NATECLA: Supporting our LGBTQIA+ colleagues and learners

NATECLA has always championed inclusive ESOL and Community Languages provision, and especially the need for teaching, learning and assessment materials that reflect learners’ diverse realities whilst offering insights into differing life experiences and perspectives.

We applaud this challenge from Peter J Fullagar, LGBTQIA+ champion in the English Language Teaching sector to publishers, awarding organisations, institutions and all who work within ESOL and the wider arena of our sector to reflect on how LGBTQIA+ peoples are represented and reflected in materials and classroom discourses. Peter rightly points out that the sector is all too often complicit in upholding prejudice, discrimination and misinformation about LGBTQIA+ people and identities, as well as perpetuating falsehoods that these are ‘not normal’, ‘invalid or ‘taboo’.

Given the recent fallout from the UK Supreme Court judgement and interim guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) for England, Scotland and Wales (and since it’s Trans+ History Week from 5-11 May), we’d particularly emphasise the importance of ensuring trans, non-binary and gender diverse ESOL learners and practitioners are welcomed, affirmed, accepted, included and treated with dignity.

We are more than happy to sign this open letter. We’d also encourage our members and others who work within the sector (and AdulEducation more generally) to do so.