Mrs Montague was stunned to be confronted by a member of staff wearing a t-shirt with the slogan. Photo / Supplied
Mrs Montague was stunned to be confronted by a member of staff wearing a t-shirt with the slogan. Photo / Supplied
When devout Christian Izzy Montague made an appointment at her son's primary school to discuss its gay pride march, she expected her concerns to be heard with respect.
So she was stunned to be confronted by a member of staff wearing a T-shirt with the slogan: "Why be racist, sexist, homophobic, or transphobic when you could just be quiet?"
The meeting went ahead, but Mrs Montague became so angry at her treatment that she later wrote a letter of complaint to the school, moved her five-year-old son out – and is now threatening legal action claiming victimisation, reports Daily Mail.
She said last night: "Given the nature of my complaints it was obviously a deliberate act to wear the T-shirt. I believe it was intended to belittle my views and intimidate me into silence."
The school, Heavers Farm Primary in South-East London, denies her claims, saying the choice of T-shirt worn at the meeting by Attie Copeman-Papas, the school's deputy safeguarding manager, was entirely coincidental and no offence was intended.
She says her request was refused. Mrs Montague said: "I thought this was completely unreasonable.
"Schools are supposed to be tolerant of different faiths as well as different sexualities. Within our faith we teach that a man and a woman together is what makes a family, but in my eyes the school were promoting a different type of lifestyle to the pupils.
"Our children were being indoctrinated with values that they do not need to taught at such a young age."
Mrs Montague kept her son at home on the day of the event.
The dispute began in June when the school organised a "Proud to be Me" parade for its 750 pupils to coincide with gay pride month. Photo / Supplied
No sanctions were taken by the school, but Mrs Montague became increasingly angry by what she saw at a lack of effort being made to ensure parents felt at ease with teachings about gay issues.
She said: "One parent told me about a book that the teachers were reading to the children about two male penguins who fall in love and no one consulted us about this," she said.
Mrs Montague requested a meeting with the school's headteacher, Susan Papas, in September. It was at this meeting, which was also attended by the deputy head, that Ms Copeman-Papas, who is the head teacher's daughter, wore her controversial T-shirt.
In her letter complaining about the shirt, Mrs Montague wrote: "It was highly unprofessional and surely does not adhere to the school policy dress code for staff."
She has also lodged an official complaint against Ms Copeman-Papas for failing to respect her religious beliefs.
In addition, she and other Christian parents are discussing a possible judicial review with Christian Concern, a group that campaigns for a more conservative Christian voice in law.
Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, said: "A particular agenda is being forced on to children inside school gates and parents are being given no means to ensure that they are being taught in line with their religious and philosophical beliefs."
Another mother at the school, who asked not to be named, said there was no mention of the word "gay" during the parade and pupils were simply encouraged to celebrate their differences.
Mrs Montague has placed her son in a Catholic Church school.
Ms Papas said she was unable to comment on Mrs Montague's case "due to the threat of legal action", but said the message on her daughter's T-shirt was "not in breach of the school's code of conduct".
