Pride in Schools

[PorcelinaV]

Seems like a thread on Pride Month got deleted?

Anyway...

https://www.wfsb.com/2023/06/05/parents-concerned-over-gender-identity-video-shown-elementary-school-students-granby/

I wonder whether this Thomas Robertson also runs the school’s LGBT club. The latest Telegraph article makes it sound as though the club is pupil led. My personal experience of a school pupil led LGBT club is that the teacher leaders are very light touch and don’t necessarily understand what is and isn’t appropriate- and then they don’t understand that some activities need to be shut down.

That the school didn’t see any problem with someone who runs a drag Queen story time company talking about suicide data with adolescents, to me sounds like a light touch, “this is what the pupils want so we’ll give it to them” approach.

Such an important point. These LGBT clubs are a safeguarding disaster in the making. After all what could go possibly wrong with mixed age groups of adolescents (11 - 18 years old in some schools) discussing sexual identity / attraction with younger pupils free from the restraints of adult supervision, safeguarding guidelines, age appropriate constraints and the rest?

@DemiColon " It would be nice to see them focus on civil liberties. Which should be what's underpinning all of these kinds of questions. "

Colour me old fashioned but i'd rather they focussed on the 3 R's and the sciences, tbh.

There are also many LGBT+ people who are not endorsing or agreeing with this shit and do not want the general public taught that LGBT+ means no fucking boundaries, no respect for others, and unsafe around kids. We spent fucking decades trying to gain acceptance that being homosexual did not mean socially inappropriate, untrustworthy or unsafe.

But those voices are silenced and pushed out because this is now a political movement pushing only queer theory. Political lobbies have no place in schools working on getting kids to be party members while they're still malleable and haven't had the chance of life experience, critical thinking or information to balance what they're being trained in.

“drag is an art form that is fundamental to the LGBT+ community that challenges the norm as a celebration and as a form of protest”.

Even if this is legitimate and true - so flipping what? Who the hell is he to decide that this particular piece of art is not only appropriate for a school but also relevant and should be pushed. This is basically admitting that this is propaganda and indoctrination.

I don't disagree, when kids are coming out without having read any serious books, I'm inclined to think that they need to figure that out before anything else. I think 99% of the "extra" stuff which seems to take up so much time could be dispensed with.

That being said, I think civil liberties are a basic element in learning how the political system works, which is a legitimate educational topic rather than part of a social justice program.

@DemiColon " I think civil liberties are a basic element in learning how the political system works "

Unless things have changed since my day, we don't teach politics in schools, unless perhaps there is an extracurricular group, ( things may have changed though ) but i'd posit that being literate would be a good help if you want to change the world.

I think it has been pretty normal to teach how government works in schools?

Since when @DemiColon ? i'd be interested to know. I always did think some teaching of how things work would be good, but it wasn't the case that it was happening that i'm aware of. Unless fee paying schools perhaps?

I think there is a citizenship component now that teaches government structure. It's also integrated into history.

Oh well not before time @DemiColon but i'd rather the time was spent making sure kids were literate and numerate, otherwise everything else is pointless.

I'm just more than a little shocked at those Muslim children in the Canadian school being told that it is unCanadian not to support Pride.

I think children whose religion does not agree with homosexuality need to understand and respect the fact that people who do not share their religion will do things differently, but forcing them to celebrate something that goes against their religious beliefs is horrible.

I understand the point you’re making, but the reality is that drag is currently mainstream where blacking up is off-limits.

In the UK, the (largely unquestioning) acceptance is probably tied to the fact that, to the casual observer, drag doesn’t look much difference to pantomime dames, who have been entertaining children (often with adult jokes thrown in) for many years.

I imagine this school was not aware of the controversy and thought it sounded like a fun activity. I expect the children would enjoy it.

So though I agree, knowing the background, that it’s better it doesn’t go ahead, but if the school is generally great, I wouldn’t necessarily prejudge their attitudes based solely on this one decision they’ve now gone back on,

He explained that a drag-themed catwalk would be staged with prizes on Pride day and “before school and during break and lunchtime, there will be free drag stations where any student of any gender can apply some glitter, eye shadow or paint their nails to fully express themselves”."

Why would you need glitter, eyeshadow or nailvarnish to fully express yourself?
I love glitter, even though it is bad fir the environment, but is it essential in order for me to fully express myself? No.

This is ludicrous.

This was instigated by a science teacher. A science teacher. He is male. The HT agreed. She is female. Both thought it appropriate to talk about suicide to children.

Both decided that a man in a glitter rainbow onesie, tight enough to see his penis (I know, I've seen it), was the appropriate person to do this.

This man has no formal training, has been causing controversy up and down the country, courting complaints to schools and libraries and safeguarding was as SSA said, out the window again.

The homophobia element is relevant for Pride and possibly in suicide stats but men who commit suicide (I understand that women attempt suicide roughly the same level but men are more successful) do it down to mental health issues, which is obvious.

So mental health could have been the over arching topic, not homophobia, Pride or suicide, but mental health, and this could have been tailored appropriately in RSE to teens. It could have been about self-image, online safety, bullying etc, but they made it about Pride and they tried to make it 'fun' with dressing up and a a parade or performance.

This is so outside the realms of what should be education, I hope complaints mean the school is investigated. Just because it was cancelled doesn't make the root problem go away.

Yes, citizenship has been on the curriculum for decades.

Learning about how democracy and government work are fundamental to being able to be an involved citizen. That's not the same as 'teaching politics' - which schools should bloody well step away from!

We were sold Pride as a celebration of gay people's inclusion into society - their wish to live fully accepted as part of society, not having to hide. Having their loving relationships recognised and legalised and creating loving family units equal to other family units.
We were told it's not about sex, what happens in the privacy of others bedrooms is irrelevant.

We were convinced by the reason and justice of this, and the LGB rights were won.

What Pride has now revealed itself to be is a vehicle not to be accepted into the norms and institutions of society but to undermine them and destroy them. To create a new norm based on individual sexual expression without any boundaries.

It's now about bringing your sexuality into the public space, making others look at it and say it's good.

We were sold one thing and we've got something else. I think we're just waking up to this very late.

It's a disaster for all those gay activists who really do just want a normal family life accepted into the norms of society. Being LGBTQI+π∆ is now conflated with bondage displays for kids.

https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1665785768646791171?t=SSK9_1VPKyhtd_IuQTUUYA&s=19

Bondage float at Pride. Kids watching.

Twitter is full of examples like this this week. The backlash against Pride is happening.

As well as citizenship being part of the curriculum, when schools invite politicians in to talk to children, it's meant to be as part of a "balanced" curriculum with alternative views being presented - impartiality. Now schools invite in adults with a political agenda - the erasure of women's rights /sports/ girls rights to undress in privacy from boys etc - under the guise of inclusion and what is worse actually take advice from these often deeply clueless adults / groups with no knowledge of education / child psychology / wellbeing etc.
The idea that a drag queen is allowed to dabble in child mental health issues / suicide is so worrying. I understand it's his grift, but schools are meant to be responsible and say no to this type of person.

Agreed - take a look at the views on this thread :

Little girl at Pride looking at the badges for sale.

https://twitter.com/SaraGonzalesTX/status/1665118474119659524?t=XScv0MgmaB1wpoGc13FFLg&s=19

Taking your kids to Pride has become a standard liberal parent activity to signal how progressive they are.

It should become a shameful thing to expose your kids to this.

I said "how the political system works" though.

...Which is part of citizenship.

...so I am not sure why there was some controversy about what I said, then.

That is to say, the underpinnings of liberal democracy, including civil liberties, are a basic part of understanding how the state works, and should be taught to students.