Gay books in primary schools

faceman · 12-06-2008 10:38AM #1

Ok my title is a bit tabloid but this is AH!

On the news this morning they were talking about one of the "learn together" schools (i think thats what its called) where school books about homosexuality are being introduced to kids as young as five. Book titles include, King and King, Three to Tango, The Sissy Ducking (the latter being a re-tell of the Ugly Duckling except he's now gay)

So whats your view on this? Is it too young? Is it too much?

Alot of heated callers on the radio with some mad views either way.
I dont have a major issue with it par se, however i believe in primary schools that the focus should be on teaching kids about relationships with family units to avoid prejudices as children develop. I havent seen or read the books myself, but i would hope that the books are in those vain, rather than specifically focus on homosexuality.

i.e. the agenda should be around family units (be they hetro or same sex), diversity and acceptance rather than "hey everyone, we're gay, yahoo!".

One of the books is about 2 gay penguins in a new york zoo who fall in love. This book disturbs me the most cos penguins dont do gay and whats wrong with the zoo in phoenix park instead???

Sherifu · 12-06-2008 10:40AM

The world is slowly going mad. Poor kids.

Dave! · 12-06-2008 10:41AM

Yeah I agree with the OP, it should be about encouraging the family unit more so than anything

I guess if the books have the effect of normalising homosexuality, then it's a good thing.

The schools are 'educate together', BTW

marco_polo · 12-06-2008 10:41AM

** Slowly backs out of controversial thread **

Seriously though I think the major issue is whos ideas is was to use penguin books to educate our children

mike65 · 12-06-2008 10:42AM

Sadly I think there will be very few "Save our kids from this filfth!" type headlines cos we're all PC now.

I have no problem with this sort of thing - the issue is tolerance not turning straight kids gay.

Mike.

Wook · 12-06-2008 10:44AM

**** being PC, i dont want my kid to be Gay and anything that makes it feel normal at that age will not be tolerated.
Once they get a mind and opinion of their own , yeah sure be my guest to 'educate' them.

Dord · 12-06-2008 10:46AM

Dave! wrote: »

Yeah I agree with the OP, it should be about encouraging the family unit more so than anything

I agree, then again the family unit is changing. But I don't think this is the right way to do it.

Wook wrote: »

**** being PC, i dont want my kid to be Gay and anything that makes it feel normal at that age will not be tolerated.
Once they get a mind and opinion of their own , yeah sure be my guest to 'educate' them.

If they're gay, they're gay. Someone telling them a story in school isn't going to change that.

Aurora Borealis · 12-06-2008 10:46AM

Proposed books sound crap tbh but see it as a good thing to introduce kids to the idea of homosexuality. It's normal and being educated and aware can only be a plus.

Rob_l · 12-06-2008 10:46AM

Op there was two gay penguins in new york zoo but thankfully one of them stopped going through that phase and has now met a lovely female penguin with whom he can have penguin babies

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,169653,00.html

Hail 2 Da Chimp · 12-06-2008 10:48AM

I blame "Queer eye for the straight guy"!

super_furry · 12-06-2008 10:48AM

faceman wrote: »

One of the books is about 2 gay penguins in a new york zoo who fall in love. This book disturbs me the most cos penguins dont do gay and whats wrong with the zoo in phoenix park instead???

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1275591.html

The Bollox · 12-06-2008 10:48AM

political correctness strikes again.

I think the Crab People are behind this. they are trying to make us so f*cking retarded with the whole "everyone must get along" that they will overpower us with their inferior strength because we will be too afaid to resist incase it's not PC.

I for one welcome our new Crab People overlords

Wook · 12-06-2008 10:49AM

Dord wrote: »

If they're gay, they're gay. Someone telling them a story in school isn't going to change that.

you saying that all gay people are born this way?

JangoFett · 12-06-2008 10:49AM

Wook wrote: »

**** being PC, i dont want my kid to be Gay and anything that makes it feel normal at that age will not be tolerated.
Once they get a mind and opinion of their own , yeah sure be my guest to 'educate' them.

Bigot. You are a small minded moron, I hope you never procreate. And I'm a straight man saying this. Its 2008 you retard, get with the times

Homosexuality is normal, people have been gay since there have been people and there are gay animals.

I agree that kids should have these kind of stories along with stories featuring straight couples, it teaches them that its normal, teaches, and as much as I hate this word in this context, tolerance.

marco_polo · 12-06-2008 10:49AM

Nothing anybody does will make straight people gay or gay people straight.

super_furry · 12-06-2008 10:50AM

marco_polo wrote: »

Nothing anybody does will make straight people gay or gay people straight.

What about paying them lots of money? €1million for every year of straightness. You can pay the gay away!

Wook · 12-06-2008 10:51AM

JangoFett wrote: »

Bigot. You are a small minded moron, I hope you never procreate. And I'm a straight man saying this. Its 2008 you retard, get with the times

Homosexuality is normal, people have been gay since there have been people and there are gay animals.

I agree that kids should have these kind of stories along with stories featuring straight couples, it teaches them that its normal, teaches, and as much as I hate this word in this context, tolerance.

did i say it was abnormal? did i say i did not tolerate Gay's? i just said i dont wont my kid to be one.

RealEstateKing · 12-06-2008 10:51AM

**** being PC, i dont want my kid to be Gay and anything that makes it feel normal at that age will not be tolerated.
Once they get a mind and opinion of their own , yeah sure be my guest to 'educate' them.

You cannot 'educate' a kid to be gay no matter how hard you try you fool. Its an inate feeling that has got absolutely nothing to do with how you are brought up.

That said, I think books given to kids in school should reflect the norm to some extent: 90% of couples are straight after all, so the books given to kids should largley reflect this.

DarkJager · 12-06-2008 10:52AM

http://www.thebestpageinexistence.com/annandbarry.htm

That is all

Rob_l · 12-06-2008 10:52AM

JangoFett wrote: »

Homosexuality is normal, people have been gay since there have been people and there are gay animals.

If thats the case why the **** do we need to educate children about it if its a normal natural thing then it will come about normally and naturally without educating five year olds about it.

daisy123 · 12-06-2008 10:53AM

I have the book "And Three Makes Tango" and it is wonderful! It is primarily just a picture book, with a story about two penguins, Roy and Silo, who raise a baby penguin. At no point are terms such as 'gay' mentioned, just at one point when the zookeeper sees them making a nest he comments 'They must be in love'. Roy and Silo then go on to raise an orphan baby chick.

I read it to my 6 year old nephew and he loved the story. He knows what gay is, and has no problem with it, especially as in this story it is just about another type of family. Surely we want children educated that being gay is a normal part of life, just like when I was growing up we were taught there are all sorts of families, ones with single parents for example.

It is disgraceful that this can be considered a controversy in Ireland.

Golferx · 12-06-2008 10:54AM

JangoFett wrote: »

...................

Homosexuality is normal,..................

Normal? For a male to be sexually attracted to a male? Or a female to be attracted to a female?

Normal is not the word. It is a deviation from normal.

Accepted, it may be, but as a fact of nature it is not "normal".

As for the OP? I think it is a ridiculous idea to introduce such a subject to young kids.

marco_polo · 12-06-2008 10:55AM

Rob_l wrote: »

If thats the case why the **** do we need to educate children about it if its a normal natural thing then it will come about normally and naturally without educating five year olds about it.

So they are teaching them to be gay now, jesus this story gets better and better? :rolleyes:

biko · 12-06-2008 10:55AM

faceman wrote: »

Ok my title is a bit tabloid but this is AH!

On the news this morning they were talking about one of the "learn together" schools (i think thats what its called) where school books about homosexuality are being introduced to kids as young as five. Book titles include, King and King, Three to Tango, The Sissy Ducking (the latter being a re-tell of the Ugly Duckling except he's now gay)

So whats your view on this? Is it too young? Is it too much?

It's fine. They get to read a little bit about same sex relationships so what? Hopefully they'll learn not to be so damn repressed about the whole concept of sex.

JangoFett · 12-06-2008 10:55AM

Wook wrote: »

did i say it was abnormal? did i say i did not tolerate Gay's? i just said i dont wont my kid to be one.

When you said this

"i dont want my kid to be Gay and anything that makes it feel normal at that age will not be tolerated."

Why won't it be tolerated exactly? What will you do to show your lack of tolerance?

And why wouldn't you want your child to be gay, what impact has it on your life exactly?

Wook · 12-06-2008 10:58AM

JangoFett wrote: »

When you said this

"i dont want my kid to be Gay and anything that makes it feel normal at that age will not be tolerated."

Why won't it be tolerated exactly? What will you do to show your lack of tolerance?

And why wouldn't you want your child to be gay, what impact has it on your life exactly?

anything wrong with wanting my kid to be straight, have a family and have kids? If he grows up to be Gay, well that's the way its going to be we adjust but untill then as i said when he can make his own mind up, i pass on those educations.

Dord · 12-06-2008 10:58AM

Wook wrote: »

you saying that all gay people are born this way?

Not necessarily all, no. :rolleyes:

togster · 12-06-2008 10:59AM

Some people shouldn't be allowed to have kids tbh

Wook · 12-06-2008 11:02AM

Dord wrote: »

Not necessarily all, no. :rolleyes:

Thank you :rolleyes:

Reku · 12-06-2008 11:02AM

While I think it's great that they encourage kids to be more open minded about other peoples' skin colour, creed, sexual orientation, etc... I think this is almost as bad as the whole "Ba-ba-rainbow sheep" lark. There's being open minded and there's being plain daft. What 5 year old even really understands what it is to be straight let alone what it is to be gay.
And if they are going to introduce this stuff surely it should have human characters rather than beating around the bush with animal characters or is being PC just something to hide behind while we flinch away from the issue as much as possible.
Do you remember part of the moral of the ugly duckling being that he/she went off and married a female/male swan? Thought it ended with it realising it was a swan and not just a particularly ugly duckling? It could have gone off and married a pig after that for all we care it's not pertinant to the story and its moral. So where does sexuality/gender or such stuff come into that story that it needs to be changed like this?

daisy123 · 12-06-2008 11:02AM

Wook: When children about age 5 read "normal" books, do you think that wants to make them go out and have heterosexual sex??? Seriously!

Reading books at an early age about same sex couples, something like "Tango" that is not up in your face gay, can only lead to a more tolerance of homosexuals later on in life.

In my mind, this issue is similar as saying you don't want your children reading books about black people, about Jewish people, about Chinese people, back in the day when people thought they were 'different' and 'bad'.

Gay books in primary schools

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