CA Schools Curriculum: Inclusive of Historical Accomplishments of Gay Men & Lesbians

[Nova]

Yes, really.
It's crazy.

And parents have no control.

Oh, please. Nothing stops parents now from teaching all sorts of hatred to their children. If our current guidelines don't stop determined parents from creating little White Supremicists, the new guildelines won't stop parents from creating little homophobes.

 

[Emma Peel]

Historically treated as poorly as gay people or African Americans? I think not! Had gay persons ever been enslaved? Ever forced to ride in the back of the bus? Ever made to drink from separate water fountains? Remember school segregation? To compare gay people to African Americans is outright wrong! How have gay persons civil rights been violated? Because they could not legally marry? They can now. Many companies offer insurance for domestic partners. There simply is no comparison between the two.

With respect, IMO, the fact that people can actually say that they honestly have no idea how difficult the gay struggle has been in this country has just driven home the entire point of the proposed curriculum on gay history.

[video=youtube;1cDMGGnFZ6A]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cDMGGnFZ6A[/video]

Charlie Gibson interviews Eric Marcus about the History of the Gay Civil Rights Movement.

 

[Nova]

I think it is disgusting NOT because of homosexuality but because sexual preference should not come into school at all! These are school children! LGBT is not the same as Jewish, Native American, women's rights, early settlers, etc. Some of those people may have been gay, some may have liked being spanked - and I don't care but I don't want my grandkid studying sexuality in grade school.

That you equate being gay with a sexual fetish is precisely why this bill is necessary. Maybe you can sit in on your grandkid's class.

 

[Nova]

Following the logic that claims bulling would be reduced by teaching gay history, perhaps we should begin with historical figures who were obese, or just overweight, the uncoordinated, nerds, and those who were ugly. It's a false claim IMO....

The fact that your points of comparison are all physical or social disabilities is precisely the point. Maybe you can go to class with miimaa.

 

[TrackerSam]

I totally agree. My youngest is starting Kindergarten this year. He would have NO clue what they were talking about. Nor should he. That is way to young and I feel a persons sexual preference has no importance on what they have accomplished in life. To me, it's labeling people and aren't people usually complaining about being labeled????

The very same people. Should it be pointed out that G.Washington, everytime his name is mentioned in school, was heterosexual? Or will sexual orientation be mentioned only if the subject is gay? If there's going to be historical gay studies shouldn't there be historical hetero studies?

 

[Nova]

ITA

But if you are in California, you have no choice.
Why can't these be elective classes???
Why can't patents decide???

It's being forced upon our children.

It's taking away our parental rights.

It's saying what we believe and teach our children means nothing.

Parents have never had absolute approval over everything taught in any school, public or private. They can continue to teach their kids what they like.

But maybe a few more kids will actually survive the horrible experience of coming from nasty parents.

 

[Nova]

I guess I am ignorant of what this is all about. In my mind gay = sexual choice; sexuality and imo that is a private matter between two consenting ADULTS.

Then it's also true that straight = sexual choice.

So kids should be protected from weddings and all Disney movies. In fact, children should be taken from their parents at birth and raised by nuns in dormitories; otherwise, they're bound to witness some expression of private sexuality between their parents.

 

[southcitymom]

One night last year over dinner with my 2nd and 4th grader, the oldest child recounted some incident from his school day. I don't recall the details or the context - it wasn't a formal course of study - but a teacher had told some students that it was against the law for people of the same sex to marry. Like I said - don't remember what led to the teacher saying this and I wasn't irritated that the teacher said this.

But it was great to tell my kids that the teacher was mistaken - that a handful of states did allow same sex couples to marry and that, I believed, that all states would legalize it eventually. It was just a wonderful teaching moment on so many levels, and actually the conversation wound up being more about the process of laws being made and the difference between federal government and state government than about homosexuals.

We were able to chat about all these things without being rude about the teacher. Maybe the teacher doesn't keep up with these things or maybe the teacher felt like it was a topic she didn't want to go very far with - who knows? I'm just throwing it out there as an example of addressing a time where a school authority figure taught them something inaccurate and how we dealt with that. No big deal.

 

[Emma Peel]

The very same people. Should it be pointed out that G.Washington, everytime his name is mentioned in school, was heterosexual? Or will sexual orientation be mentioned only if the subject is gay? If there's going to be historical gay studies shouldn't there be historical hetero studies?

Wait. Was George Washington heterosexual? :waitasec:

Are we sure? :innocent:

 

[TrackerSam]

Should the sexual preference of every historical person be included in the curriculum?

 

[Nova]

How is gay, lesbian, bisexual defined if sex is removed from the description?

How is straight defined if sex is removed from the description? Do you really believe people stop being straight if they are celibate?

Sexual orientation is defined by things like love, respect and support, and the urge to build a home and life together. (And, yes, some people gay and straight will choose to remain single. THAT is a choice and should be.)

 

[southcitymom]

Wait. Was George Washington heterosexual? :waitasec:

Are we sure? :innocent:

Well, we know he liked wigs.......so maybe he was a drag queen!

 

[Nova]

History has nothing to do with sexual orientation IMO.

As you say, sex is a private matter. What you do in your bedroom is none of my business.
I will not judge you.

I have many friends who are gay. I have a family member who is gay. I love them all.

But the gov needs to stop forcing gay issues down our children's throats.

At 5 years old no doubt.

Your gay friends and relative deserve better... (ETA ...than for you to suggest that any mention of them is an outrage. I do not mean to imply you are unkind to their faces; I'm sure you are not.)

 

[Nova]

I totally agree. My youngest is starting Kindergarten this year. He would have NO clue what they were talking about. Nor should he. That is way to young and I feel a persons sexual preference has no importance on what they have accomplished in life. To me, it's labeling people and aren't people usually complaining about being labeled????

And what if he has classmates who have two moms or two dads? Should he be told families sometimes look like that, too, or should he just assume they are somehow wrong?

As my granddaughter said at that age, after her umpteenth viewing of The Little Mermaid, "When I grow up, I am going to marry a prince! But I can marry a princess if I want to."

(ETA in addition to having two gay grandfathers, she lives in Massachusetts. None of this is a big deal to her, her brothers or their friends.)

 

[Kimberlyd125]

Wait. Was George Washington heterosexual? :waitasec:

Are we sure? :innocent:

I could care less.

His personal business.

 

[Kimberlyd125]

I definitely get your point and your angst, but (in our family, at least) when a school teaches something to our kids that we might feel differently about that makes for some excellent discussions and a chance to educate.

The only school in the world that is going to teach my kids everything I believe would be homeschool! And I don't homeschool, so I have to accept that if I send them to a school they will undoubtedly be exposed to things I might not believe myself. This doesn't bother me or make me feel like my parental rights don't count.

For the rest of their journey on planet Earth my kids are going to run smack into many, many different beliefs and ideas. There's no way I can stop that and I wouldn't try even if I could. Learning about different opinions and different ways of viewing the beliefs of others is key to discovering what your own beliefs about any given subject may be.

But a lot of this crap us done in secret.

Elementary "coming out days" are often not told about to the parents.

 

[Kimberlyd125]

I haven't found the precise text of the bill, but per media coverage it doesn't require that gay history be taught in kindergarten or any other specific grade.

But if you a kid in your kindergarten class with two moms or two dads (an increasing possibility whether posters here like it or not), you might very well want to say something. Probably no more than "some people have two moms or two dads" at that age.

Yes. I might very well want to say something.

My kids, my choice.

 

[Kimberlyd125]

Oh, please. Nothing stops parents now from teaching all sorts of hatred to their children. If our current guidelines don't stop determined parents from creating little White Supremicists, the new guildelines won't stop parents from creating little homophobes.

Issues such as sexual orientation should be left up to the parents.

 

[Nova]

Historically treated as poorly as gay people or African Americans? I think not! Had gay persons ever been enslaved? Ever forced to ride in the back of the bus? Ever made to drink from separate water fountains? Remember school segregation? To compare gay people to African Americans is outright wrong! How have gay persons civil rights been violated? Because they could not legally marry? They can now. Many companies offer insurance for domestic partners. There simply is no comparison between the two.

Since the twelfth century, people we would call gay have been tortured, burned at the stake, imprisoned, lobotomized and confined in mental institutions. And in case you think this is ancient history, gay people are still executed in most Middle Eastern countries and many African nations.

This is by no means to say that being gay is or was the same as being African-American. But then blacks weren't treated precisely the same as Latinos in this country. Etc. and so forth. It isn't a contest, but it is a matter of groups who were formally and legally denied civil rights.

You really need that class with your grandkid.

 

[Emma Peel]

But a lot of this crap us done in secret.

Elementary "coming out days" are often not told about to the parents.

Please provide an MSM link to BBM above. Where there is such a thing as "elementary coming out days" and where they are "often not told about to the parents".

Respectfully, it seems a wild story. But if its factual & often the way things are in CA, we'd probably all be interested in reading about it.