Homosexuality 101, seriously?

[Sandy]

[quote name='Gavin'][SIZE="1"]Sex is the base of civilisation ?[/SIZE][/QUOTE]

That actually fits as well (since it's true). ;D

[Gavin]

[quote name='Sandy']That actually fits as well (since it's true). ;D[/QUOTE]

[SIZE="1"]Yep, explains a lot about Ancient Greece and Rome.[/SIZE]

[Andrew]

[quote name='Gavin'][SIZE="1"]Yep, explains a lot about Ancient Greece and Rome.[/SIZE][/QUOTE]

[size=1]Niiice!

Anyway, I think that teaching about homosexuality (or sex-ed, for that matter), whatever age has little impact. As many of you have said, education is the basis for understanding and accepting other people. On that topic I'm pretty sure that learning and education starts when you're born.

So, on that note, I'm saying that tolerance and acceptance should be taught to children by parents before they can even understand spoken words, it just helps to get them started early eh?

Anyways, the point I'm trying to make is that teaching kids anything, at any age has little relevance if they haven't been raised to see education as a valubale tool and to see that accepting other people is an essential part of being a well-rounded, good person.

I take myself for example. My mother always taught me to accept anyone regardless of what they do, how they treat me or what they believe and I've always stuck by that because (despite not following any religous teaching) I think it's part of being a human-being.

I fail to see ignorance being a cause for hatred too. I'm totally ignorant of Homosexuals bedroom behaviour and want nothing to do with that aspect but I never go out of my way to make a point of that, I treat them exactly how I would any other person and I certainly don't hate them.

So, I suggest that rather than a topic about teaching sex-ed (with or without homosexuality included) being addressed, perhaps a topic about how Parents should teach they children to be tolerant from the cradle and up.[/size]

[Retribution]

[quote name='Andrew'][size=1]I fail to see ignorance being a cause for hatred too. I'm totally ignorant of Homosexuals bedroom behaviour and want nothing to do with that aspect but I never go out of my way to make a point of that, I treat them exactly how I would any other person and I certainly don't hate them.[/size][/QUOTE]
[font=Arial]Lack of knowledge breeds misinformation, which can in turn lead people to erroneous conclusions.

For instance: John Doe doesn't know the first thing about Arabs or Islam, but he hears that Islam is all about beating women and killing Christians from his buddy. He assumes his friend is correct, since he has no other knowledge to base his judgment against. And this rather shocking information leads him to hate Islam and Arabs. Furthermore, he assumes all Arabs are Muslim.

It's happened once, it's happened a million times. A lack of understanding and total unwillingness to see eye to eye has lead to atrocities and injustice in the past.[/font]

[Vicky]

[SIZE=1]Well despite what God says, gay men and women throw [i]awesome[/i] parties =D. I love you little sinners.

Anyway, to the subject at hand. I think some people have said it, but teaching homosexuality in schools wouldn't make a difference. There have been many schools (including my own) that didn't teach sex education at all, and most people have gotten along fine. I think it's more about experience (not nescessarily hands on... aha, pun) than learning it from a text book. You find most young people learn from the media, their parents, or even their friends. However, whether these sources are giving homosexuality justice is beyond me.

Also, no matter what age you teach kids about sex, it's always going to be a joke. My brother came home laughing about it, whether that's his immaturity or not, I doubt the classes even work. You're either teaching kids too young to understand the concept, or they're old enough and already know and are laughing in the teacher's face.

I just think it's a bit pointless. Maybe very simple, basic knowledge would be alright to teach in schools, but they should leave the real discovery to the kids themselves.[/SIZE]

[Aberinkula]

[COLOR="DarkSlateGray"]I don't think my school would ever even think about a Homosexuality coarse during school. We have a crappy learning system up in Norwood-Norfolk (the school I go to) My health teacher is the kind of person you look at and go "yup, hates the gays."

And as for what Vicky has said, I ditto that motion. In class there is always one student laughing about sex. In my 7th grade health class, our teacher would throw you out if you laughed at one sexual theme. He was a prick anyways.

However, maybe a higher level of discipline will settle down the laughing rate of students. I know my old science teacher could seh was cool but yikes! Mess with her and she will kick you out faster than you can say 'out.' [/COLOR]

[John]

Gym class will never be the same.

OR:

Hey, maybe next they can tackle classes based on race or gender! Because apparently, people aren't smart enough to learn about each other by actually [I]interacting[/I].

[Horendithas]

[COLOR="Indigo"][quote name='John']Hey, maybe next they can tackle classes based on race or gender! Because apparently, people aren't smart enough to learn about each other by actually [I]interacting[/I].[/QUOTE]Since we are talking about sex ed here, letting kids learn about sexually transmitted diseases by [I]interacting [/I]isn't exactly the best way to go about it. It's more than just teaching them how to do it.

People focus so much on the fact that it's sex that they forget about one of the biggest reasons it needs to be taught. Educating them so they can make informed choices, not to get them to go out and have sex immediately. It's not about discovery here, it's about preventing unnecessary pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. And that's important whether its for so called straight people or ones who are gay.

Most sex ed classes don't go into detail about having better sex or exploration, they cover the basics, which include the dangers involved. So saying they need to find out for themselves is pointless and on some level dangerous as well.[/COLOR]

[Aaryanna_Mom]

[quote name='Shy'][size=1] In fact, most of my gay friends have been disowned by their families after 'coming out.' If children can't be educated about homosexuality and discuss it in a classroom setting, where else can they?

-Shy[/size][/QUOTE]That's just sad really. I'll never understand a parent who disowns a child over something like that.

Anyway, in spite of my religious upbringing that tells me that such a thing is wrong, that doesn't change the need for accurate information. Whether or not I or other members of my faith think it is a sin in irrelevant. I am constantly amazed at people's tendencies to attempt to force their values and beliefs on others. If an education system has the option for parents to opt out of their kids receiving sex education, which is exactly how it's done in some of the schools here, though that's pointless since they don't really teach enough to make a difference. Anyway, what I am getting at is that if parents object so much then they need to step up and make sure their children are educated instead of objecting to a more realistic education that doesn't shy away from the truth.

Also, I don't know where people are getting the idea that leaving them to find out for themselves is such a bright idea, good grief! Just ask any parent, leaving kids on their own to discover things is what results in so many pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. I've lost count of the parents I know who were shocked to learn that their kids were doing it and yet they had never bothered to get around to having that all important discussion with their children. I have to wonder how many of their kids wouldn't have gotten pregnant or wouldn't have gotten some disease if they had just been a little more informed.

It's about the same as handing your kids the keys to your car and saying go have fun! Sure many of them will do fine, they'll pick up the basics, where others will not. It's why we have education in the first place, it's not going to prevent everything of course, but if its never taught, then you have no one to blame but yourself for not doing all that you could to prepare these kids.

But even more important is not pretending things don't exist, by refusing to educate them about both sides your doing them a disservice really. It won't change the fact that people are different, all it will do is make you look like an intolerant backwards idiot who can't handle something different.

[Sojiro47]

[FONT="Book Antiqua"]Part of the problem is that parents just [I]assume[/I] too much. They think that their kids are just too good to have sex outside of marrige, or that they're too much like their parents to be gay, lesbian, whatever.

My parents have never bothered talking to either my sister or I about sexual behaviors or tendencies. They just assume that we already know what will happen, or that we'll go to Hell if we "come out". (By the way, I don't nessisarily believe that) Parents generaly just assume too much...[/FONT]

[Aberinkula]

[COLOR="DarkSlateGray"]Well they want what's best for their kids. Whatever, is kicking your child out of the house for being gay 'love?' I think not!

It's exactly what Sojiro said, they want their kids to be like them. But kicking them out for not being like them is wrong, understand yor kids and love them mater what. I've seen parents love their kids, even when the kid was prove of murder, so if a kid is gay, why not love them too?[/COLOR]