The Education Inspectorate must act against the LGBTI-hostile teaching method 'Help! I'm growing up' of the Islamic School Boards Organization (ISBO). That call makes COC chairman Astrid Oosenbrug in the Nieuwsuur program of 11 September.

In the teaching method, young students are told that the punishment for homosexuals would be blinding, a shower of stones and death, and that Allah would abhor homosexuality. Transgender people also have to suffer. The booklets state, among other things, that according to Islam it would not be allowed for trans people to go into transition. Furthermore, the method states that Allah would curse 'women who try to resemble men'.

COC chairman Astrid Oosenbrug speaks of a 'horrible teaching method, which terrifies young Muslim LGBTI people'. She finds it unacceptable for schools to use such LGBTI-hostile teaching methods – whether it be with an appeal to Islam, Christianity or another belief. The COC chairman wants the Education Inspectorate to take action against the schools concerned and ensure that the method is no longer used.

'As a Muslim transgender girl or gay boy you will only be in a school that uses this method, and in fact you will be told that you are not allowed to attend. That is appalling, unacceptable and against the law. Pupils have the right to a school where they feel safe and accepted, and that is not possible with such a teaching method.'  

Oosenbrug points out that schools are legally obliged to ensure a safe school climate for all students and that they must teach students respect for LGBTI people. The obligation for all primary and secondary schools to instill respect for LGBTI people came about thanks to COC's Pink Ballot Box Agreement van 2012.

Also Döne Fil – herself a lesbian, Muslim and involved in COC's Respect2Love for bicultural LGBTI's – will be discussed at Nieuwsuur. She believes that schools should immediately stop using the teaching method. According to her, the lessons are very harmful to young Muslims who are LGBTI. According to Fil, the method is also based on a wrong interpretation of Islam, which according to her does indeed offer room to LGBTI people.

Imams and others from the Dutch Muslim community also express their disapproval of the teaching method in the Nieuwsuur broadcast and in NRC.

In recent years, the COC has also sounded the alarm about Orthodox Christian schools that present students with an LGBTI-hostile image. For example, the organization recently called for action against the reformed Driestar College, a director of which the so-called Nashville statement signed. It argues that homosexual feelings can be 'killed'. The COC also objected to an orthodox Christian teaching method which stated that homosexual feelings 'fortunately (…) pass for many again'.