As time goes on, the world is becoming more and more accepting of the LGBT community. It's something that is frequently talked about on television programs and retail companies are even producing commercials and ads with LGBT couples.
To continue with their progress, Britain is now requiring LGBT sex education in schools. In Secondary School – the American equivalent of middle and high school – students are now being taught about sexual orientation and gender identity. Younger students, particularly elementary-aged kids, are learning about "different families," specifically LGBT families.
A new study conducted by Kantar, a research company in London, found that Britains are socially accepting of LGBT couples. In fact, 91 percent say they're accepting of LGBT couples. But Britains are less accepting of young children being taught about the gay and lesbian community, Reuters reported. When asked, six out of 10 people say they are okay with six-year-olds learning about LGBT issues.
“In the UK, we have come a long way, but this study shows that social progress is not guaranteed,” Craig Watkins, UK chief executive of Kantar’s public division, told Reuters. “Although we see high levels of comfort of LGBT people in community leadership roles, notable proportions of people have concerns about the education of children."
When the school curriculum changes were announced, protests erupted in Bristol in a predominantly Muslim area. According to Watkins, those with concerns can be "persuaded" to change their mind.
“If you take the events in Birmingham we saw a visceral reaction to it from parents that the government needs to be thinking about, because that is not an outlier view,” he explained. “There is a large minority who need to be persuaded.”