A devout Christian mother, Izzy Montague, has filed a lawsuit against her son’s school, Heavers Farm Primary School in South Norwood, London for forcing him to participate in an LGBT pride parade.
The 28-year-old woman told the Central London County Court that the event her child was forced by the school to partake in what was described as the “most serious of the deadly sins.”
The school had previously sent a letter to parents, inviting their children to partake in a Pride march, encouraging pupils to “celebrate the differences that make them and their family special.”
But Montague took issue with the Pride event and said her four-year-old son would not be taking part.
She contacted the school and said his involvement with the LGBT celebration would echo “a public display of adherence to views which she did not accept.”
However, her request was refused by the headteacher Susan Papas, leading to the woman replying with a lengthy email.
Montague met with Ms Papas when the headteacher’s daughter wore a T-shirt with the slogan: “Why be racist, sexist, homophobic, or transphobic when you could just be quiet?,” the court heard.
Judge Christopher Lethem described the woman and her husband as “devout born-again Christians, and they bear a belief that sexual relations should be abstained from or take place within a life-long marriage between a man and a woman and any activity outside those confines is sinful.”
“They also say pride is considered to be the most serious of the deadly sins,” Lethem added.
It was the first time that a UK court will scrutinise the legality of teaching about LGBT issues in primary schools.
While the school has defended the parade and said it was “a celebration of what makes the children proud”, the woman disagreed.
“It felt like it was lecturing me about something to do with British values and somehow we weren’t adhering to British values,” Montague said. Lethem has not given the verdict of the case.
