Don't Say Gay?

[Sociopathicsteelerfan]

(03-30-2022, 02:23 PM)Crazyjdawg Wrote: I think the entire point people on the left are trying to make is that sexual orientation should not be a sensitive topic that only parents have a say in. In the past, when sexual orientation was heavily stigmatized, people would know they're gay but hide it from their parents, their friends, their colleagues and, on occasion, this repression has led to suicide and other toxic outward behaviors. Often times in religious and conservative households where children are taught from a young age that being gay is a sin and they will go to hell if they are gay.

The goal should be to destigmatize sexual orientation to the point where a child should not have to worry about being disowned by their parents for being gay (in the past) or, in more modern times, for being trans. There's a reason no one ever has to come out as straight. It's the running assumption until a person says otherwise. Why not have a society where sexual orientation is not assumed in anyone, child or adult, and just allows them to explore that on their own?

A lot of people have worked very hard at destigmatizing being gay and I think the fact that it is largely a non-issue for the majority of people is a testament to that work paying off. And I think those same people view this bill as a re-stigmatization of being gay veiled as a "parental concerns" issue.

I'm not saying this bill will have a detrimental effect on society's views of gay people or the next generation's suicide rate or acceptance of self or any of that.

But I don't think it will help in any of those regards either.

I will first off state you've presented your case very well.  But I must disagree on the teacher being the official vessel for such conversation.  It's an odd contradiction to have absolutely no reigns on a person's ability to have as many children as they want, but at the same time claiming that said parents aren't the appropriate person to discuss these topics with their kids.  I don't see any issue with putting the discussion of this topic on the family.  Some families will handle it well, some won't and some won't address it at all.  But it's not up to the government to assume any of those outcomes for any child.  And we're talking about very young children here, they don't even know what these topics really represent.  

In the end I think the response to this law will only push more middle of the road people in the other direction.  Equating not talking to children under nine about homosexuality to violence against that community or even an attempt to disavow their existence is just hyperbolic silliness.