French Education System to Train All Administrators on LGBTI+ Issues
France's government will mandate LGBTI+ training for all senior education staff to combat discrimination, with a guide for schools by 2027 developed with activist groups.
Minister delegate for Equality and the Fight Against Discrimination Aurore Bergé unveiled the National Plan for Equality Against Hate and Anti-LGBTI+ Discrimination on Saturday, July 25, during the “Pride of the Countryside” event in Chenevelles, Vienne, according to Valeurs Actuelles. The centerpiece of the initiative is the mandatory training of 100 percent of administrative leaders within the Ministry of National Education to better identify and report acts perceived as anti-LGBTI+.
Under the new framework, a dedicated module focused on combating “anti-LGBTI+ hate” will be integrated into the training programs for school directors and inspectors. A comprehensive guide is slated for deployment in all educational establishments by the start of the 2027 school year. Bergé has defended the educational focus as essential, citing data that suggest both victims and perpetrators of anti-LGBTI+ offenses are becoming increasingly young, with a quarter of offenders now aged between 13 and 17.
Plan Developed in Partnership with Activist Groups
In an interview with the left-leaning newspaper Libération, Bergé justified the policy shift by pointing to what she characterized as a consistent rise in anti-LGBTI+ acts since 2016 and the “glaring failure” of previous policies. The government, she said, is changing its approach by working more closely with grassroots activist organizations. The plan, she claims, is rooted in their recommendations—despite the fact that these same groups are frequently criticized for partisan advocacy and ideological bias.
To maintain what Bergé called “healthy and useful pressure on the state,” an annual evaluation will be conducted by the National Consultative Commission on Human Rights. The plan includes enhanced continuing education, new reporting tools, and expanded presence of LGBTI+ themes in schools.
Streamlining Gender Change Procedures and Expanding LGBTI+ Centers
The government’s ambitions extend well beyond the classroom. Bergé has pledged to remove judicial oversight from civil status change procedures for transgender individuals before the plan’s conclusion. She justified this by asserting that just as people do not choose their sexual orientation, they do not choose their gender identity.
Another stated goal is to achieve 100 percent departmental coverage with LGBTI+ centers by 2029. The number of such facilities has already grown from 32 in 2022 to 59 today. These centers, described as “safe spaces” for victims and information hubs for families, will receive a national certification designed to facilitate cooperation with police stations and hospitals.
Critics See Ideological Imposition on Public Institutions
Bergé has framed the plan as evidence of an ongoing positive movement in the expansion of rights. However, critics view it as the continuation of an activist agenda that, under the guise of fighting discrimination, imposes a particular worldview on public institutions—and through them, on children and families.
With information from Valeurs Actuelles
