The controversial petition calling for the exclusion of LGBTQIA+ themes from the education of minors has already garnered nearly 8,200 signatures.
Within three days, it surpassed the 4,500-signature threshold needed to trigger a public debate in the Chamber of Deputies. LGBTQIA+ rights advocates have criticised the petition, labelling it "appalling."
Read more: Banning content: Which school courses are targeted by the LGBTQIA+ petition?
In response, a counter-petition was submitted this week, advocating for the "further development of LGBTQIA+ and coexistence issues in the education of minors."
The Parliamentary Petitions Committee unanimously approved this counter-petition on Tuesday morning, as confirmed by its president, MP Francine Closener of the Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party (LSAP). The Committee reviewed four similar counter-petitions and selected the one deemed best formulated, submitted by Marc Gerges, a former journalist now overseeing communications at the LSAP.
When asked if the original petition and the counter-petition would be debated together, Closener stated that this would be considered if the counter-petition gathers the required 4,500 signatures.
The Conference of Presidents of the Chamber of Deputies must still approve the counter-petition before it can be opened for signatures later this week.
Criticism and counter-criticism
The petition against LGBTQIA+ education for minors quickly gathered thousands of signatures, sparking significant backlash. Representatives of the LGBTQIA+ community expressed their shock and concern. They, alongside the Centre for Equal Treatment (CET), the National Museum of Resistance, and the women's rights organisation CID Fraen an Gender fear the petition's demands would reinforce discrimination.
Read more: 'Akin to censorship': Feminist group protests petition to ban LGBTQIA+ topics in Luxembourg schools
Charles Schmit, the Ombudsman for Children and Adolescents, emphasised the importance of reinforcing education about emotional and sexual health from an early age to help children combat discrimination and abuse. Schmit warned that the petition's demands might violate international children's rights.
Conversely, the Alternative Democratic Reform Party (adr) criticised what it sees as interference by "state-funded institutions" in democratic debate, accusing them of "exerting pressure" on petitioners. The opposition party described this as "a violation of the principle of neutrality," and "an abuse of power and an attack on democracy and freedom of speech."
