Pride in primary school

Sorry to sound sinister.
"Help me get my head around this."
If Op wants to understand/know what the school is doing why not go to an event that explains what the school is doing.
Knowledge is power - Francis Bacon.

Back in the early 2000s, I came out as bi to everyone in my class (year) on a school retreat. (Cringe in retrospect, but so is a lot of high school.) I tried to get the school to let us starts a gay-straight alliance, which we didn’t get because it was a Catholic school.

And I agree with the above. Little kids don’t need a whole school festival for anything related to romantic or sexual relationships. Their parents can take them to something like that off of school grounds if they want to.

Also, when it comes to young children, most of them are being raised in an environment where same-sex relationships are no longer taboo. My MIL has this weird thing where she acts like seeing professional women in children’s media is a big deal - “oh, the doctor is a woman in this book.” My kids look at her like she’s out of her mind, because yeah, and so what? That’s not revolutionary anymore. Even when I was a little kid, there were women in all types of careers all over children’s media. But my MIL makes it seem like this isn’t “normal” because she singles it out for commentary.

I think it might be better for LGB acceptance among kids if people just act like it’s not widely taboo (because it’s not) and not worthy of lots of special attention.

@Marblessolveeverything I was pretending to be six, hence the “barrage”.

I am impressed that your son understood aged six what transgender means as it still makes no sense to me, given that it’s impossible to change sex. Unless of course you are reinforcing rigid regressive stereotypes about what it means to be male or female, but I would hope any primary school worth its salt would steer well clear of teaching stereotypes to children.

Allies is language used going back to the 1960s in Ireland used by family members of Irish men and women incarcerated for being gay. @HoneyButterPopcorn

And there is a war on gay people in plenty of countries still, so it isn't an inappropriate word.

And ‘allies’ implies that there is a war.

Why? What is the point of these marches? They are merely for the T etc. just look at the marches and event in the Us now - because that’s what will come here soon (as it often does).

I have family in Boston and Washington and they were gobsmacked at the sexualisation and kinkification of these events now - and the real push for it to be seen as ‘child friendly’ - selling willy plushies to the kiddies, having stalls selling dildos and know costumes, and having men on leather dog costumes (and less) wandering the streets. It’s Q theory in practice.

@boredm I don't even understand your language, what do you mean 'regular'? It is normal to be gay. If you mean that it's uncommon and you're using language poorly then you're also wrong. Fewer and fewer people now identify as straight.

We absolutely do need to make sure that the message that comes across is 'it's ok not to be straight'.

@FrancescaContini I am not being rude but your barrage of questions aren't exactly helpful in a discussion forum. They come across as quite aggressive. My children discuss not barrage me with questions.

I simply shared what my recollection of what my son learnt. He knew what a boyfriend, girlfriend, wife husband was at six. He had no issues understanding what transgender is as in someone in his school community that he knows now identifies as a woman. He doesn't see the politics or the issues because he is ten.

He knows members of the school community and our family are members of the LGBT+ he knows more than me. He knows our family are allies and some of our family are responsible for organising family friendly Pride events.

He will attend the march and participate in family events.

I think it portrays a notion that it's regular to be gay but in reality it is a minority of people

I’m bisexual too and started to realise when I was around 12/13. I knew what gay meant while I was in primary school due to talking to friends, which I suspect is the case to this day. I was in school during the 90s and early 2000s incidentally.

Like you I don’t feel my sexuality defines me and I know other gay and bisexual friends feel the same. In fact we’re of a consensus of being sick of an expectation that you have to let it define you. Take for example that my gay best friend and I have been told we’re, “straight acting,” throughout our lives. It’s funny but equally annoying because neither of us are “acting” anything.

I don’t think Pride events at primary school is needed or helpful. As for secondary school… I’m unconvinced it will really add any benefits.

I avoid Pride like the plague as do many of my gay friends. I share similar feelings to Fred Sergeant. I also think, as do my friends, it’s a just an excuse for a cash cow for businesses. They also used to have the nearest one to us in August unlike a lot of other Pride events and the weather would usually be typical August weather - threatening rain, overcast and humid. They now have it in June. Very much like a radio station “party in the park” style event, so to be honest a load of cack!
Better things to be doing with our time.

I'd have been uncomfortable with that. By all means teach children, appropriately, about same-sex couples and growing up gay, but as PP have said Pride goes beyond all that now. The Pride festival nearest to us seemed to be mostly about drag with a lot of gender-questioning teenaged girls in the audience.

I'll stop thinking it's a bandwagon when just as much exposure is given to disability awareness.

Which people in school?
Why do we have to celebrate these people?
Mummy, are you in this community? Why not?
What’s transgender?
What does questioning mean? Are you questioning?
Why don’t people want a boyfriend or girlfriend? Do you want a boyfriend? Is a boyfriend different from a friend?
What is I, and what are the pluses for? Is it like in maths?
Can only these people have sunlight? What’s healing?

Perhaps they should stick to LGB then.

I'd be careful with 'love coming in many formats'. This is a paedophile trope: love is love.

What’s Pride?
Is a celebration of people of the LGBT+ community.

Why do we do Pride at school?
Because people from the LGBT community are part of the school community.

What does T stand for? Transgender

What does Q stand for?Questioning which is a word some people use to describe who they may like to date.

What do I and A stand for, and what about all the pluses? Asexual. People who don't want to have a boyfriend or girlfriend relationship. I can't remember what they learnt at six but at ten he knows them all.

What are all the colours ? There is a school pride flag can't remember but it isn't what you describe. The flag used in schools is

orange symbolises healing
Yellow sunlight
Green nature
Blue harmony
Purple spirit
There is an arrow to emphasis inclusion and progression.

“Some families have two mummies or two daddies” and stick a few LGB friendly age-appropriate books in the school library.
Make sure you have policies that deal with homophobic bullying and LGB inclusion.

Done.

No need to ‘celebrate’ anything to do with sexuality at primary. It’s inappropriate.

@FrancescaContini I am in Ireland. My youngest is ten now when he was six, they would have wore a colour of the rainbow and made a rainbow and marched in the community.

They would have discussed prejudice, what each letter meant in very basic terms, they focused on family and parents who represent LGBTQ+ community. I can't really remember what else they did. They would always have had a selection of materials reflecting diverse family structures.

This year they did some history about gay rights they discussed countries where it is illegal to be LGBT+ or to marry same sex. They did about our fabulous Senator Norris and his fight to the European Courts. They showed some media from the different decades and discussed the progress and challenges of today.

They had some LGBTQ+ family members talking about their school experience as part of the schools anti bullying campaign.

Regarding trans they are aware as one parent of their group of friends has transitioned since school began so they don't bat an eye. 🤷‍♀️

If it takes an out-of-hours special event to prevent a kid being bullied the school may want to look again at its culture within normal school hours.

Why are school kids and their parents expected to ‘celebrate’ the sexual preferences of other adults? I’d have put the letter in the bin

Lots do. I'm a teacher. I see lots of same-sex parents. And even if it was only one kid in an entire school and it prevents them being bullied through ignorance then great

I suspect more kids are bullied for having ginger hair than two mums. Maybe they should have a ginger hair appreciation fayre? And of course if you don't agree then you're a bigot and need educating.

I'm sure that most people have no problem with the LGB part of Pride but the T makes up 0.5% of the population and the focus on this seems disproportionate.

A PP stated "We have months to “celebrate” lots of minority groups." I love research and have found the following.

January - Dry January and Veganuary
February - LGBT History Month
April - Stress Awareness Month
May - National Walking Week
June - Pride Month
July - Plastic Free July
August - International Happiness Day
Sept - Sleeptember, Organic September and World Alzheimer's Month
Oct - Black History Month, Stoptober, Go Sober for October Month, Breast Awareness Month, World Menopause Awareness Month
Nov - Movember, World Vegan Month
Dec - Decembeard

I found 3 months dedicated to minorities and 2 of them are for LGBT.

If schools dedicated equal time to other months I would be happier. Did they spend time encouraging children to walk to school in May, did they hold sponsored walks? Is next month going to be spent raising awareness of the alternatives to plastic or recycling? With an aging population more people/families are being affected by Alzheimers, can we expect schools to focus on this come September? Never happened at my DC school.

Holocaust Memorial Day is just that, a day and I know which I consider to be the most "sinned against" minority. No, I don't want to enter into an argument about the current Israel and Palestine situation.

No rational person can object to a child having 2 mums or 2 dads but children shouldn't be taught that humans can change sex nor think that it normal to have biological men in safe single sex spaces. By teaching children this we are breaking down barriers that have protected them in the past. Is a young girl less likely to tell a parent that she was flashed by a man in a female changing room if she has been conditioned to think that this is normal?

What a shame those poor kids. I’m sure they were looking forward to a summer fair - games, races, food and fun. Not full on rainbow - and I assume the theme will include drag time story reading, q Punch and Judy, rainbow crafts….

leave the bloody kids in peace to enjoy one fun free of ideology.

No, this isn't a re-run of Section 28.

The problem is that the balance is not tipped equally between the LGB and the TQ. The 'B' has always been pretty much invisible anyway, as I know from personal experience. And my DC has always known that families take many forms and that sometimes couples are of the same sex. It's not a mystery or something to make an issue over.

The 'Q' is the area I have the real problem with, particularly as this relates to children. (We're all aware that the 'Q' very often relates to 'adult heterosexual male). And many of the 'L' and the 'G' personally object to the 'Q', and have asked not to be referred to as such. My advice to DC is never to presume to call people 'queer', and when the school trots out this anacronym I gently point out that the 'Q' bit is not okay.

Primary-aged children should not be invited to celebrate adult male kinks, or medical transition, or any form of gender 'transition' (from and to what?) that they can't understand until they are much older. Or ever, as it's beyond even adults to place an accurate, definitive definition on what gender actually is.

So to me, and in the light of Hilary Cass and the need to safeguard children, the T is an issue, and the 'Q' is sufficient to ensure I'll not be attending such events myself nor allowing my DC to attend.

Calling me a 'bigot' in view of that declaration is water off a duck's back to me by now. I really couldn't give three fucks.

I don't think it's really any more appropriate than a school religious event (and by this I don't mean culturally religious, I mean properly religious.)

Kids learn about things like different families from meeting them out and about in the community.

I no longer have any confidence that schools should be teaching anything about any of these kinds of topics to children before high school, and I'd make that wider than sexuality and say about any cultural or ethical topics where there are different views. I don't trust them to be respectful of different parents and families, to have a good sense of what's appropriate for kids of different ages, and frankly I don't think they have a very strong understanding of many of these topics anyway.