Family Education Trust Winter Bulletin is out now

The latest edition of the Family Education Trust Bulletin is now available to download free of charge from the Family Education Trust website. It contains articles on:

FET gives evidence to Scottish Parliament on conversion therapy ban

On 16 November, the Family Education Trust was invited to give evidence before the Scottish Parliament’s Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice committee on attempts to ban so called ‘conversion therapy’. Our senior researcher Piers Shepherd spoke about how a ban could be harmful to children and families as even discussing their child’s gender identity could be classed as a criminal offense under the proposed law.

“The law needs to protect the right of parents to bring up their children up in a way that is consistent with their moral and/or religious beliefs. Parents must not be reluctant to discuss issues around sexuality and gender with their children for fear of being accused of ‘conversion
therapy.”

Nolan reports shine light on Stonewall influence

During October, BBC Northern Ireland journalist Stephen Nolan launched a series of 11 podcasts on BBC Sounds titled Nolan Investigates: Stonewall. These podcasts look at the influence Stonewall has in public institutions across the UK, particularly the BBC. The interviews include a range of voices with a view on sex, gender and identity, and contain some strong language.

The podcasts highlight Stonewall’s secretive and unaccountable manner of operation and the enormous influence it wields by getting public bodies and all sorts of other organisations to sign up to its equality and diversity schemes. You can listen to the series on BBC Sounds.

Excellent educational resource on sex and marriage

Many parents are concerned about the arrival of mandatory Relationships and Sex Education*RSE) in schools. There are many inappropriate resources available, so we have been looking for appropriate resources that might be used by teachers within this context. Lovewise’s recently revised and updated Marriage, Sex and Living Wisely is just such a resource.

Aimed at Years 8-11 (ages 12-16), this resource consists of six modules covering the nature of marriage, its benefits, marriage as the proper place for sexual intimacy and the consequences of neglecting this as well as practical advice for relationships.

You can view the materials on the Lovewise website.

Book review – Missing Millions: How abortion is harming us all

A useful introduction to the abortion issue in the UK, this book is a series of essays dealing with different aspects of the abortion issue in the UK. It looks at the history of abortion law, the medical and scientific aspects, issues surrounding disability, crisis pregnancy, religious perspectives and methods of opposing abortion. The book costs £7.99 and is available to buy in the UK at Voice for Justice.

Book review – 100 Years of Identity Crisis

The concept of Identity Crisis came into usage in the 1940s and it has continued to dominate the cultural zeitgeist ever since. In his exploration of the historical origins of this development, Veteran sociologist Frank Furedi argues that the principal driver of the ‘crisis of identity’ was and continues to be the conflict surrounding the socialisation of young people. In turn, the politicisation of this conflict provides a terrain on which the Culture Wars and the politicisation of identity can flourish. Through exploring the interaction between the problems of socialisation and identity, this study offers a unique account of the origins and rise of the Culture Wars.

Family Education Trust turns 50!

This video celebrates 50 years of the work of the Family Education Trust from 1971-2021 and features interviews with key figures from past and present.

Watch on the FET YouTube channel.

Download the full Family Eduction Trust Winter Bulletin here