California to teach gay history and rights in school

[Mango Elephant]

You never chose, you just were.

Just like gay people were! If you ask most gay women, they'll say they've always been attracted to women and never men, and if you ask most gay men, they'll say they've always been attracted to men and never women. Not a choice, just like being black is not a choice either.

And we've studied Asian rights in schools. We've studies gay discrimination in schools too, in a video though and not a textbook, not any gay rights, though.

 

[civ_king]

I request a longer year before we are mandated to learn this, we didn't even get into the Civil Rights Movement before testing

 

[Mango Elephant]

I really doubt it'll take more than 10 minutes to go over gay rights, 20 at the most ...

 

[Formaldehyde]

The more homophobic states should follow Tennessee's lead so this sort of thing doesn't become pervasive:

Proposed Tennessee Law Would Ban Teaching Homosexuality in Schools

Tennessee State Senate committee has approved a bill that would prohibit elementary and middle school teachers from discussing homosexuality in their classrooms. Time magazine reported that the legislation, which has been nicknamed the “don’t say gay” bill, “would mandate that before ninth grade, teachers not ‘provide any instruction or material that discusses sexual orientation other than heterosexuality.’”

This sounds much healthier than teaching school children about bigotry, especially how it relates to so many of their parents.

 

[cardgame]

Before 9th grade?

There's no sex ed in high school...

 

[Disgustipated]

This is very stupid. Not in a gays are sub-human stupid. Our obsession on people's sexuality like this is stupid.

This thread was won with the second post. I can't believe it has went on this many pages.

I just want to add that replacing useful things to teach our students with this crap is beyond stupid. We are already falling behind Europe and way behind Asia with our student performance and test scores. There is precious little time to educate our children. Why waste time on this crap.

 

[Ajidica]

I just want to add that replacing useful things to teach our students with this crap is beyond stupid. We are already falling behind Europe and way behind Asia with our student performance and test scores. There is precious little time to educate our children. Why waste time on this crap.

I know! Why waste time telling students that persecution doesn't just happen to blacks and hispanics? Why waste time telling them that there exists a minority today that is legisated against?

Shortsighted post is shortsighted.

 

[Disgustipated]

I know! Why waste time telling students that persecution doesn't just happen to blacks and hispanics? Why waste time telling them that there exists a minority today that is legisated against?

Shortsighted post is shortsighted.

It's about competition. If we don't kick our students in the ass and compete with the Chinese, we are going to get our ass handed to us. Do you think Chinese wastes time teaching this crap? It's pointless to teach this. Let them look it up on their own time.

 

[cardgame]

This isn't pointless at all.

 

[Maniacal]

Before 9th grade?

There's no sex ed in high school...

There was in mine, 10th grade PE "physical health" unit. The sex ed lady who came in forgot to bring condoms.

It's about competition. If we don't kick our students in the ass and compete with the Chinese, we are going to get our ass handed to us. Do you think Chinese wastes time teaching this crap? It's pointless to teach this. Let them look it up on their own time.

With that logic, you might as well drop US history and English.

 

[Mango Elephant]

Like I said, it takes 20 minutes at the most to teach gay rights, I really doubt American kids could use those 20 minutes to advance to the level of Chinese kids, especially because gay rights would be taught in history class, not math or science or anything that's really important.

 

[Ajidica]

It's about competition. If we don't kick our students in the ass and compete with the Chinese, we are going to get our ass handed to us. Do you think Chinese wastes time teaching this crap? It's pointless to teach this. Let them look it up on their own time.

You are right. China doesn't waste time bowing to dark-age fundamentalists who think that an invisible man in the sky creating the Earth in six days is a valid scientific theory. Thank God that in Minnesota we managed to get out of Creationism with a single statement our teacher had to read (you could tell she hated it) and a day in the computer lab 'learning about the controvery'.

If you are going to complain about America 'being behind China' (which is a bogus metric to begin with, our education system is set up differently then the Chinese for many good reasons), then complain about educational curriculum being in the hands of provincial fundies and a appalling condition of early and elementary educational standards. However, rectifying those issues requires actual steps being taken. It is far easier to say 'It is stupid to teach people about the fight for homosexual rights, we don't need to know that it was a crime to be homosexual'.

 

[Eukaryote]

Intolerant people should be social outcasts.

My first instinct is to agree with you, but then I stop and realize, that attitude in itself is intolerant.

Kind of OT, but the OP made me realize, everyone who has stereotypes against them is being covered, except men. Let's not pretend that men aren't stereotyped.

 

[GhostWriter16]

Intolerant people should be social outcasts

Pray do tell, what should this look like?

This is wrong because it is using taxpayer's dime to teach opinions that some taxpayer's disagree with. Its a sort of tyranny.

Like I said, it takes 20 minutes at the most to teach gay rights, I really doubt American kids could use those 20 minutes to advance to the level of Chinese kids, especially because gay rights would be taught in history class, not math or science or anything that's really important.

The difference between teaching about gay segregation and racial segregation is the latter is teaching history, while the former is saying "You should adopt X opinions." I have never heard of a teacher saying "The Civil Rights Acts were a great law" they just teach the facts. Now, it can be ASSUMED that Civil Rights is a good thing, but it is not stated. If gays "Get their rights" they can teach the history and, again, let students make up their minds...

You are right. China doesn't waste time bowing to dark-age fundamentalists who think that an invisible man in the sky creating the Earth in six days is a valid scientific theory. Thank God that in Minnesota we managed to get out of Creationism with a single statement our teacher had to read (you could tell she hated it) and a day in the computer lab 'learning about the controvery'.

If you are going to complain about America 'being behind China' (which is a bogus metric to begin with, our education system is set up differently then the Chinese for many good reasons), then complain about educational curriculum being in the hands of provincial fundies and a appalling condition of early and elementary educational standards. However, rectifying those issues requires actual steps being taken. It is far easier to say 'It is stupid to teach people about the fight for homosexual rights, we don't need to know that it was a crime to be homosexual'.

First of all, what does the TOE actually do for people in their daily lives?

Also, what do you mean by "Learning about the controversy?"

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

First of all, what does the TOE actually do for people in their daily lives?

A stern reminder to take an antibiotic regimen seriously.

 

[Behind The Mask]

First of all, what does the TOE actually do for people in their daily lives?

I would argue that the Theory of Evolution, as I understand it, is an incredible topic that advanced my own personal understanding of the world and has effected the way I see the 'coming and goings' whether it be the actions of an animal or the society of man.

I would also argue it is a testament to the ability of live to thrive; the theory, again as I understand it, is just a macro-example of the world where even in new situations everything seems to have the capacity to adapt and thrive but not in a way where we prevail against nature but instead we change according to it.

I feel it has great potential for how we see the world and how we understand it.

 

[Eukaryote]

The difference between teaching about gay segregation and racial segregation is the latter is teaching history, while the former is saying "You should adopt X opinions." I have never heard of a teacher saying "The Civil Rights Acts were a great law" they just teach the facts. Now, it can be ASSUMED that Civil Rights is a good thing, but it is not stated. If gays "Get their rights" they can teach the history and, again, let students make up their minds...

I think that's the way it ought to be. Acceptance of all people may be a socially liberal value and I fully embrace it, but so is teaching in a way that allows people to think for themselves, and I think that's just as important.

 

[warpus]

Who teaches civil rights in a neutral manner though? "I'll let you decide if this whole civil rights thing was a good idea or bad".. No teacher is going to say that.. Equality should be taught as a positive thing, no matter how many "taxpayers" disagree with it.

 

[GhostWriter16]

Who teaches civil rights in a neutral manner though? "I'll let you decide if this whole civil rights thing was a good idea or bad".. No teacher is going to say that.. Equality should be taught as a positive thing, no matter how many "taxpayers" disagree with it.

Well, people don't "Teach" Civil Rights as positive or negative, though that it is positive is a given.

But teaching about gay rights is still future, and so currently NOT related to history, at least in the US. Its teaching ethics, which isn't a teachers place. For a school to teach "Gay marriage is a good thing" on my tax dime is simply wrong.

Not that I would be silly enough to choose to live in California in the first place...

 

[Ajidica]

Well, people don't "Teach" Civil Rights as positive or negative, though that it is positive is a given.

But teaching about gay rights is still future, and so currently NOT related to history, at least in the US. Its teaching ethics, which isn't a teachers place. For a school to teach "Gay marriage is a good thing" on my tax dime is simply wrong.

Teaching that 'In the 50's and 60's being gay was a crime and homosexuality could get you fired' is stating morals? Ever heard of the Stonewall Riots? PBS put out a good documentary on it recently. It might be on their website.

Also, what do you mean by "Learning about the controversy?"

'Learning the controversy' is a made up-term by dark age fundies in an attempt to delude the public into thinking that YECism, or even a semi-biblical accounting of creationism is a valid scientific theory.