A teacher faces being struck off after posting a video about Ruth Davidson’s pregnancy which makes a string of allegedly offensive, discriminatory and prejudiced remarks.
Richard Lucas is due to appear before a panel at the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS).
The process could result in the removal of his name from the professional register.
It comes after he published a Youtube video in 2018 while working as a maths teacher at Merchiston Castle School, Edinburgh.
Ms Davidson, Holyrood leader for the Scottish Conservatives, gave birth to a son in October of that year.
She and her partner had previously announced they were expecting a child after undergoing IVF.
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In his video, Mr Lucas, who is leader of the Scottish Family Party, refers to Ms Davidson’s pregnancy and makes statements such as “the important issue here of course is that this is the deliberate production of a fatherless child” and “children have got a right to a mum and dad, a male role model and a female role model within the home”.
The video also refers to the New Family Structures study by sociologist Mark Regenerus and offers a series of statements about its participants.
These include that 24 per cent from families where the father had a gay relationship have thought recently about suicide, compared with 12% of participants from a family where the mother had a lesbian relationship, and 5% where the mother and father were married as an “intact family”.
In the video, he states the following: “The statistics always show worse outcomes for children from lesbian and gay parented households, but then the statistical jiggery pokery kicks in and, by controlling for one thing or another, eventually you can make those effects disappear and claim that the children turn out just as well, but there’s good reason to think that there are problems associated with/correlated with same sex parenthood.”
In addition, the GTCS allegations state Mr Lucas published a newspaper letter whose contents echo the remarks made in the video.
The watchdog’s hearing document says the statements in the 2018 video and letter, along with the use of “inflammatory” language, tone and manner, are “offensive; and/or communicate intolerance and/or prejudice; and/or, are discriminatory; and/or, are potentially discriminatory as a reasonable and properly informed member of the public, having regard to the content of your statements, would conclude that you were intolerant of and prejudiced against same sex parents and would discriminate against them and their children in the course of your duties as a teacher”.
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In light of this, it is alleged Mr Lucas’ fitness to teach is impaired and that he is unfit to teach.
Mr Lucas does not deny making the statements but disputes the allegation they are offensive and discriminatory, or that they communicate intolerance and prejudice.
“This case will reveal nothing about my fitness to teach,” he states in his defence documents.
“It will, however, reveal the extent to which GTCS is politicised, prejudiced, intolerant of diversity of thought, opposed to freedom of speech, and hostile to socially conservative views.”
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A GTCS spokeswoman said its process was not about “disciplining or punishing” staff but rather “ensuring that we have a teaching profession in Scotland that is and remains fit to teach so public trust and confidence in teachers is maintained and the learning of our children and young people is protected”.
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