{"id":152426,"date":"2025-10-05T15:45:53","date_gmt":"2025-10-05T22:45:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=152426"},"modified":"2025-10-05T15:45:53","modified_gmt":"2025-10-05T22:45:53","slug":"500000-british-children-were-left-confused-due-to-lgbtqia-curriculum-2010-2020-dont-let-it-happen-to-sri-lankas-4-2m-children","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2025\/10\/05\/500000-british-children-were-left-confused-due-to-lgbtqia-curriculum-2010-2020-dont-let-it-happen-to-sri-lankas-4-2m-children\/","title":{"rendered":"500,000 British children were left confused due to LGBTQIA curriculum (2010-2020) \u2013 don\u2019t let it happen to Sri Lanka\u2019s 4.2m children"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em><strong>Shenali D Waduge<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n<p>Countries that once proudly promoted inclusivity\u201d and gender diversity\u201d in schools are now backtracking \u2014the United Kingdom is leading that reversal after destroying lives of 500,000 British children. It began as a movement to end bullying\u201d and quietly turned into a campaign that\u00a0taught children to question their own sex, reject biology, and distrust parents &amp; distance themselves from faiths. Between 2010 and 2020, the UK government allowed foreign-funded NGOs and activist groups to rewrite school policies under the banner of LGBTQIA rights.\u201d Teachers were re-trained, curriculums rewritten, and children as young as five were told that being born in the wrong body\u201d was normal. Sri Lanka\u2019s Govt is trying to launch this same program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The British government that once enforced these teachings has declared them&nbsp;harmful, unscientific, and inappropriate for children. Parents, teachers, and doctors have sounded the alarm on the psychological and physical damage caused to an entire generation of children. The Govt will reverse policy \u2013 but the damage done to 500,000 British kids is irreversible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is why we cannot allow this failed experiment to be launched in Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As Sri Lanka faces growing pressure to adopt similar inclusivity\u201d and gender education\u201d under imported DEI (Diversity, Equity &amp; Inclusion) models,&nbsp;we must pause and learn&nbsp;from the UK\u2019s experience \u2014 before our own children are exposed to the same harm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Between 2015 and 2022, over&nbsp;9 million UK schoolchildren&nbsp;were taught gender ideology as part of inclusivity\u201d lessons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Within a few years, at least&nbsp;20,000\u201325,000&nbsp;were sent for medical gender referrals, while another&nbsp;half a million&nbsp;children showed signs of confusion, anxiety, or distress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The UK government has since&nbsp;shut down the Tavistock Clinic,&nbsp;restricted teaching of gender ideology, and admitted that these lessons&nbsp;were not age-appropriate and caused harm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <strong>How it Started<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Around\u00a02010\u20132015, the UK government began promoting\u00a0inclusivity and diversity\u201din schools under the banner of\u00a0LGBTQIA rights\u00a0and\u00a0gender identity education.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>This came through\u00a0new Relationships and Sex Education (RSE)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It was heavily\u00a0supported by NGOs, activist groups, and foreign-funded organisationswho said it would help reduce bullying\u201d and make schools safe spaces.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>By\u00a02020, it became\u00a0compulsoryin all English schools to teach about different kinds of relationships\u201d \u2014 including\u00a0same-sex relationships\u00a0and\u00a0gender identity\u00a0\u2014 even to very young children.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <strong>What these Policies meant in Practice<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Schools were told to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Teach\u00a0children as young as 5that they could be born in the wrong body.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use cartoons like\u00a0<em>The Genderbread Person\u201d<\/em>(instead of Gingerbread Man) or\u00a0<em>The Gender Unicorn\u201d<\/em>\u00a0to explain that gender is a spectrum.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Replace words like\u00a0<em>boy\u201d<\/em>and\u00a0<em>girl\u201d<\/em>\u00a0with\u00a0<em>learners\u201d<\/em>\u00a0or\u00a0<em>friends.\u201d<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Allow children to\u00a0choose new names or pronounswithout informing parents.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Make\u00a0teachers attend gender sensitivity\u201d trainingand face complaints if they didn\u2019t use preferred pronouns.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Display\u00a0Pride flags and gender postersin classrooms \u2014 even in nurseries.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What British Children were really taught<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>In Primary Schools (Ages 5\u201310):<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Children were told that\u00a0you might have a boy\u2019s body but a girl\u2019s brain\u201d\u00a0\u2014 and that\u00a0only you can know who you really are.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Pupils learned songs and stories saying that\u00a0boys can have babies\u201d\u00a0and\u00a0girls can have penises.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Teachers were instructed to\u00a0replace he\u201d or she\u201d\u2014 with \u00a0they\u201d\u00a0or\u00a0friends.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Classrooms displayed\u00a0Pride flagsand\u00a0gender symbols\u00a0year-round, not just during June.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Some schools used colouring books asking children to choose what gender they feel like today.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Storybooks like\u00a0Introducing Teddy\u201d\u00a0(a teddy bear that changes gender) and\u00a0Julian is a Mermaid\u201d\u00a0were made part of early literacy lessons.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Children were told to try on different clothes and see what gender feels best.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Gender-free bathrooms\u201d were introduced, causing distress and complaints from both parents and students.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>In Secondary Schools (Ages 11\u201316):<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Teachers were told to treat a child\u2019s\u00a0<em>declared gender identity<\/em>as fact, without parental knowledge.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Lessons taught that\u00a0<em>sex is assigned at birth\u201d<\/em>and\u00a0<em>gender is fluid.\u201d<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Some schools asked students to list their\u00a0pronouns\u201dat the start of class (e.g., she\/her,\u201d they\/them\u201d).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Videos shown in class explained how to bind your chest\u201d or come out safely\u201d to parents \u2014\u00a0without medical or parental guidance.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Students who disagreed were called\u00a0transphobic\u201dor sent for\u00a0<em>inclusivity counselling.\u201d<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Teachers faced disciplinary action for using the wrong pronoun.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Biology teachers had to say\u00a0<em>people who menstruate\u201d<\/em>instead of\u00a0<em>girls.\u201d<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Some schools invited activist speakers who claimed\u00a0<em>gender is a feeling, not a fact.\u201d<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What British Parents and Teachers Said<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>My daughter came home crying because her class was told that if she likes trucks, she might be a boy.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Our 7-year-old was told she could change her name and pronouns without telling us.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Teachers were warned that questioning the school material was discrimination.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Boys stopped joining sports teams because they were afraid of being called sexist.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Even science class became politicised \u2014 they told us biology is \u2018socially constructed.\u2019\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Outcome<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By 2023\u20132024, even UK officials admitted these lessons were&nbsp;inappropriate, confusing, and ideologically driven&nbsp;\u2014 not based on science or child psychology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The&nbsp;Cass Review&nbsp;called the system&nbsp;<em>built on weak evidence, activist influence, and lack of clinical safeguards.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <strong>What Went Wrong<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Within less than 5 years, parents, teachers, and even doctors began to&nbsp;raise serious concerns:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Children were confused\u2014 many thought normal childhood feelings meant they might be transgender.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Parents were not consultedabout what was being taught.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Genuine Teachers were afraidto question or discuss the materials for fear of being labelled transphobic.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Hundreds of childrenwere referred to gender clinics like the\u00a0<em>Tavistock Centre<\/em>, which later shut down after investigations found\u00a0serious harm\u00a0and\u00a0lack of proper medical oversight.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Mental health issues roseamong confused students.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Faith-based schoolsfelt their values were being overridden.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <strong>Public Backlash and Investigations<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A major UK review (the\u00a0Cass Review, 2024) found that gender identity services had\u00a0rushed children into medical treatmentswithout proper evidence. Irreversible health issues for children.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Having to take lifelong expensive medication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The UK\u2019s\u00a0Education Departmentbegan investigating schools that taught gender ideology as\u00a0<em>fact<\/em>\u00a0instead of a\u00a0<em>belief or debate<\/em>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Parents protestedacross the UK, demanding transparency and the right to withdraw their children.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <strong>Why Policies are Now being Reversed<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2024\u20132025, the UK government began&nbsp;reversing or restricting&nbsp;the LGBTQIA-DEI policies because:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The teachings were\u00a0not age-appropriate.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They caused\u00a0psychological confusionamong children.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They were based on\u00a0ideology, not science.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Parents\u2019 rights were ignored.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They\u00a0divided schoolsand distracted from real education.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Today, many UK schools have&nbsp;removed gender identity\u201d lessons, and new guidance says:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Children under 9\u00a0must notbe taught about gender ideology.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Schools\u00a0must not teachthat gender can change or that people are born in the wrong body.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Any discussion on gender identity must be presented as\u00a0a contested idea, not fact.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">6.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <strong>The Lesson for Sri Lanka<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>What started as inclusivity\u201d in the UK has ended in confusion, regret, and reversal.<br>Sri Lanka must&nbsp;learn before it imitates the psychological-mental &amp; even physical damage to children. Only a parent will understand the horrors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Our Constitutionalready guarantees human rights to all \u2014 there\u2019s no need to create special categories.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Our religions and cultureuphold respect and morality without promoting private lifestyles.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Our childrendeserve protection from imported ideologies that even their creators are now rejecting.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Learn from the UK:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Protect Our Children,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Our Culture,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Our Classrooms.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Warning for Sri Lanka<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Sri Lanka does not need to repeat the mistakes of the West.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our&nbsp;<strong>Constitution already guarantees equality and human rights for every citizen \u2014 regardless of identity<\/strong>. What it does not do is grant&nbsp;<em>special privileges<\/em>&nbsp;based on private sexual behaviour or imported ideologies that contradict our culture, religion, and national values.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The UK\u2019s reversal is proof that&nbsp;<strong>gender education\u201d was not inclusion \u2014 it was a confusion<\/strong>.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1174\" height=\"1272\" src=\"blob:https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/4a7b0c96-f4ff-46b1-b77b-a3afaf83b622\"><br>It divided classrooms, silenced teachers, undermined parents, and left thousands of children with emotional scars and lifelong regret.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let us protect our next generation from this same fate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let Sri Lanka remain a country that values&nbsp;<strong>family, faith, moral education, and biological truth<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2014 not imported theories that even their creators are now abandoning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If Sri Lanka imports these programs, every one of our 4.2 million schoolchildren would be exposed&nbsp;\u2014 but even if just 2\u20133% experience confusion, that\u2019s&nbsp;80,000\u2013120,000 children&nbsp;at risk of serious psychological harm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once such teaching begins, it is almost impossible to reverse without deep damage \u2014 as the UK discovered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Shenali D Waduge<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/uk-transgender-health-care-children-e3e94aad2994da7296880915f9b2e6ed\">https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/uk-transgender-health-care-children-e3e94aad2994da7296880915f9b2e6ed<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/society\/2024\/apr\/10\/thousands-of-children-unsure-of-gender-identity-let-down-by-nhs-report-finds\">https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/society\/2024\/apr\/10\/thousands-of-children-unsure-of-gender-identity-let-down-by-nhs-report-finds<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/policyexchange.org.uk\/publication\/asleep-at-the-wheel\/\">https:\/\/policyexchange.org.uk\/publication\/asleep-at-the-wheel\/<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.attitude.co.uk\/news\/schools-gender-identity-465555\/\">https:\/\/www.attitude.co.uk\/news\/schools-gender-identity-465555\/<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/politics\/2025\/07\/15\/labour-clearing-way-gender-identity-lessons-schools-tories\/\">https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/politics\/2025\/07\/15\/labour-clearing-way-gender-identity-lessons-schools-tories\/<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/education\/2019\/jan\/31\/school-defends-lgbt-lessons-after-religious-parents-complain\">https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/education\/2019\/jan\/31\/school-defends-lgbt-lessons-after-religious-parents-complain<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cass_Review\">https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cass_Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Shenali D Waduge Countries that once proudly promoted inclusivity\u201d and gender diversity\u201d in schools are now backtracking \u2014the United Kingdom is leading that reversal after destroying lives of 500,000 British children. It began as a movement to end bullying\u201d and quietly turned into a campaign that\u00a0taught children to question their own sex, reject biology, and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-152426","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-shenali-waduge"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152426","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=152426"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152426\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":152427,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152426\/revisions\/152427"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=152426"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=152426"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=152426"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}