Swindon charity claims there are ‘more flags for sexuality than countries’ as human rights group warns of ‘safeguarding risks’
Primary school children as young as five are being taught about 300 different LGBT pride flags in what a local charity calls a “drive to be more inclusive” – sparking fierce criticism from child safety advocates.
Leaflets distributed by Swindon and Wiltshire Pride provide children across the region with information on each of the 300 flags and the gender identities behind them, with the charity boasting that there are more flags representing sexuality and gender identity than there are for countries.
The controversial educational materials, which form part of a free annual support guide, have been distributed to primary schools across Swindon and Wiltshire, prompting warnings from human rights campaigners about “safeguarding risks” for young children.
‘Drawing Children In’
Helen Joyce, director of advocacy at human rights charity Sex Matters, told GB News that the flags “draw children in” and “suggest that children need to find themselves on the list”.
She added: “They recruit children into the world of sexual orientation and gender identity, which is inappropriate and unnecessary. Encouraging very young children to wonder about their gender or sexual orientation in this reckless way creates safeguarding risks.”
The materials include information on flags representing polyamory relationships – sexual relationships with multiple partners – alongside a “heterosexual flag” for straight people, which the charity notes can include transgender individuals.
Medical Advice For Children
More alarmingly, the charity’s guide directs readers to websites that provide advice on controversial practices, including guidance on wearing “a binder to reduce apparent size of breasts” and information about the use of cross-sex hormones in under-18s.
The charity’s website links include resources on “Binding- Using a binder to reduce the apparent size of breasts” – medical advice that critics say is wholly inappropriate for primary school children.
Joyce warned: “Some of these flags promote the false belief that a child can be born in the wrong body, which is deeply unsettling for young people. They should be protected from such misguided and harmful ideas, but instead, adult concepts are being pushed at them, disguised as harmless fun.”
Inside The Classrooms
Phoenix and Hannah from the charity attended Goddard’s primary school as part of their school curriculum on LGBT+ awareness, with children preparing questions about Swindon & Wiltshire Pride, LGBT+ history and how to come out.
Simon the deputy head teacher from Goddard’s primary school said: “On behalf of both the staff and the children, thank you for today. It was a huge success and your support has been vital in ensuring the success of the project”.
The charity celebrated this as their “first time attending a primary school”, calling it “an absolute pleasure” and noting that “the pupils were very knowledgeable of identities and acceptance of one another.”
The 300 Flags
The charity’s materials state: “These are just a small selection of LGBTQIA+ flags and identities. Did you know there are over 300 different flags? While some think this might be too many, it’s all part of a drive to be more inclusive of the expansive breadth of identity within the community”.
Among the 29 flags specifically highlighted in their materials are:
- The rainbow LGBT Pride flag
- The “intersex-inclusive Pride flag”
- The “polyamory Pride flag” representing those in sexual relationships with multiple partners
- A black and white “heterosexual flag”
- Various transgender and non-binary flags
- The asexuality flag
- The pansexual flag
Charity Defends Programme
A spokesman for Swindon and Wiltshire Pride defended their work, saying: “We believe in ‘Pride 365’: a year-round commitment to celebrating identity, raising awareness, and supporting LGBTQIA+ people in our community”.
They added: “During this Pride Month, we were invited into a small number of local schools to support their curriculum-led work around diversity and LGBTQIA+ relationships. Our support guide includes helpful information, links to support organisations, and content written for all audiences – it contains no sexual content whatsoever.”
The spokesman claimed it was “disheartening, though sadly not surprising, to face unfounded attacks or misrepresentations of our work,” adding that “some individuals may seek to undermine the progress we are making in fostering a more compassionate, inclusive society.”
Growing Concern
Swindon Pride was launched in 2008 and gained charity status in 2019, describing itself as “a group of volunteers who give up our time to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community, fundraise, educate and put on events”.
The charity has been increasingly active in schools, with committee members regularly attending both primary and secondary schools for Q&A sessions about coming out, dealing with homophobia, and LGBT identities.
Critics argue that while supporting young people who may be questioning their identity is important, the sheer volume of flags and identities being presented to very young children is overwhelming and age-inappropriate.
The controversy comes amid growing national debate about what children should be taught about gender and sexuality in schools, with many parents expressing concern about the age-appropriateness of such materials.
THE FLAGS CHILDREN ARE LEARNING
Among the 300 flags taught to primary school pupils:
- Rainbow Pride flag
- Transgender flag
- Pansexual flag (attraction to all genders)
- Polyamory flag (multiple relationships)
- Heterosexual flag
- Intersex-inclusive flag
- Asexual flag
- Non-binary flag
- Plus 292 more…
