Don't Say Gay?

[CJD]

(03-29-2022, 09:39 PM)Sociopathicsteelerfan Wrote: I know this wasn't directed at me.  But if it isn't happening already then why the uproar about the law?  Are we really claiming that not teaching homosexuality and transgenderism to children in third grade and under is an attack on the LGTBQ community?  If it is, then maybe we all need to rethink our support for the current iteration of that movement?  And I say this as a person who's been on the "right" side of this issue well before the Democratic party.

I think it's a matter of normalization. While I don't think sex or gender or anything of that nature should be discussed in any structured format with children because, you know, they're children, legislating it in such a way has the implication of "you can talk about normal stuff like heterosexual relationships, but don't talk about the gross gays" you know what I mean? Or, alternatively, the implication would be "being gay is weird and we don't want to expose children to weird stuff too early because it will warp their minds."

There is more to homosexual love than just sex, after all. Children are exposed to heterosexual relationships from the second they are read books or watch children's movies. So it's not like the nature of a man and a woman being attracted to each other is off limits for little children to see. I think that same level of normalization should be afforded for gay relationships too.

And while 3rd grade is young, it's not too young for children to have innocent crushes on other children. This could lead to little boys who may feel like they might be gay thinking there is something wrong with them because their teachers, explicitly or implicitly, are either not willing or unable to teach them about what normal human relationships are like. Or, what if a boy asks a teacher if it's normal to like another boy and the teacher says "yes, in fact, boys liking boys is very normal and there's nothing wrong with it." Is that in violation of this bill? Or is it only regarding structured curriculums? What if that boy's parents found out the teacher told the boy it's okay to like other boys and is now suing the school?

This bill doesn't seem to really get into details like that so it would be left up to the legislators and courts to hash out situations like this and, given that it's Florida, I don't have high hopes that the courts would be understanding and conciliatory. 

We'll see how this bill is actually implemented and if it changes anything. And, if it does, will it be for better or for worse?