I saw the following story today and was amazed at the incredible level of irresponsibility and thoughtlessness demonstrated by the adults in the story (the young man's mother and teacher). Regardless of what one thinks about the same sex marriage legal question or homosexual behavior generally surely we can agree that an 8-yr old is in no position to be making a decision that he is gay.
A brief synopsis of the story is that a parent of a supposedly gay 8-yr old second grade son was happy when his teacher placed 1970s assassinated gay activist Harvey Milk on a list of possible topics for a civil rights lesson so that the young man might (with self-esteem intact) write and report on him.
When My 8-Year-Old Gay Son Taught His Class About Harvey Milk
“On this day in a second-grade classroom in the Midwest, Harvey Milk was on the same stage as Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth and Elizabeth Cady Stanton as an 8-year-old gay boy who has never seen the need for a closet told Milk's story.....”
Respectfully (and completely independent of the equally valid issue of the age-appropriateness and portrayal of a murdered gay activist within a second grade class assignment and discussion) I ask the following questions:
1) What exactly would make an 8-year old boy conclude and announce that he is gay?
2) What evidence would exist to support this position?
3) How does he, at such an early age, even really know what 'being gay' means?
4) Why would such issues and questions (about what must be sexual attractions as an adult years in his future) even come up in such a young mind?
5) How would such a sequence of events happen without environmental (ie parental) influence and encouragement?
6) And lastly, what other pronouncement from such a child would be accepted without hesitation and with such gravity that the class school lessons are manipulated in order to incorporate it? The child could, just as well, announce that he is Superman and will now leap off the roof and fly, or that there is a monster under the bed, or that big trucks on the interstate highway will simply change lanes and crush your car – and NONE of these statements would be supported and encouraged by anyone (especially not his parents).
Yet it is the parent and the teacher in this story that are validating (without any reasonable basis) what to them is somehow politically correct behavior in this child. In addition, is the story and lifestyle of Harvey Milk a topic that other parents would deem acceptable for presenting to their second grade children? This teacher apparently doesn't appreciate her responsibilities or simply cares more about promoting an agenda.
The apparent willingness of the involved adults to advocate for their apparent political agendas using (and putting at risk) the lives and future well-being of children is an indefensible and irresponsible practice. Such use of children as props and foils for promoting political positions is nothing more than indoctrination and certainly has no place in the classroom.
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Comments: 18 ( 1 removed by Ken S. )
I'm not a specialist in the matter, however, as far as your question 3 is concerned, I would like to point out that sexuality should be, IMO, still non-defined at that age: we all are in some proportion bi-sexual. Recently, the University of Lausanne in Switzerland proved that the first offspring has 10% to turn gay; the second 13% (10% plus 30% of the former 10%); the third one 16% (10% plus 30% of the former 13%9; etc. due to genetics (Chromosomes X and Y) the Y being the female "strength" which tends to overcome the X one.
At the age of 8-9 puberty raises and often boys are used to still play with boys, as you know.
So the question here is which parental environment he has? Maybe he was told in a way or another some parental "tale" hiding the sexuality and "converting" it as a man who plays with a man, or similar. It could be, also, an insane reaction towards and against the mother. We ignore anything about this.
- What a gay means, Daddy?
- A man who use to play with men, sonny!
- I see. I use to play football with my fellows, so for sure I am gay! Furthermore, mother keeps asking me to learn my lessons. I hate school. I hate women so I should be gay!
And as everyone talks about "gays" nowadays, he may feels it like a type of reward ...
If, on top of it, one takes into account that sexuality is quite badly reported by his fellow students, one can imagine the possible achieved damages.
And, btw, the University of Lausanne in Switzerland proved nothing. Researchers there may put forward some hypothesis but to attach "proof" to it is both premature and ill-advised.
To make a child aware that feeling gay is not a reason to be concerned is wise. Parents and teachers who do this for children are intelligent.
From feelings to realization there is a pace to be achieved that most of us refuse to achieve for social (and religious) reasons. However, even denied they keep existing the same way we enjoy to be successful when in groups.
As far as I am concerned, I was practicing a sport at a high level. My partner, a male, was as straight as I am myself. However, I noticed that, when as a pair we ended any competition at its highest level, we enjoyed the time with the same intensity than we kept enjoying love with anyone of the opposite sex, of course without the same ... viewable signs (LOL).
There are so many factors involved that it seems impossible to designate groups without evidence of a kind of racism (generalization of special cases).
I had six years in a US boarding school, like "Eton" in UK, and then attended universities, like Oxford and Cambridge. I never had sexual attraction to males, but I observed males who had varied relations with other males. My wife was English and I lived in UK for some time. The presence of a "gay culture" among the upper class in UK is old and complex. It has existed in America, too, of course, among the privileged, but has been less tolerated by the public. I know many long-term gay partnerships didn't include physical sex, but others that probably did were loving .All such sometimes included adopting children. It is obvious that many of the West's greatest artists and writers over the centuries were gay.
Children are aware of dogs and cats also at an early age but that neither means that they will want to be one for the rest of their lives or that their parents or teachers should entertain and encourage such a desire. You guys are not thinking.
BTW, do you feel mine is far too intelligent? LOL
Arkansas just passed the most restrictive laws on abortion of any state. In Arkansas, the joke is ," Life begins when your sister gets drunk."
The ontological unity of humanity is such that every separate individual overcoming egocentricity in himself inflicts such a defeat on cosmic evil that its consequences have a beneficial effect on the destinies of the whole world. On the other hand, the nature of cosmic evil is such that, vanquished in certain human persons it suffers a defeat the significance and extent of which are quite disproportionate to the number of individuals concerned. A single saint is an extraordinarily precious phenomenon for all mankind. By the mere fact of their existence - unknown, perhaps, to the world but known to God - the saints draw down on the world, on all humanity, a benediction from God.
If the oratory in this comment is intended to draw people to Christ then good. If not, then it should.
I don't believe either that such a discussion should be avoided IF DEMANDED by the youngsters. However, it is far better to freely talk about the matter with an adult thanto let some "learning" about sex from other pupils.
The problem is that maybe not each of them is at 8 open yet to such discussions.
Still better to talk freely and learn because interested than believing in sex tales, even as early as 8.
I have to acknowledge that no one of my children - 3 males - requested such informations at 8: they heard enough from TV news and from our own comments.
My grandsons, nowadays, talk freely of sex relantionships since they were about 5 or 6 and, at the least one of them complained at 7 for not having yet a "girlfriend".
As far as my grand-daughter (5) she already knows about sex but prefer, for the time being, to stay away from boys and keeps playing with one or 2 other girls despite having 2 "lovers" as she said in her classroom. She's just happy to get better qualifications than the boyfriends!
She's not yet ready to kiss "with the tongue" despite a test for fun suggested by her best friend (5 as well).
I feel the best way is to talk them when they request it and not when we feel so.
My conclusion is that, in a classroom, maybe not all the attendants are ready to talk freely about sex and that in some cases it could be destructive as it depends from the parents behavior and attitude when facing the problem. There is a big difference, IMO, between a private and natural exchange and a collective one.
You've pointed to some very important questions...
1) What exactly would make an 8-year old boy conclude and announce that he is gay?
2) What evidence would exist to support this position?
3) How does he, at such an early age, even really know what 'being gay' means?
5) How would such a sequence of events happen without environmental (ie parental) influence and encouragement?
This is NOW FEATURED in PUTTING THE PIECES TOGETHER ~