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?!!

Why are people so scared of their children learning about different sexualities and types of relationship?

Exactly. It's a very strange position.

This just made me laugh out loud. I think that’s my thought too - they are many excellent places that children receive their sex education from, and from trained safeguarding leads. I just don’t see the need for it in this context. I totally take on people’s arguments about it being on Twitter abs therefore not likely to be seen by 10 year olds, but it would be interesting to know if they conversation makes its way down to Meeting level or Camp level, which I still think would be really really inappropriate. Some spaces should just not be about any sex and/or any sexuality.

We will have to agree to disagree on this one. I do not feel that children need to be having any discussion about sexuality in voluntary organisations outside of school where trained professionals introduce these topics in an age appropriate manner.
(Of which I fully support) . School is an educational environment and this is the appropriate place for it.

Girl guiding is about 'Adventures & meetings that Empower Girls to Be Their Best & Become Confident'
Concentrate on that and live them a place to be kids without the sex agenda .

Then if your children are late teens/early to mid 20s are you romanticising their earlier teen years a bit, do you think?

My children are slap-bang in the age range that’s being frothed about here. They are clued upon different sexualities -we acknowledge people are different in their romantic relationships. The TV they watch represents diversity in relationships; we have friends in different sorts of relationships; if they want to ask a question I answer it.

That’s all that’s meant by ‘acknowledging’ sexuality - we’re not doing anything other than confirming what’s out there in the world for them to see, and discussing it if there’s something surprising they didn’t know.

My older one is well clued up about all sorts of stuff via TikTok and if I didn’t discuss it then who knows what weird ideas or misunderstanding might be catching hold? Sure, I could ban TikTok etc but I’m raising independent thinkers.

Knowing about sexuality doesn’t do anything bad.
Promoting an ideology is not good, but this is one tweet on an adult-aimed comms stream. It’s not teaching the kids in the Guides unit anything, frankly.

Here's a relevant experience.
My collegue was teaching puberty in the 90s. During the lesson a girl announced loudly that she never wanted to have sex when she grew up.
As this was the 90s my colleague didn't trill 'that is nice dear, you must be asexual'.
She kept the child after and did some digging.
My friend uncovered a very extensive child sex exploitation gang. It was passed on to the authorities, it took years to get that girl out of a vulnerable state. Sad story.
Would have been much sadder if my friend had missed it though, as an untrained guide leader most definitely would have.

I think this is an important counterbalance to the increased availability of porn, and all the shitty aspects of over-sexualisation it brings.

I think this is a good initiative - and valuable especially for teens in Guides and Rangers. And also useful younger because, sadly, it's not uncommon to be first exposed to porn in primary school

@RedToothBrush

Because maybe some young girls going through puberty are confused and scared about their sexual orientation and don't know if they're "normal" or not?

Why not teach them that sexual feelings don't start at 10 or even 14 for a lot of girls and this is normal.

It does not mean that they are asexual. It means they are still developing and not yet an adult even though they may wish to be older than they are.

And maybe teach them not to apply pressure to their peers over the necessity to label your sexuality before adulthood.

Novel concept to teach children that its ok to be a child and not have to feel they have to be an object of sexual desire or be full of sexual desire before adulthood, i know.

You can do both though

Learning about different sexualities at 10 years old isn't saying that you must know your sexuality at 10 years old.

It's acknowledging that different sexualities and types of relationship exist and that that's okay. There's nothing inappropriate about teaching that to a 10yo.

They're raised knowing all about heterosexuality as the norm - why would it damage them to learn about bisexuality or asexuality too?

@TheKeatingFive

Why are people so scared of their children learning about different sexualities and types of relationship?

Exactly. It's a very strange position.

I am not scared. I just think there’s no need for it in the context of Girlguiding at aged 10. There is such a thing as information overload - that’s why PSHE in schools is so carefully structured.

DC has friends who know they are attracted to a) the same sex and b)the opposite sex. They are aged 10/11
In these instances they're more talking about crushes, but their feelings are perfectly valid. I think it is helpful to simply acknowledge that if at age 10/11 (or older) that you don't really fancy boys or girls, then that's perfectly normal.

@RedToothBrush

Because maybe some young girls going through puberty are confused and scared about their sexual orientation and don't know if they're "normal" or not?

Why not teach them that sexual feelings don't start at 10 or even 14 for a lot of girls and this is normal.

It does not mean that they are asexual. It means they are still developing and not yet an adult even though they may wish to be older than they are.

And maybe teach them not to apply pressure to their peers over the necessity to label your sexuality before adulthood.

Novel concept to teach children that its ok to be a child and not have to feel they have to be an object of sexual desire or be full of sexual desire before adulthood, i know.

Spot on

Those of you concerned about Girl Guiding and safeguarding might like to visit Dr Katie Alcock’s garden.

I am not scared. I just think there’s no need for it in the context of Girlguiding at aged 10

Would you never acknowledge the existence of hetero or homosexual relationships with 10 year olds?

I am not scared. I just think there’s no need for it in the context of Girlguiding at aged 10.

You keep coming back to the 10 year olds despite the fact that in your first post you said 10-14 and it's been established on the thread that GGUK encompasses age groups well into adulthood.

I don't think the argument you're trying to make that they're targeting only the 10 year olds with this tweet is going to work.

How did they celebrate lesbian day again...?

@Lockheart

It's important that girls (and boys) going through puberty and starting to develop sexual attraction or not know that whatever their orientation - gay, straight, bisexual, asexual - they're normal and it's accepted.

There's always one..............................................

Children do not know about any kind of sexuality at 2. They know about love and mummies and daddies.
Telling a child that some men love men and some women love women is age appropriate.
Sharing your sexuality on SM where children can see it is not.
Leaders have been doing this (and then telling me it's OK to do), clearly demonstrating that their safeguarding training is not adequate.

twitter.com/wontsomeonethi2/status/1454415343108206597?t=8XmT33PZb7ZHAzjfP6gvIw&s=19

Do you know what- I started reading this thinking ‘why, the worlds gone mad, etc’. But I think the point about whether we’d get upset if it was a tweet about Pride week is a really good one actually.

Sexual orientations just need to be normalised. When I was a kid, my parents had a lot of gay friends, we were just introduced to their partners as 'this is uncle Mark's boyfriend Peter'. No additional discussion was needed, it is totally normal and natural to be gay/bi etc. I think when we start over discussing it, children them start to think there is something different about it. Just bring your kids up not reffering to hetero as the norm and it will probably save them confusion and upset down the line.

“It's important that girls (and boys) going through puberty and starting to develop sexual attraction or not know that whatever their orientation - gay, straight, bisexual, asexual - they're normal and it's accepted.”

Completely this.

YABVVU.

[quote KatieAlcock]Children do not know about any kind of sexuality at 2. They know about love and mummies and daddies.
Telling a child that some men love men and some women love women is age appropriate.
Sharing your sexuality on SM where children can see it is not.
Leaders have been doing this (and then telling me it's OK to do), clearly demonstrating that their safeguarding training is not adequate.

twitter.com/wontsomeonethi2/status/1454415343108206597?t=8XmT33PZb7ZHAzjfP6gvIw&s=19[/quote]
But teaching them that some people don't want to be in a couple is not OK?

It's all perfectly normal. Stop frothing. You can argue about it all you want but it just makes you look like a bigot.

Pride week is meant to be about love not sex.

OP, the tweet is clearly not aimed at the 10yo end of the Girl Guiding audience. As you well know.

Whilst Guides are 10-14, Girlguiding is for any age and members 18+ can join the Trefoil Guild and stay until they’re in their 90s if they want!

The adult leaders are also called members as they have to pay for their membership each year. And adult unit helpers are known as volunteers.

Children are highly unlikely to be on Twitter and tweets are aimed at adult members of Girlguiding. The tweet in question is definitely worded that way. One Twitter post doesn’t mean that’s what all units across the country are going to be talking about with their girls this week! Totally taken out of context by lack of understanding.

@BelleOfTheProvince

Pride week is meant to be about love not sex.

It's quite obviously about both. Homosexual acts were illegal for many years.