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You are here: Home > Forum > A Place of Safety > General Talk > When do we teach kids about homosexuality?
When do we teach kids about homosexuality?  [message #55823] Wed, 25 February 2009 08:14 Go to previous message
timmy

Has no life at all
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13828



On this morning's BBC breakfast programme we had an item regarding the potential compulsory teaching of homosexuality to primary school children. That is age rising 5 to 11. This was set against the old "section 28" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Section_28 prohibitions against promoting homosexuality, which have been repealed, but replaced in Kent, i think, with an equivalent local regulation.

The programme showed books for tinies where it was displayed as the norm to have two dads or two mums. The "floor debate" with guests was regarding the age at which it was appropriate to teach children that homosexuality is normal.

And that interested me.

As my son was growing up the insult "GAY!" was bandied about a lot. That is wrong, but it is also "kids!"

When I was growing up there was no thought of homosexuality except as some form of peculiarity that no-one ever talked about. That is wrong but it is excused by the era.

My wife has a professional view on this. She teaches 6 year olds. She says that children need to be taught to respect each other for their similarities and their differences, whatever those may be. If Elsie is left handed, Peter has two mummies, Leigh-Anne is wheelchair bound, Everton flounces like a fairy princess (and yes she taught one such at 6), all are to be respected for each of these things. No-one is to be ridiculed, vilified or specially praised. They are simply to be accepted and understood.

She was very firm. Children, probably to the age of 11, do not need to know, except with honest and age appropriate answers to questions, about any form of sexuality. They need to know about love, kindness, respect, and how not to discriminate. It is not, she believes, a subject to be taught. Instead it is to be handled when it arises in a competent and uncomplicated and unbiased manner.

This is not at variance with whatever sex education is given to young children because that allows competent handling of questions.

As a gay man and a father I agree with her. I think we should handle questions well, and not force extra and often unwanted knowledge onto kids. And I have a heterosexual example.

My very best friend at school, Michael Bailey, was horrified when, at 10, we were given the sex talk (1962). The entire concept revolted him. He went home and told his parents how disgusting they were to have done that. He was not ready to hear it, and the knowledge was too much for him. The poor boy was deeply traumatised by it. He was the exception in that he spoke about it. Other boys will also have been disgusted, others will have wanted to have a go at it. For most it was simply irrelevant.

What do you think about teaching rising fives about homosexuality? And, if you had to do it, how would you think it best be done? Or would you refuse?


Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
 
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