In Depth:  gender & sexuality

The Archbishop of Canterbury has been accused of making ‘significantly erroneous statements’ in relation to the Church of England’s teaching on sex – and also about decisions made as a result of its ‘Living in Love and Faith’ process debating contemporary ethics.

In a strongly-worded article on the widely-read Psephizo theological blog, Andrew Goddard, an ordained CofE minister and also Tutor in Ethics at both Westminster Theological Centre and Ridley Hall, Cambridge, says Justin Welby’s comments in an interview are ‘highly misleading’.

Nicola Laver

Theology lecturer Dr Aaron Edwards, who was dismissed from Cliff College, Derbyshire after tweeting his Christian views on sexuality, is to appeal a ruling refusing his unfair dismissal, harassment and discrimination claims.

An employment tribunal found the college had been ‘reasonable’ and ‘justified’ in its actions and that Edwards’ rights to freedom of religion had not been engaged. Andrea Williams of the Christian Legal Centre, which is supporting Edwards, said the judge ‘has simply not engaged with the substance of this case. Aaron was sacked because he challenged the church to uphold God’s teaching on human sexuality.’

Nicola Laver

Maths teacher Joshua Sutcliffe has lost his appeal against a ruling banning him indefinitely from teaching.

Sutcliffe was dismissed after deliberately failing to use a pupil’s preferred pronouns in the classroom and on TV. He had also shared with pupils his views about gay marriage and homosexuality.

Nicola Laver

As the Autumn term across England and Wales begins, the Association of Christian Teachers (ACT) has expressed concern about uncertainty around the draft relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) guidance.

The draft guidance, published in May, includes clear age limits for teaching the most sensitive content, and states that the ‘broader concept of gender identity’ should not be taught. If published, the final guidance would be statutory.

Evangelicals in the Church of England are currently in an ‘unsustainable’ position following an ‘unprincipled’ process to liberalise teaching on same-sex relationships, leading evangelical minister Vaughan Roberts is warning.

Speaking to en, Roberts, who is rector of St Ebbe’s Church, Oxford, called on more bishops to engage in face-to-face discussions with leaders of the Alliance, the umbrella group bringing together a spectrum of orthodox Christians in the denomination.

Iain Taylor

The Christian Medical Fellowship (CMF) says it is ‘hugely encouraged’ by The Cass Review into gender identity services for under-18s.

Author and renowned paediatrician Dr Hilary Cass writes in the review that children have been let down by a lack of research and ‘remarkably weak’ evidence on medical interventions in gender care.

Iain Taylor

Evangelicals are celebrating after the Baptist Union (BU) reaffirmed that its ministers cannot be in same-sex marriages.

The decision was taken by the 90-strong BU Council following extensive discussions of what it termed its ‘Ministerial Recognition Rules on Ministry and Marriage’. That process included a survey of Baptist Churches and ministers that was ‘designed to give Council a clearer picture of how our churches are engaging with issues of marriage and sexuality’ – including same-sex marriage.

Following months of delaying, the UK Government finally published its draft ‘Gender Questioning Children’ guidance for schools in England. Although pending consultation, the guidance nonetheless sets out the government’s trajectory and gives some much-needed clarity for teachers.

The guidance is more conservative, or ‘gender-critical’, than many expected, and has already triggered backlash from activists; Mermaids called it ‘out of touch and absurd’. The English guidance is also notably divergent from the equivalent guidance in Scotland which takes a much more liberal, or ‘gender-affirming’ approach.

Nicola Laver

Transgender guidance for schools, published this December, does not require teachers or pupils to address a child, who wants to change gender, by their preferred pronoun.

As the guidance was being drafted, The Times said children would be able to socially transition with parental consent, but only in limited circumstances; and teachers would not be forced to use a child’s chosen pronoun if they have a ‘good faith’ exception.

Luke Randall

Pupils and teachers in UK schools are under pressure to conform to radical educational material on sex and relationships because there is not enough clear guidance from the Government, according to the Christian Institute’s (CI) Autumn newsletter.

While Christians were given some reassurance by Education Secretary Gillian Keegan’s recent letter to English schools, which said that parents have a ‘fundamental right’ to know what their children are taught in health, relationships and sex education, the publication says there are several challenges ahead.

Nicola Laver

Parents across schools in England could have the legal right to access copies of relationship and sex education (RSE) lessons.

That’s if proposals under a new Private Members’ Bill make the statute books. Under the Relationships and Sex Education (Transparency) Bill, schools would also be banned from using external teaching PRSE resources before they have been published.

Nicola Laver

'Truth is at stake' - according to an MSP speaking to en amid continuing controversy over Scotland's Gender Recognition Act.

John Mason MSP was one of nine MSPs who voted against the legislation.

Nicola Laver

A legal challenge by Welsh parents concerning planned mandatory relationships and sex education (RSE) that includes LGBT+ teaching and gender ideology has failed – but an appeal is now underway.

Plans for compulsory RSE in Wales also removes parents’ legal rights to withdraw their children from explicit sex education classes – despite significant parental opposition.

Nicola Laver

‘Distraught’ parents are reportedly contacting campaigning groups every week about the social gender transitioning of children in schools.

This has prompted calls for the new Education Secretary to commission a review into gender identity policies in school, similar to that carried out at the Tavistock Clinic.

Nicola Laver

The Church of England has been urged to abandon its transgender guidance for children, which is believed to be influenced by Mermaids – the transgender charity now under investigation by the Charities Commission.

According to the guidance, teachers should affirm children as young as five wanting to identify as the opposite gender. Justin Welby wrote the Foreword and explicitly commended it.

British Methodists should give ‘further theological attention’ to polyamory – a term for having multiple sexual partners simultaneously.

Polygamy should also be given some thought, delegates at the denomination’s recent conference in Telford, were told in a report.

Nicola Laver

Same-sex marriages (SSMs) are not permitted by the Churches of England, Scotland or Wales – but weakening resistance to change could soon see SSMs permitted in two of them.

The new Archbishop of Wales, Andrew John, has reportedly said same-sex weddings could be held in churches in Wales in five years’ time. Speaking following the meeting of the Welsh governing body last month, he told the BBC that the church should be inclusive and ‘welcome people, where they are, who they are’.

Nicola Laver

The Baptist Union (BU) council is considering changing the ministerial requirements in relation to same-sex marriage for its ministers.

It is understood 70 people, mainly BU ministers who are part of pressure group Affirming Baptists Together, signed a letter to the General Secretary of the BU requesting that it effectively change its rule requiring its ministers to be single or in a heterosexual marriage on the basis that it is discriminatory.

Nicola Laver

An experienced A&E doctor has appealed a ruling that Christian Biblical beliefs on gender are not worthy of respect in a democratic society and are ‘incompatible with human dignity’.

Dr David Mackereth, 58, was sacked in 2018 from his role as a medical assessor for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) after refusing to identify clients by their chosen gender instead of their biological sex.

Nicola Laver

The Gender Recognition Reform Bill in Scotland, which would allow individuals to change the sex on their birth certificate without a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria, has now been published.

The Scottish Government’s stated aim is to streamline the process allowing transgender people to self-identify in a less invasive way. The current requirement for evidence that an applicant has lived in their acquired gender for at least two years will be reduced to six months and the lower age limit cut to 16 instead of 18 years.

Nicola Laver

The Christian parents of two boys are seeking a judicial review in connection with the Cornwall Schools Transgender Guidelines, which encourage children to dress as they choose to reflect their 'true gender'.

The document – first published in 2015 – defines 'true gender' as 'the gender that a person truly feels they are inside'.

Nicola Laver

Efforts by the Scottish government to rush through laws allowing individuals aged 16 or over to change gender through self-identification have been strongly criticised.

Reform of the Gender Recognition Act is planned within the next year under a power-sharing deal with the Scottish Greens. But according to campaign group For Women Scotland, the proposals ignore women’s views. It said the general public are increasingly opposed to the change and questioning why it was necessary.

The Scottish government has voted to amend the word gender to sex in legislation on the collection of forensic evidence, ensuring that a woman can request a natal female to examine her after a rape. 

Initial readings of the amendment went unopposed. Recently the intersectional rights of trans women were suggested as a reason to vote against the amendment, alongside there being a lack of females working in forensics. Refuting the belief that sex and gender are interchangeable terms, Johann Lamont MSP said: ‘If [they are] interchangeable, why resist an amendment which uses a term defined in law? If it doesn’t matter, why fear clarity?’ Lamont said that MSPs, including Humza Yousaf (see page 5), note the 2010 Equality Act defines sex and so the terms don’t share a definition. 

The Church of England has published a new set of resources called Living in Love & Faith (LLF) looking at marriage, sexuality and transgender issues.

Andrew Goddard reports: