At what level should public schools students begin receiving instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity?

[trouble13]

Let them learn about it like I did. From my friends in the streets.

 

[Court Jester]

Nobody needs to be instructed on gender. It is a false claim that gender and/or sex is either changeable, or fluid.

Schools should be teaching math, science, language (ENGLISH in this country) and history.

 

[reflechissez]

You let your kids watch anything?? They spend 12-16 hours/day on their phones??

Sad.

I don't recall saying that.

 

[Lycanthrope]

Define a woman.

If you want to pervert your kids - go ahead. Stay the hell away from mine.

Try to talk to my kid about sex?? And you'll be going to hospital.

Hostile much?

Maybe online political discussions are too stimulating for you.

 

[Lycanthrope]

Let them learn about it like I did. From my friends in the streets.

Now that's funny, not least for the measure of truth in it.

 

[neil]

I'm a libertarian; I believe that everyone has the right to be informed. Being informed is one of the main purposes of schools, therefore I don't believe there ought to be any law preventing schools and students from learning truth, the facts of life, etc. I am opposed to propaganda, brainwashing, political conditioning, racism (advocating for it), etc., which is why I don't support "teaching" something like CRT.

As far as how this applies to sexual orientation & gender identity, it should only be instruction about its existence & what it is and means (or what not), but not something that in any way tries to persuade any student that they may have one or another sexual orientation or gender identity. I think the school setting should not be the venue for something like this; if necessary, only healthcare & wellness experts who they consult with ought to be the ones discussing this with. If I had a scrape on my arm or a broken bone, I went to the on-site nurse or the hospital, not the teacher.

Politicians aren't trained to be experts in teaching sex ed, so it shouldn't be determined by the government when students are ready to be taught about anything; it should be determined by the appropriate trained academic experts what the suitable age is for teaching students something like this, just like with basic sex ed, in general. If they determine that 5th grade students are ready to start learning about it but not before, then that's when they ought to be able to start learning about it.

 

[Kreton]

Since this has been a hot debate in the last few weeks....

At what level should public schools students begin receiving instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity?

Explain your vote (or non-vote) below, please.

Kids should not be instructed on the subjects. Just let them be who they are. As a society we should accept that different sexual orientations are normal. Schools have no problem when teaching about FDR that he was married to Eleanor. However that is not considered "teaching" straightness. It should be no different for Jack and Jack than Jack and Jill.

It doesn't need to be taught, just accepted.

 

[jpevans]

Nothing, really. They should be learning to sit down quietly for a few minutes, play with others, hold a pencil, write their name, letters, numbers, etc. There's no reason for them to learn about anything romantic or sexual.

They can learn about that icky stuff in the schoolyard.

 

[VanceMack]

82% of public schools are failing. School districts have adopted the policy to advance students even when they fail previous grades to the point that it is commonplaces in cities like Baltimore for graduates to be unable to even read, write, or accomplish basic math skills. Some California school districts went so far as to eliminate Ds and Fs from their grading because student failure rates were so high.

So maybe the answer is that before teachers be tasked with the indoctrination of children on sexuality and gender issues, maybe there should be a requirement that they actually...I dont know....EDUCATE STUDENTS.

Maybe this gives you an idea why the kids are so ****ed up.

 

[reflechissez]

You let your kids watch anything?? They spend 12-16 hours/day on their phones??

Sad.

sure

 

[StillBallin75]

If not those who've reared, and who are responsible for them, who? Some member of a teacher's union? Some government official? Some "sex-scientist" with a PhD in deviancy? Who?

Parents these days can't even help their kids navigate ****ing algebra, and you think they're just as knowledgeable and equipped to talk about matters of gender identity and sexual orientation?

The contempt from the right for those who actually try to know and understand shit is so ****ing transparent, they'd rather wallow in ignorance and bigotry most of the time. It would be funny and sad if it wasn't so dangerous.

 

[molten_dragon]

Around 4th or 5th grade and it should be part of comprehensive sex education. Maybe even a little younger given how many kids seem to be going through puberty early these days.

 

[Napoleon]

Scientifically, the mean age for settling on a sexual identity is 16 with that fluid process anecdotally beginning around age 9/10. The later aligns with grade 4 which is also when many schools begin sex education so it seems appropriate that this should be the minimum grade level.

 

[Indydave]

the idea that students are not sexually aware and not sexually involved is just backward......even at the early stages of growth......

sex is part of being human......people learn about sex on their own at their own time because they are human....

 

[Phys251]

At the exact same age that they learn about cishet relationships.

As long as it is done in an age appropriate way then why have a problem with it?

Because righties have a deep-seated fear of LGBTQ, and they want to shelter kids from it. What they don't care is that LGBTQ kids are marginalized and harmed by not learning about who they are.

 

[Indydave]

As a rule, the right-wing are terrified of knowledge, and passing that knowledge onto children. This isn't even sexual education. It's the bare minimum of understanding the real world.

conservatism's basic belief is to control sexuality and sexual activity......always has been and always will be.....look at their agendas......abortion, LGBT, unwed parents, welfare to unwed parents, pornography,
women's rights, etc etc.......all are based in a basic fear taught from generation to generation that sex has to be 'supervised' in some form or another......

 

[Trippy Trekker]

Folks, what you need to understand is that premature sexualization is critical in breaking down a society.

The Soviets invested decades in developing strategies, tactics, and grassroots organizations for destabilizing target societies.

They called this the process of demoralization, or active measures.

They began attacking the United States over 70 years ago, and systematically changed our educational curriculum, infiltrated school boards, and from the top-down introduced educators to Anti-American propaganda.

Common sense should tell a rational adult that premature sexualization can only have negative and devastating consequences for the children who fall victim to such an attack.

But of course, after decades of indoctrination, too many American parents are themselves unable to understand the devastating consequences of premature sexualization.

None of this is innocuous - the intent of these people trying to introduce sexual topics to children is to harm them psychologically - to create dysfunctional, maladjusted adults who can be easily controlled and exploited.

Holy Conspiracy Theory! You jest?

Do you think the CIA, FBI and NSA know? How did you find out about the active measures demoralization process?

 

[Trippy Trekker]

Define a woman.

If you want to pervert your kids - go ahead. Stay the hell away from mine.

Try to talk to my kid about sex?? And you'll be going to hospital.

Going to the hospital? How would you know in every instance if someone talked to your children about sex? Does the possible consequences of breaking assault laws factor into your behavior?

 

[antiquity]

Never...its up to the parents to had the final choice if and when it is appropriate. The school's role is to teach the three R's.
It is definitely not the school board or the democratic party role to indoctrinate young minds with their 'woke' culture. The progressives should have learned their lesson in the out come of the Virginia and New Jersey elections. And the mid terms will crush them. further.

 

[antiquity]

Going to the hospital? How would you know in every instance if someone talked to your children about sex? Does the possible consequences of breaking assault laws factor into your behavior?

You want cheese with that whine...

 

[gbg3]

In the area of sexuality and gender identity, what we now have going on are fads and this is a terrible arena for fads!

I worry very much that these fads will lead to huge increases in mental health issues and suicides. We have gotten into a dangerous territory where some crazy and I truly mean crazy parents are choosing a gender identity for their children and innocent children are being heavily influenced by these crazy parents and then even more by some similarly crazy teachers.
Each person needs to individually determine their sexual preferences at an age where they are capable of and mature enough to do so. This doesn't happen as a child, especially a young child. Sex is too big of a topic for little kids and sexual preferences and gender identity are even bigger topics. Leave them out of schools!
I think I was in junior high when a nurse came in for a couple hours one day to discuss anatomy and such with students. Parent permission slips were absolutely required, and boys and girls were separated to prevent embarrassment students might experience from the discussions/questions. That was okay but I well remember it as a really big deal. I definitely learned things I didn't yet know and many of us left that session with red faces and a bit of an OMG reaction. The boys too. And for a day or two, it was even kind of hard to talk to the boys and for the boys to talk to the girls.
Sex in general and gender identity are too big of topics for young minds.

 

[gbg3]

Never...its up to the parents to had the final choice if and when it is appropriate. The school's role is to teach the three R's.
It is definitely not the school board or the democratic party role to indoctrinate young minds with their 'woke' culture. The progressives should have learned their lesson in the out come of the Virginia and New Jersey elections. And the mid terms will crush them. further.

I agree. I simply can't believe the Dems are pushing this topic after what has happened with the other topics they've chosen to push on children against parent wishes.

 

[Trippy Trekker]

They can learn about that icky stuff in the schoolyard.

In first grade, public school Miami FL 1962-63, I knew nothing about sexual intercourse. Knew quite a bit more about male female chemistry. Some girls, almost always discretely, demonstrated keen interest in his and her showing of genitalia.

As a class of 25+/- students, we would go single file to a movie room to watch age appropriate movies. It seemed fated that a certain high energy athletic girl ended up in the seat just left of mine. As soon as the lights went out, my left hand went up her dress and under her panties. She giggled in amusement. At some point, she peed. At the end of the movie, our teacher calmly assisted her in obtaining a clean pair of panties. The girl and I remained friends. I went to that school for one more year, then moved away from Miami. Other mildly sexual and consensual activities continued with other girls. Everything changed Bigly in Junior High. Some of the girls in my orb reached puberty ahead of me and I didn’t feel comfortable navigating their advances. By age 14, 9th grade, I felt far more confident. During 10th grade, I felt like a young man, quite capable of generating income, sexual activity with girlfriends and making my way in this world.

Junior High offered home economics as an elective. Maybe some small component touched on sex. I don’t think my High School offered an elective on Sex Education.

 

[Trippy Trekker]

You want cheese with that whine...

Your post comes off as gibberish.

 

[soylentgreen]

Who decides what "age appropriate" comprises?

Common sense, even a basic understanding of psychology.

Teach according to ability. We do not teach 5 year olds how to use a condom. Just as we do not teach teenagers about the names of body parts.