The Council of Europe has released a formal training manual directing local governments and public institutions across member states to train their staff in LGBT ideology — including exercises on gender identity, pronoun usage, and LGBT flag identification.
The document, titled +LGBTI+ Intercultural Competences Training Manual, was developed through the Council’s Intercultural Cities Programme in partnership with the cities of Oeiras, Portugal, and Leeds, United Kingdom. It is aimed primarily at local government workers and public administration employees.
The manual proposes two training modules — a three-hour foundational model and a fully developed twelve-hour program. Proposed exercises include analyzing vocabulary used to describe LGBT individuals, discussing differences between “gender identity,” “gender expression,” and biological sex, and identifying the flags of various LGBT subgroups.
The document relies on gender theory and activist sources — including ILGA Europe, an LGBT lobbying organization — rather than binding international law. It defines the gender binary as a “socially constructed concept” and classifies heteronormativity as a structural cause of exclusion.
Polish legal institute Ordo Iuris warned that mandatory participation in ideologically grounded training infringes on freedom of conscience and religion as protected under Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which explicitly shields inner beliefs from interference by public authorities. “Conducting training sessions based on ideological handbooks may infringe upon the above-mentioned rights of employees of local governments,” noted Ordo Iuris analyst Patryk Ignaszczak
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