THIS weekend we’ll be celebrating Pride, writes Redditch MP Rachel Maclean in her Letter From Westminster.

A time to reflect on the progress we’ve made in the pursuit of LGBT equality, to celebrate this progress, but also a time to remember how much further we’ve got to go to advance equality for LGBT people.

From legalising gay marriage – giving everyone an equal right to marry the person they love – to reviewing the Gender Recognition Act – improving the process for those who wish to legally change their gender - it’s this Conservative Government which is committed to stripping away barriers that hold people back.

We’ve also conducted the National LGBT Survey – the largest national survey in the world to establish the barriers LGBT people still face – and we’ve published an LGBT Action Plan – containing 75 commitments to improve the lives of LGBT people in the UK.

I’m a proud supporter of LGBT rights. Since being elected in 2017, I’ve done what I can to advance LGBT rights and equality. However, we still have a long way to go until our society is truly equal.

One way we can make society equal is by teaching children about same-sex relationships. As I’ve said before, I make no apologies for supporting compulsory same-sex relationship education in schools. It is wholly positive for society.

If we teach children from a young age that two men can love each other and two women can love each other, then they will grow up to be more tolerant and understanding of people who might be different to them. That way we can make our society truly equal, tolerant, diverse and harmonious.

In response to my previous diary I wrote defending same-sex relationship teaching in schools, a number of people said it was wrong and that children were far too young to learn about same-sex relationships. Quite frankly I could not disagree more.

Children aren’t being taught about sex. They’re not being taught to be gay – the idea this is possible is just ludicrous, yet shockingly some people still believe this. They’re simply being taught that some children have two daddies and some children have two mummies and that it’s okay and completely normal.

At the end of the day we must all remember this; love is love. It’s as simple as that. Two men can love each other and two women can love each other in exactly the same way a man and a woman love one another. The sooner a minority of bigoted people understand this, the more equal our society will be.