Alan Cumming, Stephen Fry and Kate Nash join call on government to scrap ‘harmful’ RSHE school guidance
The open letter - launched by Pride in Education and signed by more than 200 people within its first five hours - now boasts close to 3,500 names, including high-profile actors, musicians, artists, teachers, parents and young people
By Callum Wells
Alan Cumming, Stephen Fry and Kate Nash are among the growing list of public figures urging the UK government to reverse “harmful” changes to Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) guidance, warning it risks erasing trans and non-binary young people from the classroom.
The open letter – launched by Pride in Education and signed by more than 200 people within its first five hours – now boasts close to 3,500 names, including high-profile actors, musicians, artists, teachers, parents and young people.
Addressed to Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson and fellow ministers, it calls for urgent revisions to the RSHE 2026 framework, which campaigners say contradicts the Equality Act 2010 and will have “devastating” mental health impacts on marginalised youth.
“Trans people exist. Intersex people exist. Non-binary people exist”
The letter, which has also been signed by Divina Di Campo and Jedward, warns that the updated guidance contains “dangerous regressions” in inclusive education, silences discussion of gender identity, and places educators in an “impossible position” by telling them not to affirm trans students while claiming to protect their rights.
It highlights contradictions between encouraging respect for gender reassignment and suggesting trans identities are up for “significant debate”, arguing this strips dignity and agency from trans, non-binary and intersex people.
The letter reads: “We must be clear. Trans people exist. Intersex people exist. Non-binary people exist. Excluding these realities from our education system does not protect children — it denies them the opportunity to understand themselves and the diversity of the world around them.”
Echoing Section 28
Signatories also warn that the approach echoes Section 28, the Thatcher-era policy that banned the “promotion” of homosexuality in schools, and say it risks normalising exclusionary practices across the curriculum.
They stress that LGBTIQA+ inclusivity must go beyond same-sex relationships to include the full spectrum of sexuality and gender, including asexuality and aromanticism.
Pride in Education founder Laila El-Metoui said: “Inclusive education must be embedded across the curriculum, supported by leadership, and enshrined in guidance and the law.”
Read, sign and share
Members of the public are being urged to read, sign and share the letter in solidarity with young trans, non-binary and intersex people.
The full open letter is available here.