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Tenn. Senate OKs ban on teaching of homosexuality

I never said, "don't talk about it". If these questions are broached when a student is in the 11th of 12th grade, that is one thing. But, not kindergarten. Teaching such things in kindergarten smacks of indoctrination. That's not what grade school is for.

Here we have a classic example of Right Wing All-Or-Nothing thinking in which choices/options are limited to those at one extreme or another. Also, the "teaching sex to kindergarten" is just thrown out there as if it were being actually being considered. Of course, no one is advocating teaching sexuality to kindergarteners, but explaining that in our modern society there different types of parents, some people are adopted and their parents loved them just as much--this is what this about.

Reasonable people know that human sexuality needs to be taught at various age appropriate stages. 5th Grade boys and girls need to be taught that their bodies will start changing. H.S. Sophomores should be instructed on human reproduction, contraception, responsibility, and the laws concerning minors. -- A big part of this teaching should focus on respect for one's own body. The Christian Right's attempts to limit these subjects has resulted in more unwanted pregnancies and abortions.
 
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But these are not the questions asked in kindergarden. Not even the ones proposed. Age appropriate is always a proper consideration, but by outlawing the word, anything to do with the reality, meaning we can't discuss Johnny having two moms or dads is overkill and quite frankly telling people what to think and not opening up appropriate discourse.

I disagree..............
 
Here we have a classic example of Right Wing All-Or-Nothing thinking in which choices/options are limited to those at one extreme or another. Also, the "teaching sex to kindergarten" is just thrown out there as if it were being actually being considered. Of course, no one is advocating teaching sexuality to kindergarteners, but explaining that in our modern society there different types of parents, some people are adopted and their parents loved them just as much--this is what this about.

Reasonable people know that human sexuality needs to be taught at various age appropriate stages. 5th Grade boys and girls need to be taught that their bodies will start changing. H.S. Sophomores should be instructed on human reproduction, contraception, responsibility, and the laws concerning minors. -- A big part of this teaching should focus on respect for one's own body. The Christian Right's attempts to limit these subjects has resulted in more unwanted pregnancies and abortions.

I don't think homosexuality should be taught in middle school, junior high, either. Not at all, prior to the 11th grade and probably not at all.

School is for learning how to think, not what to think.
 
I don't think homosexuality should be taught in middle school, junior high, either. Not at all, prior to the 11th grade and probably not at all.

School is for learning how to think, not what to think.

Not speaking of it is not thinking. So, you can't be for teaching them to think. :coffeepap
 
I don't think homosexuality should be taught in middle school, junior high, either.

More extremist thinking...

No one is 'teaching homosexuality'... It can't be taught. But teaching tolerance toward homosexuality. And counseling teens that being different does not make your wrong or broken...


School is for learning how to think, not what to think.

I agree 100%.

Thinking, like map reading, requires a compass. And if the compass you're getting at home is broken, it's up to the school to fix it.
 
I think this law isna bad waste of resources personally.
 
I don’t believe in God personally but I respect those who do and I would die for their right to practice faith in said god.

I don’t believe people are born gay either but I would lay my life down to protect gay rights in this county because both of these are my culture. Both of these are my heritage. I do not need to choose one over the other or hate people I disagree with.

I do have a tendency to tell people who try to preach religion at me the same thing I am telling you. When you get some proof one way or another, I’ll jump on the wagon. Till then, I might give you a hard time if you keep trying to throw BS that isn’t proof of anything in my face but I will respect and defend your right to think whatever kinda crazy crap you can come up with because this is what makes America so great. Sometimes you just have to agree to disagree and then go dance because the song that’s playing now could end at any time.

I don't understand what religion has to do with the post you quoted...? Or where you got this idea that I'm picking on religion. I merely said religious arguments don't belong in the law-making process. The framework of our country agrees with me.

Seriously, I just don't understand where this is coming from.
 
I don't think homosexuality should be taught in middle school, junior high, either. Not at all, prior to the 11th grade and probably not at all.

School is for learning how to think, not what to think.

How exactly does one "teach" homosexuality? Seriously.

I knew what homosexuality was at a very young age. My mother was a landlady in the city and she had plenty of gay tenants, some of whom were co-habitating. I don't remember if it was explained to me, or if I simply put 2 and 2 together, but I knew what being gay was at or before I was in 1st grade.

Didn't make me any less straight (not that it would matter if I were gay, but I'm just making the point that you can't make someone gay).

But frankly, I really don't see anyone trying to discuss homosexuality with children in schools who are that young. It's a completely bogus argument anyway.

But what is wrong with people knowing that gay people exist? Simply stating that some people are gay doesn't tell them what to think about it, and it certainly doesn't "teach" them how to be gay.

Your argument really just doesn't make any sense.
 
If that's true then you must also believe that parents are not qualified to teach their own children about sexuality, since they are not counsellors either.

The basics of sex education are not difficult to grasp especially in the modern world. There is plenty of information available. Most young people can get much more information on the internet now than is available in whatever time block their sex ed class offers; and most young people know how to use the internet far more efficiently than adults do.

So... it seems that sex ed in the classroom will be confined to reproductive anatomy as it always has been; in which case, we should change the name to "reproductive anatomy class", since the topic of sexuality can't possibly be just that.

In Tennessee, conservative political correctness has won. It's no different than where liberal political correctness has won in CA. One is just responding to the other and in the end it only denies choices from the general public. :shrug:

Your conclusion is purposefully absurd. You think we're all stupid here, or what? You probably do, thinking your superior liberal mind is way above us all. We're talking about teach in schools, not at home. Try keeping up with the topic at hand, without modifying it.
 
Your conclusion is purposefully absurd. You think we're all stupid here, or what? You probably do, thinking your superior liberal mind is way above us all. We're talking about teach in schools, not at home. Try keeping up with the topic at hand, without modifying it.

Nobody was teaching homosexuality in Tennessee public schools. All the Tennessee law makers did was make asses of themselves because they bought into a line of their own rhetoric.
 
This comes as a great surprise to many, but not to most football fans in the SEC. It is a well known fact that Tennessee has been a gay haven for years.

Yeah, Volunteer Orange... such a gay color... ever been at Neyland Stadium surrounded by 100,000 of them???
 
More extremist thinking...

No one is 'teaching homosexuality'... It can't be taught. But teaching tolerance toward homosexuality. And counseling teens that being different does not make your wrong or broken...




I agree 100%.

Thinking, like map reading, requires a compass. And if the compass you're getting at home is broken, it's up to the school to fix it.




That defines liberal thinking to a tee ... let the government teach our kids how to "think".....but only when it's in line with the liberal thinking. We have a school system that can't teach our children to read or write, but yet the liberals think it's perfectly acceptable for the same school system to be telling children ages 5 to 13 what to "think" about gay people.

When our school system, can begin to produce " well educated" children ... then we can get into if they are qualified to be teaching our children how to "think"
 
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That defines liberal thinking to a tee ... let the government teach our kids how to "think".....but only when it's in line with the liberal thinking. We have a school system that can't teach our children to read or write, but yet the liberals think it's perfectly acceptable for the same school system to be telling children ages 5 to 13 what to "think" about gay people.

Really? The school system can't teach children how to read and write? Care to back that up?

Another silly conservative making unsubstantiated assumptions and trying to pass them off as fact.
 
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That defines liberal thinking to a tee ... let the government teach our kids how to "think".....but only when it's in line with the liberal thinking. We have a school system that can't teach our children to read or write, but yet the liberals think it's perfectly acceptable for the same school system to be telling children ages 5 to 13 what to "think" about gay people.

When our school system, can begin to produce " well educated" children ... then we can get into if they are qualified to be teaching our children how to "think"

Have any of you people ever thought that maybe it isn't so much the school system as it is the attitude of the children and how they are being raised by their parents?

I am a product of public school and have very little problem reading or writing or even doing advanced math and knowing quite a bit about science and history, plus a little bit of French. My 5 siblings all seem to have very few problems with reading and writing, except for maybe the one with dyslexia, but even he is quite capable of reading and writing it just takes a little more concentration and time, and his dyslexia is certainly no fault of the school system. Schools do just fine teaching children who want to learn.

But outlawing the teaching of any subject in school just because some parents feel that it is offensive or immoral is just wrong. Common sense and local rules can be used to ensure that inappropriate material and parts of certain subjects is much better than outlawing discussion of an entire subject. And I'm pretty sure that this is not going to hold up very well under the freedom of speech part of the Constitution.
 
How exactly does one "teach" homosexuality? Seriously.

You start by teaching kids that there are many types of family; mother and father, single parent, and same-sex parent. (two mommies, two daddies) All three types are normal and making fun of children because their parents are different is not okay. Let kids know that some people are raised by their grandparents, their relatives, families come in many shapes and sizes. All that matters is that the parent(s) are loving and supportive.
 
That defines liberal thinking to a tee ... let the government teach our kids how to "think".....but only when it's in line with the liberal thinking. We have a school system that can't teach our children to read or write, but yet the liberals think it's perfectly acceptable for the same school system to be telling children ages 5 to 13 what to "think" about gay people.

well, remember, Haymarket was a public school teacher, and a union rep for public school teachers. so he would also be the guy implementing this kind of thing.

not that "consistently fair and nonpartisan" aren't the adjectives that immediately spring to mind when I think of haymarket...
 
You start by teaching kids that there are many types of family; mother and father, single parent, and same-sex parent. (two mommies, two daddies) All three types are normal and making fun of children because their parents are different is not okay. Let kids know that some people are raised by their grandparents, their relatives, families come in many shapes and sizes. All that matters is that the parent(s) are loving and supportive.

Indeed. But I think this concept is something different from what apdst was thinking. As though we'd be teaching them how to be gay or something...

I don't get why the idea of children knowing homosexuality exists is so repulsive to conservatives. Either they think not saying the word "gay" will make it disappear, or they would prefer their children to grow up ignorant, and thus probably bigoted.
 
exactly. nothing good, nothing bad. nothing about it whatsoever. which is fine - 3rd graders should be learning multiplication tables.

The funny part about this moronic (and almost completely symbolic) bill, is that a Social Studies class on local government won't be allowed to discuss the bill if it's signed by the governor. It would be illegal.

Of course, what no one talks about is - how is this going to be enforced? Are there going to have to be "overseers" in each classroom? Cameras with audio? Maybe we can put shock collars on teachers and give them a shock if they come close to saying "gay"?

It also doesn't address penalties. Are they fired? Is it a misdemeanor? Can they say "gay" once with a warning? Fired if they say it twice?

That's why this is nothing but idiotic symbolism...

Written by a 42-year-old "confirmed bachelor".
 
Indeed. But I think this concept is something different from what apdst was thinking. As though we'd be teaching them how to be gay or something...

Teaching kids how to be straight (as is done in 9th grade health) won't make them straight if they are born predisposed to same-sex attraction.

Tenn is doing tremendous damage to both gay and straight children. They are publicly casting homosexuality in a very negative light. Homosexuality, in Tenn., is now so bad, you can't even say it. (Like Voldermort in HP) Anyway, kids growing up surrounded by that type mentality will either be straight or gay. The law isn't going to change who they already are.

The Gays will grow up trying to hide their sexual orientation, being miserable in the closet, maybe even trying to force themselves into heterosexual relationships -- i.e. Larry Craig. Ted Haggard.
 
Unbelievable. Well at least it wasn't my home state that did it. :roll:

I guess don't talk about being gay and maybe less people will turn out gay, is the idea?

That works so well with kids. Don't talk about it and they just won't do it. That's worked with alcohol, drugs, and sex. Right!?!
 
Teaching kids how to be straight (as is done in 9th grade health) won't make them straight if they are born predisposed to same-sex attraction.

Heh, they don't even do that anymore. Thanks to abstinence only sex ed, all I learned in high school was that sex (whatever that may be - it was never really explained) was bad if you weren't married, and can only result in getting pregnant, getting AIDS, or killing yourself from shame and depression (seriously, that's what my text book said). Oh, and that birth control doesn't work.

Tenn is doing tremendous damage to both gay and straight children. They are publicly casting homosexuality in a very negative light. Homosexuality, in Tenn., is now so bad, you can't even say it. (Like Voldermort in HP) Anyway, kids growing up surrounded by that type mentality will either be straight or gay. The law isn't going to change who they already are.

The Gays will grow up trying to hide their sexual orientation, being miserable in the closet, maybe even trying to force themselves into heterosexual relationships -- i.e. Larry Craig. Ted Haggard.

Agreed. That's what we really need in this country, more shame and broken families. Great.
 
Sure lets be teaching our 5 year olds about gays, and while we are at it .. lets teach them about the KKK, or polygamy* and remind them that we should be tolerant of those people at well.

This is just another thing liberals and conservatives will never agree on, children ages 5 to 13 should not be being taught such things in school, that is the parents responsibility not the schools. Liberals coming up with this idea that it's our school systems responsibility to be teach the morality of this nation is just absurd.

Only a liberal with limited thinking, could even come up with saying that our school system not telling a 5 to 13 year year olds about gays is going to be harmful to gays overall. They (liberals) with their superior intellect apparently feel that any other parents are incapable of teaching their children what is right or wrong.

In today society if a person is gay and growing up miserable, then that is his/her problem, being gay is widely acceptable, in truth probably as widely acceptable as believing in God. After all our school teachers are not to mention God either now are they?
 
Sure lets be teaching our 5 year olds about gays, and while we are at it .. lets teach them about the KKK, or polygamy* and remind them that we should be tolerant of those people at well.

This is just another thing liberals and conservatives will never agree on, children ages 5 to 13 should not be being taught such things in school, that is the parents responsibility not the schools. Liberals coming up with this idea that it's our school systems responsibility to be teach the morality of this nation is just absurd.

Only a liberal with limited thinking, could even come up with saying that our school system not telling a 5 to 13 year year olds about gays is going to be harmful to gays overall. They (liberals) with their superior intellect apparently feel that any other parents are incapable of teaching their children what is right or wrong.

In today society if a person is gay and growing up miserable, then that is his/her problem, being gay is widely acceptable, in truth probably as widely acceptable as believing in God. After all our school teachers are not to mention God either now are they?

I can address your entire argument by telling you what high school was like for me (though I won't stop there). I'm from a suburb of Minneapolis in Minnesota, the class of 2007. Minnesota just so happens to be a light-blue state.

There was a friend of mine in choir as a sophmore whose brother was a senior, and gay. He was dragged out into the football field and beaten so severely that he spent over a week in the hospital. Because he was gay.

And you want to tell me, if this can happen in a blue state, at one of the better public schools in the nation, that gay people are miserable of their own design, and that being gay is as acceptable as believing in a god? What version of reality do you live in?

This isn't even the only example in my life of observing hate crimes against gay people. It's just the most severe.

Here's a simple google of "gay hate crime" in the news section. Not all of them are pertaining to specific examples of hate crimes, but several are. Several also pertain to the UK. Another developed country experiencing a wave of gay hate crimes.
gay hate crime - Google News

It is still not ok to be gay, even in much of the developed world.

A large part of the reason for this hate is ignorance, resulting in xenophobia. Maybe if people knew gay people existed (not even telling them what to think about - just knew that they exist) this sort of thing would happen less.

Comparing being gay to the KKK or polygamy (which is basically a form of female slavery when practised by certain religions) is absurd and offensive.
 
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