On listening to my messages, I got an irrate call from my Granma, moaning about a new legislation being brought into schools. Apparently, Children from the ages of 3yrs old will be taught about, Gay and Lesbian relationships. Is this a fact?
She said she saw it on the 'god' channel... My instant reaction was that it was just some form of scare mongering. I need to know if it is true.
And then, she went on about how she is praying for me to 'go back to normal', and re-marry my daughters' father- yeah, fu.cking right!!!
Anyway, what do you think?
Is 3yrs old too young; the perfect age, to catch them- as my Granny eloquently suggets...
2006-10-25 09:49:31 · 28 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Cultures & Groups ➔ Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender
By the way, i am a lesbian. Im not against the proposal- my children's friend at school are forever asking me questions. I think children should be taught the truth.
I was asking if the proposal is really on the agenda, or was it that my Gran, just wanted to have a dig...
2006-10-25 09:58:38 · update #1
Yes, many schools already include homosexual relationships in their curriculum, to much widespread debate, and many do it very young (although 3 is crazy to me . . . I wasn't in school 'till I was 5!).
It's never too early to start realizing that there are many ways to be, and that there is nothing weird about diverse family structures. As to whether it should be taught in school, well, I don't see why anything except school subjects should be taught in school. What can I say? I'm old fashioned; I don't know how it became a teacher/school's burden to stuff the whole world into a child's brain when all they have is a degree to teach math! But anyhoo, if the topic came up (like it inevitably will if you are drawing family trees, etc.), a teacher should explain this diversity of family structures, and that's it. Nothing about sex- that's for later. No morality preaching on right or wrong. Just that this is how it is, accept it, and get on with teaching our kids how to spell (a serious need).
That's my two cents.
2006-10-25 10:08:21 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 2⤋
Yes, this is a well known and all too common "scare tactic" by the Ultra-Religious-fascists.
First off, most children do not attend public school until the age of FIVE! Not three.
Most states don't have state run pre-school or pre-k's.
Secondly, why shouldn't kids be read inocuous stories like "Heather has two mommies" and the true and adorable story of "and Tango makes Three?"
What these books teach aren't the interpresonal or intimate relationships between two people. They simply showcase the fact that there are many forms of "family make-up" and children should be taught to be accepting and tolerant at a very young age!
If these "So-called-Christians" actually were teaching the word of Christ, they'd be SUPPORTING THIS type of tolerance and acceptance education!
It's the CHRISTIAN thing to do!
Not all this hate-mongering and scare tactics!
2006-10-25 13:53:19 · answer #2 · answered by DEATH 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Accurate, age-appropriate education (or even better: inclusion in relevant pre-existant curriculum) is completley appropriate. Children need to know that people exist out there with different families than they have, and they need to be able to get along well enough with said people to function in school, society, and eventually a workplace. As for areas that HAVE that curriculum...I think it might go district by district; I would assume there aren't that many. California tried to pass a state-wide act on that, but Governor Phobe vetoed.
2006-10-25 21:15:08 · answer #3 · answered by Atropis 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I've not heard of this thing teaching 3yr olds of L & G lives but I have seen a headline in a newspaper saying they are thinking of teaching junior school children and younger of straight sex education.
2006-10-25 22:11:33 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think three is a little early do discuss relationships with any child, but I do hope for the day when it does not need to be a separate issue, that talking about gay or lesbian relationships are just like talking about hetero relationships in schools and every where.
I haven't seen anything about this legislation, I think it could be scare mongering.
As for granny, I am sorry you have to live with someone in your life that can not accept who you are.
2006-10-25 09:56:57 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 3⤋
I think your Granny's being a hateful b!tch, sorry. My sympathies. I've got one of those myself.
In California, they recently had a vote for a bill against bias in school (including curriculum), but that was vetoed by the Governator in September.
http://www.365gay.com/Newscon06/09/092906calif.htm
If you have a daughter, she's already learning. And does your grandmother think that your daughter needs to be treated like she's weird, then? Because you're not going back.
I think if kids start asking, it's time to discuss it. Three seems a bit young to me, but that's because I've never heard a three-year-old express curiosity about *any* kind of relationship.
2006-10-25 10:04:00 · answer #6 · answered by GreenEyedLilo 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
i do not know if it is true or not. i never heard that. but to answer your other question, yes three y.o. is too young to be discussing any kind of relationship with not matter what the orientation. my first guess would about 4th grade or 9 y.o. from expierence at that age kids start to grasp more mature concepts. but before that they are too young to discus that with. but even at nine they need to be careful what they discuss and be sure they are not teaching anything innappropiate to the kids.
2006-10-25 22:10:46 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
What happens is this:
People with open minds pass legislation that permits teachers to include LGBT families as examples of real families. Since they are, since they live among us, that's reasonable.
Pat Robertson and his ilk say that talking about GLBT's is tantamount to indoctrinating children in a Gay lifestyle, and that it's teaching homosexuality, and will result in there being more Gays, Lesbians, Bi's and trans in the world. They get all of the Christian right up in arms, calling their congressmen about this travesty and outrage.
Basically, they want to stick us in a closet and pretend we don't exist. Their view of the world comes only from a book, and reality frightens them as it contradicts with that book. These are the same people who've blamed 9/11 on the LGBT community. If they weren't so influential among the masses of paranoid conservatives in the world, they wouldn't be of consequence.
2006-10-25 10:36:44 · answer #8 · answered by Deirdre H 7 · 5⤊ 2⤋
I think that a child should be taught from birth about differences in this world, it makes them well balanced children with open mind who dont hate and are not afraid of everything that isnt the same as them. My niece and nephew have always known that Im gay, they dont treat me any different then the rest of their aunts and uncles. My nephew stands up for me all the time, and if another kid says *** or lessy, he gets very upset and tells them not to be so mean. Hes only 9 yrs old. My niece, she is only 5, but understands that I am with a women. Well balanced, thats the whole point of it.
2006-10-25 10:06:02 · answer #9 · answered by arielsalom33 4 · 6⤊ 2⤋
I personally think 3 is a little young, I would settle for 5 onwards, but I think it should be left to the parents not teachers,as some may not handle it well, plus they could be homophobic,and I am sad it still has to be thought of as a separate issue(being gay) one day maybe, one day
2006-10-25 13:03:44 · answer #10 · answered by Croeso 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋