The Internet Is Rejoicing At This Inclusive Maths Problem In an Irish Textbook

Four little words in an Irish maths textbook have made the world of difference.

"Craig buys his boyfriend".

A screengrab of a maths problem shared on Twitter is going viral this week, highlighting how far we've come with representation, but also how far we have to go.

The maths problem, featured in the textbook 'Active Maths' reads:

'Craig buys his boyfriend a birthday present that costs €215.65 including VAT @13.5%. What was the original bill before VAT was added?'

Friend of mine is a teacher and just sent this to our WhatsApp group saying she’d never seen anything like it before. ????????????‍❤️‍????‍???? pic.twitter.com/ZRJFmHOIRP
— Paul Ryder (@RuPaulRyder) April 16, 2018

While it's refreshing to see a gay couple as the subject of a maths problem, it's a stark reminder of just how heteronormative the educational system still is.

This is fab. Small things like this help to unpick the heteronormative programming that our kids are subjected to on a daily basis. ❤️????
— Alex Bryce (@Alex_FeisBryce) April 17, 2018

Users rushed to celebrate the small win.

Makes me smile to see how far things have come since I was in school which was a shite experience for me. ????????
— Paul Ryder (@RuPaulRyder) April 17, 2018

Such a small thing that’s such a big step ????????☺️
— ???????????????????????????????? (@LewDowd) April 16, 2018

Ok had to read this several times. Assumed it was on twitter as the VAT rate was wrong !! But nothing is wrong and it’s all rather wonderful .
— Robin Davis (@RobinD100) April 17, 2018

The littlest of things like these can help kids that are coming to terms with who they are. It would’ve definitely helped me to more normal in my teen years when I was realising who I am & coming out & dealing with all of the things that come with that process.
— ???????????????????????????????? (@LewDowd) April 16, 2018

This is great to see. My lil girl loves the “McCain We Are Family Advert” it’s a great add we love that it mentions all types of families. Great to see that times are changing for the better ????????
— ⭐️AuDrEy❤️ (@Gizzmo79) April 16, 2018

Others were a bit distracted by the details...

I think it's great too... BUT - What we really want to know is, what did Craig buy for his boyfriend?
— Will St Leger ???? (@WillStLeger) April 16, 2018

What the hell did he buy? 13.5% is a service providers tax. Did he pay for a builder or plumber? Why didn’t he just pay the €190 cash?

Too many questions..
— SEÁN (@runningmatters_) April 16, 2018

I wanna know..... since when has VAT been 13.5%?
— Liam / 利亚姆 / Liếm / เลียม / 리엄 (@Notabilis83) April 16, 2018

I mean, that's a decent amount to spend on a birthday present. We all need boyfriends like Craig
— Kim Louise (@Kinseys_speaks) April 17, 2018

He spent €215!?! He better be the one.
— Pjibouti (@gordon_flamsey) April 16, 2018