Tennessee bans discussion of homosexuality in public schools from grades K-8

Code:

http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2011/04/23/Tennessee-mulls-dont-say-gay-bill/UPI-23851303590600/

I could resort to shallow ad hominem attacks on these legislators because I'm beyond enraged at this, but I refuse to be on their level. The fact that they can believe in the archaic idea that by banning people from so much as saying something it'll eradicate it from society is absolutely frightening. The fact that they think that homosexuality is something that needs eradicating to begin with is inexcusably ignorant and speaks volumes about the state of certain regions of the United States today. But yeah. I think I can say- no, I know I can say in advance that there is no justifying this legislative blunder.

Thoughts?

 

If it gains publicity like it seems to be doing, I think it'll be overturned rather quickly; that goes against freedom of speech, does it not?

 

The government's "redefined" freedom of speech before. During WWI with the Espioange Act, they basically said "Oh hey, do any shit that says anything bad against this war and we'll screw you so hard. <3"

But yeah, this is ridiculous. I can understand trying to bar saying "gay" as a derogatory term, but just in general is a little too far. Hopefully enough people see this and overturn it soon.

 

That was, to an extent, a justifiable action, it was wartime. We are in war right now, true, but homosexuality has nothing to do with war.

 

I'm going to take the unpopular road on this one. I have nothing against those who are gay, and I fidn that they have a right to be partnered together. However, I don't beleive that this should be taught to children this young. I'm currently attempting to become a teacher, learning about childhood development, and how a person's mind works at a certain age. There are certain reasons why a high schooler knows certain things about an event in history that a 2ed grader won't understand.

I know that this is a terrible annology. but think about the teaching of Columbus discovering the new world. In 2ed grade, they tell you he came on three ships and that he meet the Native Americans. In 9th grade, you learn that they came to take over the new world, raping and pillaging the land. Again, this isn't that too good of an annalogy, but I hope that you sort of ignore it and try to get the jist of what I am saying. There's just somethings that shouldn't be discussed or too looked into until a child has reached a point of maturity.

 

While homosexuality is certainly a sensitive subject and can lead to the discussion of sex, something I fully agree that children should be shielded from (to an extent), one could argue that the reason that the United States is rather homophobic as a whole is that we aren't exposed to it as children. I wonder if we're taught about homosexuality early on if it will then become less of an uncomfortable topic.

 

You know, it's things like this that make me ashamed to live in Tennessee.

Like what others said, this violates freedom of speech. I think it'll only be a matter of time before this law is abolished. I mean, being homosexual shouldn't be a crime, but society has made it seem like one, which SHOULD be a crime. I mean, there is no excuse for this law.

 

I agree children shouldn't be taught the full extent of homosexuality but education of it in a sense is important.

Saying things like some people love men, some love women and they all have healthy relationships and they all can have children is important to teach from a certain age.
I mean maybe from the age of ten upwards letting them know some people could have two fathers or two mothers and these relationships on a romantic level are equal with straight ones in an emotional way should be taught.

A lot of hate and ignorance comes from misunderstanding, especially from a young age. Playground talk about misunderstood topics is what causes homophobia and hate more so than out of thin air (also parents at home, the media and other friends cause it like)
I think a child-friendly censored version should be discussed and taught along with straight relationships during a health class or something. Just don't go talking about sex to them until the "right" age which is so debatable on what age that is.

So in essence I'm against this bill.

 

I think we would be. I mean, there will obviously be ways the topic can be dirceted towards sex, but the teachers should be smart enough to avoid and stay on the topic on them just being together. But I doubt that is much worry because... Well, I've seen some of my sixth grade sister's friend and they have less innocent minds than me. And they are already saying "gay" in place of "stupid," which furhter makes me believe that people need to learn about it earlier on to come to understand that there is nothing wrong with homosexuality.

In other news, the way America treats homosexuality, like it is a plaugue, quite sickens me and makes me ashamed to be an American. ​

 

I'm not ashamed of this because I want the kindergarten teachers to teach the kids about all the sexual details, I'm just absolutely disgusted by this because they're trying to make it seem to these kids that it doesn't exist at all. Why can't the kids know that some men like men and some women like women? I don't see so much as the potential for harm in that.

 

It saddens me that things like this get passed, which technically violate freedom of speech, yet the Westboro Church is allowed to do what it does because stopping them is a violation of freedom of speech.
Hell, in a way, this just helps them argue their point. If a state legislature thinks it's okay to ban discussion of homosexualty, why shouldn't America?

And honestly, I think there are ways to tell a younger kid what homosexuality is. I would rather these kids have an understanding and acceptance of it at a young age than to have a child picked on later in their school years for having two dads. :/ I've seen way too many examples of where acceptance at an early age could've helped at my school, shame that sexuality is a taboo topic in a sex ed class.

 

It's great to see the US of A furthering it's mixed political stances, that goes against its own consitution and laws but thanks to a number of elitists and loopholes, the upper class can control the way the system works. Some things just don't change, do they?

It's like as soon as we make a step forward as a species, we take another step back and we're stuck in a continual loop of one man banning, something, then another making it free, whilst another man bans it again, and so on. Homosexuality has existed for tens of thousands of years yet still today it's a taboo? 21st century progression my arse.

For centuries in countless numbers of civilisations the topic of sexuality was to a degree open minded. Warrior oriented socities specifically discuss the raping and pillaging of not only women, but men as well. My point is that those who control the power make the choices and laws of their own feelings. It's only thanks to European influence, specifically religious influence, that homosexuality is seen in a moral type of situation around the modern world it has touched. Before the spread of Europeans around the globe, with the message of missionaries that generally viewed homosexuality as a negative act, many countries that previously had no law or ideal on the subject changed their laws in order to promote anti-homosexual ideas. If you look at various different cultures in history such as Japan, Greece and China they had openly bisexual/gay leaders or castes in place. It's not that unnatural, since it's been happening for millenia whether people deny it or not. If it was unnatural it wouldn't occur so frequently. So often. And so naturally.

As for teaching it in school, I don't care too much. But it should be taught that kids have thier own options and opinions in life, especially about their sexuality. If they lack an informed opinion on their options in life, internal tension and difficulty in the initial years when growing up can occur, as the forming of your own personal identity is so crucial at such a time. Get it taught sooner than later, and hopefully it'll help everyone.

That is not justifiable. To say your going to war in order to defend your freedom of speech and liberty, but force people to be restricted in what they say and do is against everything your fighting for. Why fight for freedom if your just going to restrict it?

 

Soon there will be a growing amount of children in elementary school with same-sex parents. Although this may not be able to happen in Tennessee in the first place (I really don't know), it's adding more and more of the idea of "taboo" to the topic of homosexuality. Any homosexual kids in Grade 7 or 8 will feel less confident and feel like they have to hide who they are. And they would have to hide who they are. 7 year-olds shouldn't be learning the details of sex education, no matter if it's same-sex or not. But I don't really find any harm of maybe saying "when two people love each other" instead of "when a man and a woman love each other". I feel it would make the whole topic less uncomfortable or "taboo" if they were casually exposed to it at a younger age.

 

America: Contradicting our own rights since the seventeen hundreds.

 

i think the bill is silly but i honestly don't think it's going to make much difference anyways. the reason is because it seems like something that can't be enforced or at least very difficult to enforce. and judging from my school experience, it's not like it was something that was ever mentioned by teachers anyway when there was no such ban by the way, i'm guessing because it was almost never relevant to what the teachers were supposed to be teaching.

 

Woo Tennessee, I love living in you<3
[/sarcasm]

I don't like this bill at all. I mean, I can understand not talking about homosexual sex (or any sex for that matter, unless it's sex ed [but not in like first grade lol]), but not talking about homosexuality at all? That's going to end up snowballing to not talking about any homosexuals, no matter what they did, ignoring the homosexual civil rights movement, etc. If it passes, stays, and works, within a few years it's going to make homosexuality more taboo and different because it'll appear to be "rarer." I would argue that that's what they're really heading for /conspiracy.


Tennessee has been disappointing me lately. There's a bill that'll allow firearms on campus if you have a permit, regardless if you're a teacher, student, or law enforcement. I will transfer out of this school if that happens.

 

My problem with discussing homosexuality in children is that in elementary school years battle of the sexes run hard. Most really don't understand sexuality until hitting at least preteen years (arround seventh grade). If you explain straight vs gay to a young boy he will likely look at himself and go "My friends are boys and I don't want to be with the girls that have cooties. I must be gay" And they apply a label to themselves that they can't even comprehend yet. Now I'm not saying this out of homophobia (how I hate that term) like it may sound, but it isn't really fair to the kid. I would be against anything you could say to a kid that would increase odds of being straight too. If the attraction center of the brain turns on and they decide they are gay I'm okay with that. But having them identify themselves as gay before hand messes around with the subconscious mind and could result in a very stressful time in their life unnecessarily when attraction does set in.

 

I do think you bring up a valid point, I certainly wouldn't want kids to be confused like that (though a lot of people do go through a time where they're confused about their sexuality), but banning it completely?
They don't need to get into the gory details, but just lettings kids know that it exists and it's okay could do a lot, I think.

 

I'm not saying I agree with it. More that I understand where they are coming. If this was down to homophobia it likely wouldn't have gotten passed to begin with in this day in age.

School matters get complicated in many ways, especially involving sex ed. On one hand you legally have to send your kids to school and if you can't afford private you have to send them through the public schools. Many parents are uncomfortable with certain topics being talked about in a classroom setting but until high-school (ninth grade) you are with your class, there is no easy way to separate yourself from the class. I would know. 4-6 grade I met with an LD specialist three times a week and an OT two times a week, effectively pulling me out of class at some point every day. You get weird looks from classmates as you leave and return, picked on during recess, it just isn't pretty. And I knew why. In the case of removing them from the gay discussion the best the kid is going to know is "my parents didn't want me in there" and they will hear it all from the other kids anyway defeating the purpose of them leaving.

On the flip side it isn't good for the kid to be unaware of homosexuality and it being acceptable when they are trying to sort all that out. The problem being that many kids start developing sexual attraction in their preteen years as early as fifth grade. Now there is truly no point in discussing it younger than that unless you see specific behaviors in the kid to suggest it, but in the four years between when many kids start feeling attraction and when it becomes allowed by this bill to discuss it is a bit much to me. If nothing else teachers should probably be looking for such behaviors to report to parents.