[~Kat~]

Definitely.
I remember my 'sexual eductaion' classes... we were basically just left with a condom and a... model, to do our own thing and then given a leaflet at the end basically telling us that sex is bad and if we have sex we'll get an STD and die. Didin't particularly clear much up.

[DYKWIA]

(Original post by ifstatement)
...

eww go away

[im so academic]

(Original post by kenni12)
Before anyone gets the wrong Idea, I'm not talking about schools making children to not be straight, I'm talking about children knowing that not everyone is meant to be solely attracted to the opposite sex and knowing why it shouldn't be considered a harm. This means teaching about...

-Heterosexualiy
-Homosexuality
-Bisexuality
and Asexuality-having no sexual attraction/preference in anyway

Now I'm going to start of by saying that I beleive it is a good thing, because some children might be gay but not know because society have made them to believe that their attraction is not only a choice, but a 'bad' choice, so they grow up denying it just to 'fit in' and impress people around them or look for ways to 'cure' their attraction or get tempted to kill themselves. There have been stories about gay students being bullied and I feel the cases of gay bullying would reduce, if the potential bullies weren't ignorant about homosexuals or influenced solely by homophobes around them.

Also, at what level do you think it's best?

There are SO many issues that you could possible teach at schools:

Wealth distribution, natural resources, mental health issues, body image, drug abuse, political dictatorships, terrorism, money budgeting, rights of citizens etc.

What makes sexual orientation so special?

[ifstatement]

(Original post by DYKWIA)
eww go away

HAHA I know you like it.

Come out the closet DYKWIA

[im so academic]

(Original post by Alexander94)
I think it should be, but never explicitly like "Today we are having a lesson about gay people" *unrolls rainbow and sticks Elton John on*. But mentioning when two people fall in love, rather that a man and a woman might be good from a young age. I was 11 when I put my hand up in sex ed and asked if it was okay to fall in love with someone of the same sex and I got sent out! It would be nice for kids just to be able to ask and to learn incidental.

So fairy tales are bad then?

[SmallTownGirl]

I think that kids should be taught about different types of families from the beginning of primary school (mummies and daddies, two mummies, two daddies, one parent, step-parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, foster families, adoption, polyamory, families without children - basically any way people can live together and love each other but without mentioning sex). They should also be told about gender and sex and taught about people being trans. An also they should be taught that there's no 'boy's hobbies' and 'girl's hobbies' etc. That no-one has to folow stereotypes.

When they get to about 11 they should be taught about asexuality, romantic attraction and sexual attraction. When they get to around 13, they should have comprehensive sexual health education: STDs; contraception; safer sex methods for ALL types of sex; emotional, physical and sexual abuse; different relationship models; respcting themselves and their sexual/romantic partner(s); that casual sex is fine IF everyone involved can cope with it.

And at no point should it be assumed that children who are not cis-gender and heterosexual will be brave enough to ask for the information they need for healthy relationships and a healthy attitude towards sex. Because many will be terrified of the reaction or still unsure about their orientation/gender identity.

[DYKWIA]

(Original post by ifstatement)
HAHA I know you like it.

Come out the closet DYKWIA

im not gay or homophobic. i am just worried about the harms of homosexuality.

[ifstatement]

(Original post by DYKWIA)
im not gay or homophobic. i am just worried about the harms of homosexuality.

You're just confused darling, it's ok if you're secretly gay. Being gay is very safe, nothing to be worried about

[SmallTownGirl]

(Original post by im so academic)
There are SO many issues that you could possible teach at schools:

Wealth distribution, natural resources, mental health issues, body image, drug abuse, political dictatorships, terrorism, money budgeting, rights of citizens etc.

What makes sexual orientation so special?

I don't think the OP is saying that this is the ONLY thing children should be taught about. They should be taught about all these things. And not in the sense of 'today we're learning about terrorism and then we'll never mention it again'. All these things should be spoken about many times, in many lessons from the beginning of primary school at a level the children can understand.

[WNB]

I think it would be very difficult to teach tbf, i just remember sex ed back in school being bad enough with students sniggering etc...

And also you've got to think about teachers who wont teach the subject properly!!!! (Resulting in bullying being even greater)

Therefore I don't think it should be taught...

[Alexander94]

(Original post by im so academic)
So fairy tales are bad then?

Don't get me started on fairy tales (I am studying this in english at the minute). I was talking more about in sex ed actually, when children are taught about family and relationships to talk about people not a man and a woman.

[Jimbo1234]

(Original post by kenni12)
Before anyone gets the wrong Idea, I'm not talking about schools making children to not be straight, I'm talking about children knowing that not everyone is meant to be solely attracted to the opposite sex and knowing why it shouldn't be considered a harm. This means teaching about...

-Heterosexualiy
-Homosexuality
-Bisexuality
and Asexuality-having no sexual attraction/preference in anyway

Now I'm going to start of by saying that I beleive it is a good thing, because some children might be gay but not know because society have made them to believe that their attraction is not only a choice, but a 'bad' choice, so they grow up denying it just to 'fit in' and impress people around them or look for ways to 'cure' their attraction or get tempted to kill themselves. There have been stories about gay students being bullied and I feel the cases of gay bullying would reduce, if the potential bullies weren't ignorant about homosexuals or influenced solely by homophobes around them.

Also, at what level do you think it's best?

Nope.
It has never been taught before and everything has worked out fine.
The prejudice is there not due to people being misinformed, but due to people being *******s. If someone is different then someone is going to dislike them for that. Nothing you can say or do will change them.

[SilverArch]

(Original post by DYKWIA)
im not gay or homophobic. i am just worried about the harms of homosexuality.

I believe you when you say you aren't gay and I'll leave it up to you to define your own sexual orientation (for now )

However, you are a homophobe. You have an irrational fear of and feelings of being uncomfortable around gay people. Evidenced by your own statements of feeling icky (my choice of word) around openly gay people, and by your odd seeking out of every 'gay' thread on TSR

Telling children that hetero is better is a lie. It isn't better, it's equal. If children believe straight is better, they will become intolerant adults, and that will have a negative effect on their lives and on the lives of people around them. I believe in raising happy, tolerant, compassionate children who become tolerant aduts, who other people want to be around

[pr0view]

(Original post by jmenkus)
Surely tolerance of others should be taught in schools?

The state should not be telling people what to think of others. None the less it does in the form of RS anyway. However i would like to think some degree of tolerance should be taught by parents.

[RandZul'Zorander]

(Original post by DYKWIA)
That is worryingly high. Would it really not make you feel uncomfortable if 1 in 10 people were openly homosexual?

Uh...no? What is there to feel uncomfortable about? Its not like its any different from how things are now except that they can be themselves and not feel like they aren't healthy.

It is a subconscious choice though.

You can't have a subconscious choice. That doesn't even make sense.

Choice - an act of selecting or making a decision when faced with two or more possibilities
one can't make a subconscious decision. because that requires conscious thought.

[pr0view]

(Original post by SilverArch)
I believe you when you say you aren't gay and I'll leave it up to you to define your own sexual orientation (for now )

However, you are a homophobe. You have an irrational fear of and feelings of being uncomfortable around gay people. Evidenced by your own statements of feeling icky (my choice of word) around openly gay people, and by your odd seeking out of every 'gay' thread on TSR

Telling children that hetero is better is a lie. It isn't better, it's equal. If children believe straight is better, they will become intolerant adults, and that will have a negative effect on their lives and on the lives of people around them. I believe in raising happy, tolerant, compassionate children who become tolerant aduts, who other people want to be around

Of course heterosexuality is better, all life forms have an ultimate goal of reproduction, heterosexuality is natural and instinctive in most people. Homosexuality on the other hand is a mental illness (and officially for a long time) and all with any sense and courage would accept that, however if someone is homosexual and happy the way they are they should be left be and treated as equals but no way should homosexuality be encouraged.

[im so academic]

(Original post by SmallTownGirl)
I think that kids should be taught about different types of families from the beginning of primary school (mummies and daddies, two mummies, two daddies, one parent, step-parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, foster families, adoption, polyamory, families without children - basically any way people can live together and love each other but without mentioning sex). They should also be told about gender and sex and taught about people being trans. An also they should be taught that there's no 'boy's hobbies' and 'girl's hobbies' etc. That no-one has to folow stereotypes.

When they get to about 11 they should be taught about asexuality, romantic attraction and sexual attraction. When they get to around 13, they should have comprehensive sexual health education: STDs; contraception; safer sex methods for ALL types of sex; emotional, physical and sexual abuse; different relationship models; respcting themselves and their sexual/romantic partner(s); that casual sex is fine IF everyone involved can cope with it.

And at no point should it be assumed that children who are not cis-gender and heterosexual will be brave enough to ask for the information they need for healthy relationships and a healthy attitude towards sex. Because many will be terrified of the reaction or still unsure about their orientation/gender identity.

However, polygamy is illegal. You don't want schools teaching illegal activities.

[NYU2012]

(Original post by DYKWIA)
it causes harm and distress to other people, people like me. Also, because a higher percentage of gays get HIV that would suggest homosexuality leads to serious problems for that person.

It doesn't cause distress to the PERSON in question. Whether or not you like it is completely irrelevant.

A higher percentage of gays do NOT get HIV. It's only in the US that that is true.

Not only that, the heterosexual rate of infection in the US will soon surpass the gay rate of infection.

How many times have been over the fact that your HIV argument is completely (1) irrelevant; (2) ignorant; and (3) a distortion of true facts, in an attempt to try to support your clearly biased and un-researched opinions

(Original post by DYKWIA)
homosexuals are less normal then. they are not as common as straight people.

Homosexuality occurs less frequently - but that doesn't make it 'atypical' in that sense, no.

(Original post by DYKWIA)
I prefer sexual 'preference', since it is closer to the actual truth of an unconscious choice.

The things you say are so completely ignorant it's astounding.

(1) Homosexuality isn't a 'preference' - it's a sexual orientation

(2) In case you missed what the meaning of the word preference actually is, I've included that for you below:

Preference: a greater liking for one alternative over another or others

Given the definition of preference, homosexuality isn't a preference because it isn't a GREATER liking for one alternative over another - it's a sexual orientation because homosexuals are attracted to ONLY members of the same sex. Therefore, not a preference

(4) You cannot have an 'unconscious choice' - what would that even be? Do you even know what the definition of choice is? In case you don't, I've included that for you below:

Choice: an act of selecting or making a decision when faced with two or more

You cannot, by definition, have an unconscious choice because a choice requires a conscious decision to be made.

"unconscious choice" is, quite literally, an oxymoron to say the least - an utter impossibility, in all actuality.

[RandZul'Zorander]

(Original post by DYKWIA)
it causes harm and distress to other people, people like me. Also, because a higher percentage of gays get HIV that would suggest homosexuality leads to serious problems for that person.

That is not what that suggests at all to start with. Also in countries outside the US and for the world population heterosexuals have a higher percentage of contracting HIV. So by your standards heterosexuality leads to serious problems for heterosexuals.

homosexuals are less normal then. they are not as common as straight people.

What is exactly are you defining as normal? Besides that how 'normal' it is has nothing to do with anything.

I prefer sexual 'preference', since it is closer to the actual truth of an unconscious choice.

Again there is no such thing as an unconscious or subconscious choice. Please stop suggesting there is.

[Mm_Minty]

(Original post by Steevee)
They should also be taught about Pan, Cis and Transexuality aswell

Infact I'd like to see a broader spectrum when it comes to teaching sexuality. Maybe keep it until year 10/11, but exploring what sexuality is, why people have attractions to certain things and societal attitudes toward them. The problem with current sex education is it's rather focussed on the mechanics of Hetrosexual sex, the dangers of STDs, and not much else.

This ^