refer to indigenous people – which they should,” said early childhood expert Anthony Semann.
“But it just seems a little bit sus that in the first draft there was gay and lesbian families and in the second draft there wasn’t.”
The Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations gave information that the Framework was revised “to take a broad approach to equity and diversity and remove references to specific groups.”
But Mr Semann, a former children’s centre director and former board member for Early Childhood Australia, said the revised version was too conservative.
“All the research on social equity and the research I’ve done points to the fact that you need to name certain groups in order to combat discrimination,” he said.
Dr Kerry Robinson of the University of Western Sydney agrees that different groups need to be identitied.
“I think that it’s important that various forms of equity, various marginalised groups are actually named. I think that it does provide a sense of inclusion of that particular form of identity,” said Dr Kerry, who has published research on including same-sex families in early childhood education.
“When its not there, the silence or the leaving it out says something about the perceived importance of that aspect of people’s identity.”
However, learning institutions across Sydney, including several in the inner city, are already using material depicting same-sex families.
Vicki Harding, author of the Learn to Include book series, has sold her material to most primary schools and preschools in the inner city area, and to many schools in Sydney’s inner west.
The City of Sydney funded Ms Harding to distribute the books in 2005 in an effort to reduce homophobia and discrimination.
Ms Harding, a mother in a same-sex relationship, said teachers need to know that it is acceptable to talk about gay and lesbian families.
“It’s really disappointing to think that it was that close and its been taken out. And why? How can it hurt to be in there? It will make things clearer for teachers, it will support teachers,” she said.
“People hear the word family and they don’t necessarily think gay and lesbian,” she said.
“You’ve got some young teachers that have just left school and they’re really keen. All they know is their lives and their families. They don’t automatically think about all the different sorts of families that the kids might have.”
Glenmore Road Public School, in Paddington, has been using Ms Harding’s books for four years now.
“I think that it’s important that students’ lives are reflected in the literature and the visual material that they use and a minority, but a significant minority, of kids have parents that are in same sex relationships, and its important that their world is acknowledged as well as other kids,” said the Principal, John Benton.