Opponents have lost a legal challenge against teaching children about gender identity and sex in schools in Wales. The Court of Appeal has refused a group permission to appeal a High Court judgement last year which dismissed their claims about the Relationships and Sexuality Education Code and guidance on all grounds.
This means they have have no more legal avenues in the UK courts, a Welsh government spokesperson said. Primary and secondary schools in Wales launched the new RSE lessons in September.
Announcing his decision the Rt Hon. Lord Justice Males in the Court of Appeal said: "The applicants various challenges to the Code and the guidance all proceed on the basis that these documents mandate the teaching and promotion of particular sexual lifestyles in ways which amount to indoctrination.
"As the respondents point out, however, the fundamental difficulty with these challenges is that the Code and guidance do no such thing."
With regards to how the code and guidance approaches issues relating to different sexualities, gender identification and respectful treatment of LGBTQ+ people, the Rt. Hon. Lord Justice Males added: "It is inconceivable that such teaching could be contrary to the common law or the Human Rights Act. On the contrary, diversity and inclusion (including as to the LGBT+ community) are fundamental values of British (including Welsh) society."
