Same-Sex Relations in Education

Abstract

This chapter looks at the topic of same-sex relations in political liberal education. After engaging with questions of religious freedom withing the limits of political liberalism, it appears that even if reasonable religious views would support educational institutions that are regulated by the state, religious objections against certain contents of school curricula are still possible. Especially same-sex relations appear to be a point of concern for some religious views and have been targeted by various proponents of natural law theory, John Finnis being one of the most prominent among them. After assessing a variety of arguments against what is often called the promotion of same-sex relations in sex education, this chapter argues that political liberal education ought to include this topic in sex education curricula on grounds of equality and citizens’ self-respect, drawing on the works of feminist authors like Elizabeth Brake and Clare Chambers to support its argument.