Education

Press Release – Family Education Trust Paper Exposes Lack of Scrutiny, and Gender Ideological Capture of Public Libraries

April 17, 2025

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Press Release – This announcement summarises our position and links to the underlying evidence. For our research process, see here.

The Family Education Trust (FET) has today published a paper which reveals that libraries are failing to be ideologically neutral and a wider institutional failure to exercise proper scrutiny of the use of taxpayer’s money given in grants, as public funds are being funnelled to further an LGBTQ+ agenda and promote gender ideology to children.

FET’s research paper conducted by members of the Women’s Right Network, revealed that 80% of grants for libraries by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) controlled by Arts Council England (ACE) goes to private companies, the vast majority of which (including 8 of the 10 awarded more than £300,000 a year) are charities.

The paper argues that detail about services delivered or a metric of positive outcomes by which success might be evaluated are lacking, and that this has led to library mission-creep beyond their core purpose and has made them vulnerable to contested and even harmful ideologies and social trends – including gender identity ideology (GII) – the influence of which permeate official bodies, despite an expectation of library neutrality.

A case study is given of one such body, The Reading Agency,  given grants by DCMS via ACE for its Reading Well scheme, of which there is evidence that it lacks appropriate controls to prevent conflicts of interest and the promotion of contested ideologies. The Reading Well for Teens list undermines child safeguarding by promoting gender ideology and signposting children to LGBTQ+ activist organisations.

Peter D. Williams, Director of the Family Education Trust, said:

‘This paper further evidences the institutional capture of Government institutions by FET is calling for an immediate review of how public funds are used in community libraries and for the Government to restore public faith in libraries for their value in encouraging literacy rather than  promoting ideologies that are contrary to proper child safeguarding’.

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Notes to Editors:

  • The Family Education Trust is a national educational trust which researches the causes and consequences of family breakdown. It has no political or religious affiliations and is funded entirely by voluntary donations. FET conducts evidence-based academic research, always seeking to identify the underlying causes of social problems and giving particular time and attention to a wide range of areas that affect the stability of the family and the welfare of children and young people. It then uses the research for the purposes of informing, educating, influencing and supporting policymakers, educators, parents and the wider public. FET celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2021. 

  • For further information please contact our Communications and PR Officer, Lucy Marsh, at: