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By Louisa Clarence-Smith, EDUCATION EDITOR 27 February 2023 • 5:09pm Sex education has been suspended in Isle of Man schools after a drag queen allegedly told 11-year-olds that there are 73 genders.

The Isle of Man government has launched an independent review of its personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) curriculum after parents raised the alarm about the “graphic, disproportionate, indecent presentation” of sexual acts and different gender identities understood to have been taught in lessons.

Parents of pupils at Queen Elizabeth II High School in Peel, on the Isle of Man, have reported that Year 7 pupils were taught by a drag queen who told them there are 73 genders.

When one “upset” child responded and said “there’s only two”, the drag queen allegedly responded “you’ve upset me” and made the pupil leave the class.

Some 11-year-olds at the school were taught about oral and anal sex, while another group learned about sex change operations and were shown how skin graft taken from a girl’s arm could be used on an artificial penis, according to reports.

“A lot of children are just too traumatised to even talk to their parents," Eliza Cox, vice-chairman of Marown Commissioners, told Energy FM Isle of Man. “As a parent, you don’t know what children are being taught.”

She said that one teacher on the island had told her she had to teach a group of boys and girls in Years 7 and 8 how to masturbate. Another teacher was said to be so uncomfortable with the content of the PSHE curriculum that they told pupils: “Please don’t listen to me” while they taught the lesson.

‘Alienating students’ A petition by parents of pupils at Queen Elizabeth II High School has been launched calling for an “immediate investigation into the alleged actions of teachers delivering the age-inappropriate material to children”.

The petition, addressed to the school’s headteacher and signed by more than 500 people, stated: “We consider the attendance of a ‘drag queen’ in class and alienating students clearly confused about the information discussed during this session wholly inappropriate.

“How, who and why was this guest speaker permitted to discuss gender issues to an inappropriate child audience by an inexperienced and untrained adult?”

The Isle of Man government said it would commission an independent review to “gain an independent understanding of what has taken place”.

Julie Edge, minister for education on the island, said the Department of Education, Sport and Culture has “taken the decision to pause all RSE delivery across primary and secondary schools, and will be unable to comment further until the facts have been established”.

The self-governing crown dependency introduced a new PSHE curriculum in September.

Independent review Miriam Cates, the Conservative MP who sits on the House of Commons’ education select committee, has warned that parents in England are also being kept in the dark about age-inappropriate content being taught to children in sex education.

She said: “When parents raise serious safeguarding concerns about inappropriate and sexualising materials being used in sex education lessons in schools, the right response is to pause these lessons whilst the matter can be investigated.

“I applaud the authorities in the Isle of Man for making this decision. But similar - and worse - materials are being used in schools across the UK and the Department for Education has persistently ignored whistleblowers who raise concerns. The UK Government needs to take its lead from the Isle of Man.”

Charlotte Clarke, head of Queen Elizabeth II High School, said: “Having viewed a video which is currently circulating on social media relating to the school’s RSE curriculum and its delivery, we are concerned that there could be a number of inaccuracies with the information being shared.

“Given the concerns being raised, and in order to be open and transparent, we requested an independent review into the situation. As such I am happy to take part in the independent review which is being deployed by the Department of Education, Sport and Culture and would encourage our community to avoid speculation at this time.”

A spokesperson for the Department for Education said: "Schools must make sure all content they use is factual and age-appropriate, and engage with parents so they are aware of what their children are being taught.

“We will write to all schools this term to emphasise the rights of parents to see teaching materials being taught to their children in schools.”