A Christian school governor has been suspended after she questioned the introduction of LGBT books and plans to mark Pride month.
Maureen Griffith, 74, has been a governor at Alperton Community School in Brent, North London, since the early 1990s.
She became concerned that parents had not been properly consulted about plans for reading lists tying in with LGBTQ+ Pride Month to be introduced for the next school year.
She voiced her concerns at a governors’ meeting on May 1 where she said she would not have wanted her own children to be reading LGBT books.
“At the meeting, I raised that the introduction of LGBT books and Pride month into the school had not been mentioned before at any previous meetings,” she said.
“I said that parents had not been consulted and that there would be parents with children from religious backgrounds who would object and not want their children to have this form of sex education.
“I urged them to consider those families, and added that as a parent myself, I would not have wanted my sons to be reading LGBT books or to be involved in an LGBT Pride month.”
Mrs Griffith says she was told by a member of staff during the meeting that she should be accepting of the LGBT plans as they corresponded with the law.
A few weeks after the meeting, she received a letter from the school notifying her of her suspension pending an investigation into her comments.
She has yet to hear any confirmation about her position from the school but fears that she will now be sacked as governor.
Mrs Griffith, who grew up in Barbados, denied being homophobic.
“It never occurred to me that I could be ‘homophobic’ or scared of something. These things don’t come into my head,” she said.
“But now with this LGBT agenda, not just in schools, but across society, there is no debate, no questioning and there is only a one-way democracy.
“I loved being part of education and planning what was happening at the school. I am, however, at peace over the whole situation. I am not annoyed; I am only saddened that this is happening in this country.
“My faith in Jesus is very important to me in good and bad times – it is my be all and end all. I can do nothing without His help, and he makes my burden lighter. This is how my mum brought me up.”
Andrea Williams, Chief Executive of the Christian Legal Centre, which is supporting Mrs Griffith, said that people who disagree with LGBT teaching in schools are being censored.
“What has taken place at this school is a microcosm of what is happening across our society and sends a clear message to teachers, governors and students: if you oppose the LGBT agenda you will be silenced and punished,” she said.
“No one is exempt, not even a kind, caring and compassionate woman in her 70s who has dedicated her whole life to caring for others and increasing the life chances of children and improving her community.
“Such censor for merely questioning whether books with LGBT themes are appropriate for school libraries, and asking whether parents had been properly consulted, cannot go unchallenged. We call on the school to reinstate Mrs Griffith and issue a full apology.”
Alperton Community School said in a media statement: “We are unable to comment on specific details relating to members of the School community for confidentiality and data protection reasons. However, we confirm that the School adopts the National Governance Association Governors Code of Conduct and that where complaints are raised in respect of Governors, the School would always consider whether an impartial and independent investigation is necessary.
“We further confirm that the School’s policies and resources are regularly reviewed and are wholly appropriate for the School community.”
