To argue that this should is not a suitable topic for the Girl Guides

[MovedByFanciesThatAreCurled]

Girlguiding is for girls, aged 10-14. So why then do they feel the need to promote this on their social media?

This week is #AceWeek - a time to raise awareness and understanding of the asexual community. So here’s a shout-out to all of our asexual volunteers and members – thank you for everything you do in Girlguiding.

The reference to ‘members’ is quite clear. What on earth were they thinking in making reference to young girls’ sex lives (or lack of them according to the focus of the Tweet). How, as an organisation, have they strayed so far? I have two boys in the Scouts/Beavers and if this came up on either of their social media pages I would pull them out. Why is it seen to be an acceptable for Girlguiding?!!

Please excuse typos above!

I send my daughter to guides learn team work, skills like leadership, birdwatching, treasure hunting and stretching herself with outdoor activities and character building stuff. Getting her away from social media all the time. I don’t send her to discuss Sex, gender race, social justice etc. as that’s my job. Why O why can’t kids just be blinkin kids.

I can't speak for Girl Guiding but I know Scouting most certainly doesn't shy away from the issues of sexuality or identity.

They are not giving sex education but they are helping to normalise peoples preferences and identities and not stigmatise them for it. I know Scouts as an organisation take all LGBTQ+ issues seriously and now regularly partake in local Pride events to fly the Scout flag. And when I say take part this includes adults in what many people consider 'conventional' relationships with kids etc alongside their gay, lesbian etc friends from Scouting.

It's not teaching children to be one thing or another but its helping them to understand that people make different choices in life and that's fine. Doing this at a younger age helps societies understanding as they get older. It's like kids in a playground, they don't care what ethnic or religious background another kid comes from, they just work it out themselves and decide if they want to be friends or not.

I am not a dirty little secret. Children know about straight relationships and you don’t react in this pearl clutching way, yet we aren’t demanding children know whether they are straight. Get a grip

YANBU

@Granjeanne

Pinklemonade1 I completely agree. And thanks for returning, as I did, to the original topic of this thread! In 1991, when my daughter was in the reception class at our local infant school, I spotted a reader dealing openly, (yes, even back then) with the topic of homosexuality, in the context of a child growing up with two male parents. And I have to say, it made me uncomfortable that thisvwas being presented as a "norm" rather than an alternative type of font nuclear family. I think it should be possible to teach tolerance whilst acknowledging that traditional values are the normal. What's wrong with that?

While a male/female nuclear family is the dominant mode (or norm), that doesn't mean it and only it is 'normal'. I think you're conflating the meanings of the two words.

What are 'traditional values', in your opinion, in this context?

@MovedByFanciesThatAreCurled

Girlguiding is for girls, aged 10-14. So why then do they feel the need to promote this on their social media?

This week is #AceWeek - a time to raise awareness and understanding of the asexual community. So here’s a shout-out to all of our asexual volunteers and members – thank you for everything you do in Girlguiding.

The reference to ‘members’ is quite clear. What on earth were they thinking in making reference to young girls’ sex lives (or lack of them according to the focus of the Tweet). How, as an organisation, have they strayed so far? I have two boys in the Scouts/Beavers and if this came up on either of their social media pages I would pull them out. Why is it seen to be an acceptable for Girlguiding?!!

Can I just point out that a sexuality is NOTHING do with with sex life! Well except that they don’t want sex as by definition it means not sexually attracted to anyone. Possibly at 11-14 they’re too young to realise they’re not interested in either the boys or the girls in their class/school but they’re certainly not too young to know about asexual if they know about gay and straight and bisexual.

@Granjeanne but it is normal for kids to grow up in families with two parents of the same sex. Did the book you saw stand out because it was unusual to see families like that in children's books? If so, then that suggests that same sex parents aren't being depicted as the standard family.

In 1991, while your daughter was getting inclusive reading books, my sister was still a pupil at the school where my Y2 teacher told the whole class that people in same sex relationships were called "queer" because they were unnatural and that they would burn in hell forever after they died. She was still teaching there. At least two children in that class had parents or close relatives who were in same- sex relationships and plenty more grew up to be lesbian, gay or bisexual. At no point in my education did families like mine make even the tiniest appearence, let alone be depicted as the default.

Surely the amount of individuals who have zero attraction, interest or feelings to either sex physically and romantically without any underlying medical reason must be vanishingly small and even then nobody would actually know unless they are wearing a badge. Tbh I find it being lumped in with LGB insulting, it’s not comparable.

It's though to be approx 1-2% so 600,000 to 1 million people in the UK.

@007Stocko

I can't speak for Girl Guiding but I know Scouting most certainly doesn't shy away from the issues of sexuality or identity.

They are not giving sex education but they are helping to normalise peoples preferences and identities and not stigmatise them for it. I know Scouts as an organisation take all LGBTQ+ issues seriously and now regularly partake in local Pride events to fly the Scout flag. And when I say take part this includes adults in what many people consider 'conventional' relationships with kids etc alongside their gay, lesbian etc friends from Scouting.

It's not teaching children to be one thing or another but its helping them to understand that people make different choices in life and that's fine. Doing this at a younger age helps societies understanding as they get older. It's like kids in a playground, they don't care what ethnic or religious background another kid comes from, they just work it out themselves and decide if they want to be friends or not.

ORIENTATION is not a preference or identity.

Lie back and put up, even if you feel zero sexual attraction, it’s totally normal and fine cause gg told us it is.

Please show me where they said that. Everyone who repeats this ignores the part where it has been stated that it is consensual, the person enjoys the sex and WANTS to have sex.

Some heterosexual people are into things other than monogamy, and may enjoy kink should we then not teach kids about heterosexuality?

Again, many assumptions and huge leaps in logic from "one girl asked what asexuality is and was given an age appropriate definition" to "all guide leaders are grooming kids by telling them you can have sex without consent". Please do show me the logical, non hyperbolic steps from one to the other.

Go ask d of e & ofsted to explain it to you then.

I'll take that as an "I can't answer that so I'll sign post you to unrelated but important sounding organisations."

Ofsted would laugh at you for asking if guide leaders are all paedophiles because of one quote by the organisation stating that asexuality exists. Thanks for the clarity.

Reading some of these comments makes it very clear to me that this whole planet is totally fucked up. Hey why don't we invent a few more genders just to mess up people's minds even further. You know sometimes I think that if climate change caused our extinction it might be the best thing that could happen to man/woman/they/them/whateverthefuck-kind.

YABU…it’s not something to be afraid of or hidden. Hopefully it will promote discussion abs understanding.

@Finknottlesnewt couldn’t agree more!

YANBU.
No child of mine would be participating in this.😬

@caspersmagicaljourney

YANBU. No child of mine would be participating in this.😬

Participating in what? Reading a tweet?

Reading some of these comments makes it very clear to me that this whole planet is totally fucked up. Hey why don't we invent a few more genders just to mess up people's minds even further. You know sometimes I think that if climate change caused our extinction it might be the best thing that could happen to man/woman/they/them/whateverthefuck-kind.

Asexuality has nothing to do with gender.

People should not be celebrated for who they are sexually attracted to, it isn't a trophy.

I just want to be accepted tbh.

Asexuality has nothing to do with gender

However the same people training ad posting about it no longer recognise same sex attraction and teach children that theor boundaries are bigoted. Trust me the last thing you want is them trying to "help" with a sexuality because you are nothing nore than an attempt to stay relevant and will no doubt be subject to re definitions you have no say in.

@Mollymoostoo

Would you object if they specifically said lesbian or gay? If so, YANBU. I don't think it is fair that we keep highlighting sexuality and then demanding equality. Unless we now have Im straight and proud t-shirts (but I'm sure people would say this is an anti gay message)

People should not be celebrated for who they are sexually attracted to, it isn't a trophy.

If GG have been Stonewalled they wouldn’t dare talk about lesbians / women who are only attracted to members of their own sex.

@greyeyedgirl

I send my daughter to guides learn team work, skills like leadership, birdwatching, treasure hunting and stretching herself with outdoor activities and character building stuff. Getting her away from social media all the time. I don’t send her to discuss Sex, gender race, social justice etc. as that’s my job. Why O why can’t kids just be blinkin kids.

I agree, and I also think parents are having their own rights taken away from them. I want to talk to my child about sexuality when I feel she is ready and aged 10 is not the right age. I appreciate that not all parents are supportive, but a lot are and I don't want my children to wear their sexuality like some medal, it is private between them and their partner should they want one. One of my children asked why people say 'coming out' as if they are sharing some bad secret. This is so true, it is really sad to feel that we have to announce our sexuality to people. I wonder if we will have less gender reveal parties as time goes on, parents feeling they no longer have the right to assume their child's gender.