A lawyer appointed by the government to review sex education previously represented a right-wing Christian group calling for a ban on LGBTQ-inclusive educational material in schools, openDemocracy can reveal.

Evangelical lobby group Christian Concern has campaigned against children being taught about same-sex relationships and contraception, saying instead they should be told to avoid sex outside of heterosexual marriage.

The group’s CEO Andrea Williams has said that she believes “homosexuality is a sin” and that children raised by same-sex couples are more likely to be drug addicts.

Christian Concern lost a legal challenge in September against a college at the University of Cambridge that had declined its request to book its facilities for a conference. Staff had raised concerns over the organisation’s views about LGBTQ people.

In May, Alasdair Henderson, the barrister who represented the group, was invited by the Department of Education to join an independent expert advisory panel advising on the review of the relationships, sex and health education curriculum.

The five-person panel will make recommendations to the education secretary on whether some sex education topics require age restrictions and whether others are unsuitable to teach, according to the government.

Rishi Sunak asked for a planned review in sex education to be brought forward in March after a Tory MP, Miriam Cates, claimed children were being exposed to sex education classes that were “age-inappropriate, extreme, sexualising and inaccurate”. 

Cates did not provide evidence for her claims and teaching unions said that they were unaware of any such reports, calling the review “politically motivated”.

As well as representing Christian Concern, Henderson was previously the director of the Lawyers’ Christian Fellowship (LCF) from 2016 to 2021. His clients during the time included a woman who opposed a buffer zone around an abortion clinic in London.

The LCF has published policy papers suggesting that children brought up in heterosexual marriages “live according to higher standards of integrity and moral principles”.

In 2006, it campaigned against legislation introduced by the government that made it illegal for businesses and public services to discriminate on the grounds of sexuality orientation. 

Henderson has previously been criticised for liking and retweeting tweets that criticised Black Lives Matter protesters, and described the words “misogynist” and “homophobe” as “highly ideological propaganda terms”. 

He was appointed joint deputy chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission in January 2023, having served as a commissioner since 2018.

In September 2020, it became compulsory for all secondary schools to teach relationships, sex and health education (RSHE). Primary schools must teach relationship and health education but age-appropriate sex education is optional.

The curriculum was also updated for the first time in 20 years, with students now being taught about same-sex relationships, as well as topics including gender identity, consent and sexual abuse at secondary school level.

A spokesperson for Stonewall said: “LGBTQ-inclusive education plays a vital role in fostering respect for others and for the ways in which difference enriches our society. RSHE is an important part of that. 

“As she reviews the guidance, it is vital that the education secretary holds these perspectives close to her heart and it is imperative that schools and colleges are supported with appropriate training and resources to deliver their RSHE curriculum.”