Groups like the National Organization for Marriage would like everyone to think that mentioning LGBTs in schools will defy parental morals and turn kids queer. They consider heterosexuality the only sexual identity worth mentioning and act as if queerness can be instilled in others the same way some math students grow up to become mathematicians. That’s bunk of course, but it makes one wonder, does discussing LGBTs make others feel like they can explore their queer identity? University of California professor. Dr. Judith Butler says yes, but she adds, “it doesn’t produce homosexuals.” Heck even the leader of an anti-gay hate group knows that people don’t choose to be queer. Someone should tell NOM.
SCHOOL BELLES
Does Discussing Queers In Schools “Produce” LGBT Students?
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Mike in Asheville
There is one and only one way that makes homosexuals: heterosexual fertilization to pregnancy to birth.
Certainly opening the closet doors that we gays, except for our sexual attractions, are just like everyone else with life’s successes and failures in our love life, employment, family and community, is gaining traction in overwhelming centuries of corrupt logic and institutionalized discrimination and bigotry.
The unbelievable sense of self I gained my first day as a UC Berkeley freshman, Fall 1978, was watching something so simple and yet so powerful: two upperclassman walking across Sproul Plaza HOLDING HANDS!
Bringing openness and awareness that it is acceptable to pursue your own gay happiness does not produce gays/lesbians, it welcomes them to join the rest of us who are out and enjoying our happiness.
RomanHans
I’m all for withholding information in schools so children don’t know about choice. If we didn’t have religious instruction, for instance, the world would have far fewer idiots.
Cam
They aren’t worried that talking about them will produce more of them.
They are worried about the exact same thing that the people were worried about when they advocated for keeping separate schools for blacks and whites.
They didn’t want white kids to meet black kids because then they would realize that they were people just like them. It is difficult to dehumanize another group to your kids when they are there with your kids every day.
Same here, they don’t want gays to be spoken about, because if you can keep them from being spoken about you can keep the gay kids in the closet and keep them as a dehumanized group of “Others” to the rest of the kids in school.
Schlukitz
@Cam:
Hear. Hear. Well said, Cam.
Jim
A to the Q: only in the sense that kids who are already LGBT would be more comfortable in coming out.
Matthew
Yeah, Judith Butler!
FerrumLucus
Actually, no. People don’t become gay, people are born gay. And with education of Homosexuality, they will feel much safer coming out.