Parents were left furious after discovering that their primary-aged children are being taught about the 300 different flags of pride at school.
Leaflets handed out by the charity Swindon and Wiltshire Pride claim there are more flags representing sexuality and gender identity than there are for countries.
The extensive list includes an ‘intersex-inclusive Pride flag’, a ‘polyamory Pride flag, and even a black and white ‘heterosexual flag’ for straight people, which it says can include transgender people.
The information, displayed by the local council on social media, goes into detail about a ‘small selection’ of 29 varieties.
It says: ‘While some might think [300] is too many, it’s all part of a drive to be more inclusive of the expansive breadth of identity within the community’.
The leaflets are part of a free annual support guide produced by the charity, which says it aims to ‘promote equality and diversity for the public benefit’.
The three double-page spreads about Pride flags describe the identity each is meant to represent, the meaning behind their colours, and when the flag was designed if known.
For example, beneath the pink, purple, and green ‘trigender Pride flag’, the charity explains that ‘trigender is a gender identity in which a person switches between or among several genders, including a third gender’, which may change depending ‘on the individual’s mood or environment.’
Parents were left fuming after finding out their primary aged children are being taught about the 300 different flags of pride at school. Pictured: Swindon and Wiltshire Pride supporters on a march
Leaflets handed out by the charity Swindon and Wiltshire Pride claim there are more flags representing sexuality and gender identity than there are for countries. Pictured: Volunteers from Swindon and Wiltshire Pride
The extensive list includes an ‘intersex-inclusive Pride flag’, a ‘polyamory Pride flag, and even a black and white ‘heterosexual flag’ for straight people, which it says can include transgender people. Pictured: The ‘intersex-inclusive Pride flag’
Parents of children at the primary schools had raised concerns about the material to the local Labour council but, they told The Telegraph they had been ignored.
One mother, a former teacher, said the guide being given out in primary schools was ‘really concerning’.
‘Obviously the polyamory one, encouraging children to have multiple sex partners, they shouldn’t be sexualising children,’ she said.
‘In the guide itself, under education, it states it is ‘for schools, teachers, and students’.
‘A couple of sentences down, for example, it says ‘raise awareness of the lesser known identities across the fetish spectrum’,’ she added, saying that was ‘inappropriate’.
Among the other Pride flags are ‘genderqueer’, ‘demiboy’ and ‘demigirl’, ‘pangender’, ‘abrosexual’ and the ‘straight ally flag’, which places the rainbow colours in the shape of an ‘A’ on top of the black and white heterosexual flag.
Helen Joyce, the director of advocacy at human rights charity Sex Matters, said the flags ‘draw children in’ and ‘suggest that they need to find themselves on the list’ which is ‘inappropriate and unnecessary’.
Ms Joyce added that the ‘false belief’ a child can be born in the wrong body can be ‘deeply unsettling for young people’ and they should be ‘protected from such misguided and harmful ideas’.
A spokesman for Swindon and Wiltshire Pride said: ‘We believe in ‘Pride 365’: a year-round commitment to celebrating identity, raising awareness, and supporting LGBTQIA+ people in our community.
‘Throughout the year, we engage with a wide range of local events, organisations, and educational settings to build understanding and foster inclusion.
‘During this Pride Month, we were invited into a small number of local schools to support their curriculum-led work around diversity and LGBTQIA+ relationships.
‘Our support guide includes helpful information, links to support organisations, and content written for all audiences – it contains no sexual content whatsoever.
‘It is disheartening, though sadly not surprising, to face unfounded attacks or misrepresentations of our work.
‘As a visible LGBTQIA+ charity, we know that some individuals may seek to undermine the progress we are making in fostering a more compassionate, inclusive society.
‘We remain proud of our mission and grateful to the many people, schools, and communities who continue to stand with us.’
It comes after last week a Christian company vowed to sue a council dubbed ‘Wokeminster’ over plans to hang up trans-inclusive flags to mark Pride Month.
In collaboration with Westminster City Council, the Crown Estate, who own the majority of properties on Regent Street, plan to fly Progress Pride flags in 20 locations throughout the central London area between mid-June and mid-July.
But if the proposed decorations are hoisted into the air within the next week, the council, nicknamed ‘Wokeminster’ by its own chief executive Stuart Love, and the Crown Estate risk facing legal action from the Christian Legal Centre.
Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, told The Telegraph that the Pride flags were an attack on traditional beliefs about sex and gender.
She warned that the Christian Legal Centre would have no option but to pursue legal action if the council chooses to proceed with the Pride display, arguing that everyone should feel welcome in Regent Street.
Ms Williams said: ‘They send the message that people holding these views – which are worthy of respect in a democratic society – are not welcome.
‘The majority of the public do not know the highly controversial and harmful symbolism presented by the Progress Pride Flag.’
The Pride flag was created by American artist and gay rights activist Gilbert Baker and was first displayed in 1978 as a symbol of the LGBTQ+ community.
The Progress Pride flag, designed by artist Daniel Quasar, is an amended version including black, brown, pink, pale blue and white stripes to represent people of colour within the LGBTQ+ community, the trans community and those living with HIV/AIDS.
Ms Williams continued: ‘This ideology has been discredited by the Cass review, the closure of the Tavistock, and most recently Supreme Court ruling. When will the Crown Estate catch up with the rest of society?’
In April, five Supreme Court justices ruled that the legal definition of a ‘woman’ in the 2010 Equality Act refers ‘to a biological woman and biological sex’.
Lord Hodge said he recognised ‘the strength of feeling on both sides’ and cautioned against seeing the judgement as a triumph for one side over another, stressing that the law still gives trans people protection against discrimination.
Despite this, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch praised the ruling as a ‘victory’ for women and said it meant the ‘era of Keir Starmer telling us women can have penises has come to an end’.
The landmark ruling could have far-reaching implications on how sex-based rights apply, including how women-only spaces are allowed to operate.
Vicky Lee, founder of the Way Out Club, urged the Christian Legal Centre not to pursue legal action over the Pride decorations.
She argued they would need to sue ‘for every pair of hot pants, every T-shirt and every flag worn as a cape because Pride Month is here and the superheroes [trans community] are not going away anytime soon.’
