MPs back education on homosexuality

A majority of MPs want education minister Marja van Bijsterveldt to make lessons on homosexuality part of the compulsory curriculum for all primary and secondary schools.


The minister opposes the move, saying schools already have enough opportunities to teach about sexuality. She is also concerned that schools will then be required to give compulsory lessons on other subjects such as obesity, the AD reported.
The Netherlands has dozens of fundamentalist Christian schools which oppose homosexuality on Biblical principles and use a legal loophole to avoid employing gay teachers.
Meanwhile, the NRC published figures showing a sharp rise in complaints about anti-gay violence and discrimination in Amsterdam last year. In 2010, 487 incidents were reported to the authorities, of which 182 involved violence. That is 30% up on 2009.
The incidents involve actual physical violence, threats and bullying, the paper says. However, increased awareness of the problem and better reporting systems may account for the rise, the paper says.
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Support for gay rights improves, schools and religion still a problem

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