How Will Youngsters Notice If A Tv Presenter Is Gay Or Not?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2247981/BBC-told-gay-presenters-characters-childrens-TV-familiarise-young-people-different-sexualities.html

/// The study claimed that lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people are still 'relatively invisible' across the media. ///

/// The report commissioned by the broadcaster, which drew on audience surveys and nine 'LGB experts', concluded that all genres of programming should regularly feature non-heterosexual people, with news and drama currently the biggest problem
areas. ///

So if this materialises, will the presenter first introduce themselves by saying "Good Evening I am Jeremy your gay newscaster"?

[Sparkles62]

Why does everybody have to have a label, peoples preferences, whether sexual, religious, or whatever, are surely their own business and no one elses. Why do we need to know if the newscaster is gay or straight, it wont make any difference to the news, or how good they are at presenting it.

[sp1814]

joeluke - nope...I don't have a clue what you mean.

Seriously. I can't fathom it, which is weird because I'm good at crosswords.

Can you clarify what 'mental practices' you're referring to?

[sp1814]

Sparkles62

The whole world revoles around labels.

Consider these statements:

"I'm a single mother of two..."

"I'm a carpenter by trade..."

"I'm white..."

"I'm Catholic..."

"I'm diabetic..."

Etc etc...everyone has labels.

Why should anyone hide their sexuality. Do straight people get married on the quiet so that no-one can find out?

Should Christians sneak into church so that no-one can identify them as having faith?

Why are gay people singled out to keep quiet about something so fundamental to them?

Would you ever hide the fact that you're straight (assuming you are)? Have you ever referred to your husband/wife as "my partner" in order to disguise their sex? If not, why should gay people?

Sounds very unfair.

[ummmm]

It's very unfair and I find some peoples attitudes quite shocking.

[Duncer]

Leaving aside the unfairnesses, or not, why can't children just be left to be children without overt attempts to expose them to "sexualities" of whatever type? I find this sort of thing verging on creepy when adults want to "expose" children to any sort of sexuality.

[Duncer]

"There's a parallel is the straight world. No-one ever criticises Paddy McGuiness, Danny Dyer, Jeremy Clarkson et al, for there overt heterosexuality."

you're kidding sp181, I've often lambasted Clarkson and Dyer at length for being cartoon like stereotypical "geezers", although I normally use the synonym "complete and utter Joy-sticks". This is an opinion shared by numerous colleagues.

[sp1814]

Duncer

Children are 'exposed to sexuality' from birth.

They have mothers and fathers. This isn't about 'sexuality'. Think of it in terms of 'relationships'.

Little children don't even understand sex, but they do understand relationships.

People keep thinking of this in terms of sex. No-one is talking about educating children about gay sexuality. That's a lie bandied about by those with a certain agenda to push.

[Duncer]

...............and those compiling the report don't have an agenda to push?

Why does a little child need a relationship demonstrated to them on TV when, as you say, relationships are all around them - they should be watching simplistic but educational programmes and cartoons.

[joeluke]

'No-one is talking about educating children about gay sexuality'

Seems like the BBC want to in the OP article

[sp1814]

Duncer - okay. I take your point about Clarkson et al. However, aren't you really criticising them for being tw@ts rather than focussing n their perceived heterosexuality?

You could expand the list thus:

Sly Stallone
Dolph Lungren
Arnold Schwartzenegger
Chuck Norris
Samuel L Jackson
Jason Statham
The Rock
Daniel Craig

Etc, etc - the double standard that seems to be supported by AOG is that we shouldn't criticise those who display traditional heterosexual male traits, but those who are obviously gay should keep it hidden.

Double standards.

[joeluke]

'we shouldn't criticise those who display traditional heterosexual male traits, but those who are obviously gay should keep it hidden'

Yep

[sp1814]

joeluke

No.

That's not what the article says.

Nothing like it.

I may be wrong, but I think you may have misinterpreted it.

What is there that makes you think the BBC are going to start teaching children how to have gay sex.

[ummmm]

Joe, you are unbelievable.

[sp1814]

Duncer

No - children aren't all six years old. There are a sizeable number of older children who are capable of handling the idea of a same sex union, or knowing that someone on telly is gay.

What do you think happened to Boyzone fans when they found out that Stephen Gatley was gay?

What happened to the Boyzone fans when they found out that Mark Feehy was gay?

What about the teenage fan of Will Young? 

And how did the little girl fans of Union J react when they found out that Jaymi Hensley was gay?

I think they pretty much shrugged and got on with it. It's been a long while since I was at school, but I think that children are a lot more Sussex when it comes to relationships than we older people were at that age. We should guard against assuming that they are as ignorant as some of us were at their age.

And by 'their age' I think I mean slightly older children than you're thinking of.

[sp1814]

Ha ha ha...for 'Sussex' read 'sussed'.

[sp1814]

joeluke

Ahhh...now I see.

If you are upset by camp men, or even men who aren't camp, but are gay, then there's nothing for me and you to talk about...in the same way that I can't stand all green leafy vegetables - there's no way to change either of us in our opinions (you of gay men and me of spinach).

[Duncer]

What do you think happened to Boyzone fans when they found out that Stephen Gatley was gay?

What happened to the Boyzone fans when they found out that Mark Feehy was gay?

What about the teenage fan of Will Young?

And how did the little girl fans of Union J react when they found out that Jaymi Hensley was gay?.......


.........they remained acolytes of dull derivative drivel.

[sp1814]

Duncer

Not really talking about music here. I'm making the point that kids can take on the news that someone can be gay without any problems.

So if they can handle their pop stars being gay, I don't think we need worry about them dealing with gay and lesbian presenters or characters in dramas aimed at kids.

...which is a good thing, in my opinion.

[anotheoldgit]

sp1814

/// People keep thinking of this in terms of sex. No-one is talking about educating children about gay sexuality. That's a lie bandied about by those with a certain agenda to push. ///

Why are those who do not fully support certain gay issues always belittled, insulted and accused of having a certain agenda to push, when gays themselves are constantly pushing their own agenda and expect all others to support it?

[Mosaic]

nobody seems to have bothered about Kenny Kendall being gay. Why do we need to notice what a person's sexual preferences are if they are legal, harming nobody and not flaunted unnecessarily?