Unjustly called a homophobe

YOUR AUGUST 8 edition carries a letter from Martin Pendergast about me.
True, I have made a contribution to the decision by the newly elected Labour administration to review its antifamily policies. True, I am opposed to teachers and other staff being "welcomed regardless of their sexual preferences": I would not want paedophiles working with children!
True, I am opposed to asking job applicants and existing staff about their sexual preferences (such matters arc private).
True, I am opposed to my own children at nursery and first schools being taught about homosexuality and being shown textbooks in which dad and boyfriend are shown in bed together.
True, I am opposed to homosexual couples being encouraged to foster and adopt children (because I believe that children deprived of their own parents should experience "father" and "mother" figures).
True, if Mr Pendergast was to check his facts he would know that I have been to the forefront in opposing discrimination and prejudice against homosexuals. Although some homosexual pressure groups have written to criticise my public statements, I have also had strong encouragement from individual homosexuals saying that they are opposed to Ealing Labour Party attempts to exploit them.
For Mr Pendergast's information, I have had neither contact with nor support for my stand from the Westminster Diocesan Education Service. In fact as a parent and a governor I regret that I have not as yet heard of any WDES initiative.
Although no supporter of the present government, I am in wholehearted agreement with the present policy on sex education as published last month in the pamplet "Health Education from 5 to 16". The document makes it clear that although parents do not have the right to withdraw children from sex education lessons, each school has a responsibility to consult parents on the syllabus and materials being used. In addition, schools are instructed not to undermine the strong moral and religious views of parents about sexual matters. Clearly it is not acceptable for teachers to encourage pupils to experiment in homosexual relationships as has happened very recently in one west London school.
On homosexuality, the document says that it needs to be dealt with objectively and seriously in the secondary sex education programme but that "for some schools to accept that homosexuality may be a normal feature of relationships would be a breach of the religious faith upon which they are founded". I trust Mr Pendergast would accept the appropriateness of this statement with reference to Christian schools.
Alan Whelan Hanwell, London