Gay Month in Schools

Flanker8 | 09:37 Tue 25th Jan 2005 | News

17 Answers

Is this a good idea?

Driving me crazy.

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MORELLO

In what sense?

WaldoMcFroog

No; it's clearly ridiculous.

It seems to me that what it does is fetishize a particular form of sexuality by treating it as 'different'. A much better idea would be to discuss gay matters along side heterosexual ones as a matter of course.

That way we might end up with better sexual health as a nation and less bigotry. All 'Gay Month' seems to have done is play directly in to the hands of Daily Mail Islanders everywhere.

Flanker8

Question Author

Well, should we be actively teaching our kids (as young as 5 apparently) about homosexuality, bisexuality, transgenderism etc... As far as I'm aware, we don't actively teach them about heterosexuality.

MORELLO

I obviously missed the News yesterday. Looking at the other two answers, I would agree - no, and for pretty much the reasons given.

WaldoMcFroog

Kid's are taught about heterosexuality all the time - simply as the defacto norm of society - all personal development classes about sexuality use this as their basis. I don't think it does any harm for kids to know that there's more than just man and woman - apart from anything else, I've heard many gay people, and indeed transgender people, report that they knew they were 'different' well before any sexual aspect were possible - well before puberty.

Apart from anything else, sexuality is generally not a choice*, so surely it makes sense for other variations than heterosexuality to be acknowleged.

By the same token, there's no need for 5 year olds (by which I mean children in general) to have any knowlege of any intimate details of any sexual activity.

* conversations I've had with gay friends overwhelmingly suggests there is no element of choice about their sexuality, they were simply born that way (and indeed I can confirm that I didn't make any choice about mine either). However, I have also been told that a small percentage of gay people do make a conscious choice to be so.

Flanker8

Question Author

Yes, completely agree - I don't like the idea that it is going to be singled out: discuss it by all means (when they get to a certain age - definitely not at primary school age - this goes for hetero as well: sex, of any kind, has no place in a young childs mind), but don't single it out.

If my child was of primary school going age I would give strict instructions that she is not to take part in such lessons.

WaldoMcFroog

Do you mean that if your child at junior school was told (without any reference to sexual behaviour) that people can have relationships with people of their own gender, you would take them out of the lesson?

If that is what you're saying, can you explain what it is that you find so objectionable?

keen2learn

No. What would it be about? Spending a month (and that's a long time to kids) promoting any one particular minority group is about as arbitrary as having a Ginger Month or a Myopia Month. All are equally likely to be the subject of ridicule and matginalisation, and all are equally beyond the control of the individuals connected to them. Why not just try to promote respect and acceptance for all?

PunkDaddy

It is a bit silly, but recognising homosexuality in lessons such as "Personal and Social Development" should be the way to go as WaldoMcFroog suggests. Having a gay month would be like have a black month, no need to single it out as different.

Which month would be the gay month? That month might get picked on by the other months. Maybe the month could be rotated annually to avoid any confusion, and on leap years all the other months get one less "gay day". All round it's a silly way of illustrating an important point.

smudge

When children are old enough, they should be taught about all walks of life.

I do not agree with the proposed Gay Month in schools, but feel that, homosexuality, along with bisexuality, could be integrated within sex education lessons.

smudge

P.S. It all depends on how old 'old enough' is though. I agree with you 100% Flanker, children aged 5 years, do not need to be made aware of these things.

No, I think it's a terrible idea. I also think that Gay clubs, Gay carnivals, gay this and gay that are not a good idea. Neither do I think hetrosexual months, carnivals, clubs etc would be a good idea. Gay months, etc. just single out a group of people as being different and, in my opinion, are slowing the progress that we should be making in total acceptance of the differences in our sexuality.