Stonewall exec Ruth Hunt: Under-fives should learn about equality in preschool
Stonewall’s newly-appointed chief executive Ruth Hunt has said the LGB charity may produce resources to teach children in preschools about equality.
In an Interview with the Independent, Ms Hunt said that “next step” for equality is to teach children about different family structures from a younger age.
She was appointed as Stonewall’s CEO on Monday, having been has been Acting CEO since February, when Ben Summerskill stepped down.
She said: “I think the next step is about going into preschools. I know from all my godchildren that the quality of children’s books depicting difference is dire.
“We need to encourage [under-fives] to think about different families. Loads of kids these days have two mums or two dads – or at least gay uncles and aunts.
“I really want to commission – and this is something we’ve got to talk about as an organisation – a suite of books that celebrates difference in all its forms for under-fives.
“With different families in it but also mixed-race people and sent into every preschool setting. That will take time too. But that is possibly one of the most radical campaigns we could do.
“The most important thing is that it’s all age appropriate, but we grew up reading Cinderella and that didn’t turn me into a blatant heterosexual, so we need to just chill out a bit, don’t we? Banning books is never the way. There’s no evidence whatsoever that you can make anyone gay.”
She also raised the group’s differences from veteran rights campaigner Peter Tatchell in the interview, saying: “[Stonewall’s method of tackling homophobia abroad] doesn’t lend itself to what British-based activists want us to do, which would be to stand outside embassies and shout.”
