Labour House of Lords peer Michael Cashman ‘deeply concerned’ over new sex education guidance

House of Lords peer and Labour Party member, Lord Michael Cashman, has condemned recent updates to the government’s sex education guidance relating to the discussion of trans identities in schools.

The out LGBTQ+ 74-year-old politician told PinkNews that he is “deeply concerned” about the way that Labour’s new relationship, sex, and health education (RSHE) guidance regulates trans topics.

Published earlier in July, the Department for Education’s (DfE) controversial guidance urges teachers not to teach trans identities “as fact,” arguing there is “significant debate” on the subject.

It has faced significant backlash from LGBTQ+ and education groups, who argue that its LGBTQ+ provisions could cause a “dangerous regression” in education about the transgender community.

Speaking to PinkNews about his concerns surrounding the guidance, Lord Cashman said: “As someone who has spent decades campaigning for LGBTQ+ equality, I’m deeply concerned that the current draft guidance effectively relegates trans, non-binary, [and] intersex voices to matters of debate rather than lived reality.”

His comments come after the House of Lords peer signed an open letter urging education secretary Bridget Phillipson to revise the guidance before it goes into effect in 2026.

Launched by grassroots LGBTQ+ group Pride in Education, the petition expresses “deep concern and urgent conviction” over the damage that the guidance could cause, arguing it is “riddled with contradictions.”

It has been signed by nearly 1,900 allies at the time of reporting, including celebrities such as Kate Nash, Alan Cumming, Stephen Fry, and more.

Trans+ History Week founder and campaigner Marty Davies also signed the petition, telling PinkNews that the government appears to be “positioning trans+ existence as a belief, not an identity that’s been around for millennia.”

“[The RSHE guidance] frames our lives as optional to acknowledge. It’s dangerous, it invites bullying, and it has no place in our schools,” they said.

A spokesperson for Pride in Education said it had heard from teachers who are now afraid to create an “inclusive environment” due to the “confusion and uncertainty” the draft policy has caused.

“We stand proudly with trans, non-binary, intersex, asexual and gender non-conforming students,” they continued. “We want every single one of them to know this: your identity is valid, your existence matters, and your voice belongs in every classroom, every curriculum and every conversation about the future.”

A prominent LGBTQ+ rights campaigner, Lord Cashman has routinely shown support for the trans community, saying in 2021 that ‘gender-critical’ campaigners “learned nothing” from the activism of the 1980s.

The former actor has also regularly described the homophobic abuse he received whilst playing the character Colin Russell in the BBC soap EastEnders. The character had the first same-sex mouth-to-mouth kiss in a British soap.

In 2024, he lost the Labour whip after arguing ‘gender-critical’ Labour MP Rosie Duffield was too “frit or lazy” to attend a hustings. He later apologised “unreservedly” for the comments.