Snout,

“I have to say I’m inclined to agree with you, Leigh: these arguments do tend to go round in unhelpful circles. I’m always fascinated by who’s going to be the first to make a biblical reference and who’ll be the first to describe their distaste of homosexuality as “not wanting it shoved down their throat”. Congratulations x 2.

Now: who’s going to be the first to mention paedophilia, and who’s going to post the first link to the NARTH website? Or for that matter, mention Hitler, the Nazis or Fred Phelps?”

Agree. Of course after the article and Westy’s comments about Christians who will be the first homosexual who will ask (with a straight face) why Christians who respond are so “obsessed” with homosexuals.

Leigh,

“Teachers have no business setting assignments about homosexuality in the first place. Nor should they be encouraging “acceptance of diversity…” when it comes to sexual perversion. Kids seem to be leaving school with little knowledge of areas they will need to work and survive in the modern world already; they don’t needs their heads full of the behaviour of weirdos. “

”Describing people disgusted by sexual perversion as “homophobes” seeks to make normal people wrong, and perverts right. We’ve had all sorts of discussion on OLO about homosexuality – generally a waste of time – but the fact remains that males and females are different for one reason – procreation of the species (and we’ve been through the crap about heterosexuals not having children, so give it a rest). “

”I’m the first to admit that the battle is lost to the perverts. Even as a non-religious person, I see the approach of a real Sodom and Gomorrah. But there is no excuse for filth to be preached to schoolchildren, or anyone else who simply doesn’t want to know.”

Don’t hold back now. Could I take it that you don’t think homosexual behaviour is normal?

bravo snout, lol, I wont do the predictable cycle if it bores you so.

@ leigh, you said that gays shove things down children’s throats in institutions? The opposite is happening in the western world. your untrue prejudice reminds me of the video diary called "Tarnation". This is an autobiography that took 20 years to make over a gay boy: Jonnathon's life, and the tragedy of his mother.

A Christian neighbourhood ruined the lives of Jonathon's mother: a beauty queen when she was a child. At about 9 years old she fell off the roof of her house. The Christians talked the parents into prescribing shock therapy as a cure for the accident. It was the obvious treatment for "freaky things". She was "wierd".

She had no mental illness at all. For the rest of her life, shoving prejudice down her neck: more than 120 shock treatments. Half way along she lost her personality, and forgot who she was.

She had a failed relationship and had a gay son. He was rejected from all his schools as he was so obviously gay. Again, the Christians said the obvious solution was shock therapy.

Both mother and son were beautiful people, but the Christians in their neighbourhood f#*ked their heads with cruel and unusual referrals to undue psychiatric abuse. When the son ended up so effeminate and gay, they insisted that shock therapy would obviously cure his gayness. So they f#*ked with his head too.

It so tragic for any parent or teacher to watch it makes you wonder why we screw with innocent minds when the mind is such a delicate thing. When you see the examples on You Tube, you'll notice the faces say it all.

I don't do these posts to bore people. I hope someone finds this somehow interesting.

the trailer: Tarnation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOJ38-Wfle8&mode=related&search=

Part 1

Introduces Renee de Blanc, the child beauty queen mother and the grandparents.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVC74USslPk&mode=related&search=

author's story. Introduces trauma.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PuuyRhvPLw&mode=related&search=

Trauma reflection as adult

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPXmimlnBKw&mode=related&search=

A good case for duty of care. Would you want this to happen to your friends or relatives?

I live in Melbourne, so I’m not sure to what extent an incident which has recently saturated local media might have penetrated other parts of the country.

Basically, an episode of nasty bullying by a group of adolescents was allegedly perpetrated, filmed and the results of the filming distributed recently, and I understand that police are making enquiries to investigate whether criminal charges should be laid.

I work closely with juvenile justice, and have worked with over a thousand or so juvenile offenders. Such alleged incidents are, unfortunately, not uncommon. Most don’t get filmed. I’m actually stunned that any do, although even after Abu Ghraib, I’m still gobsmacked that there are people stupid enough to provide photographic records of their own crimes.

Cornflower, you said:

“the subject matter was inappropriate for the student at her age and stage of psychosocial development.”

The alleged assailants in the Melbourne incident were aged 16 to 17. I’d have thought that year nine was cutting it a bit fine, but better late than never. This sort of teaching should begin a bit earlier, I reckon. Maybe even in the home.

The victims of adolescent mob violence are sometimes vulnerable women, or people of minority races or ethnic groups, or religious minorities. Homosexual people, or even those who might be perceived to be gay are a classic target. My guess is that the question was framed in the way it was (imagining yourself as a minority heterosexual in an homosexual majority) because anti-gay violence is one of the commonest types of anti-minority bullying – and crime.

The question by the Queensland school involving getting kids to imagine themselves as a minority is a classic teaching exercise in developing empathy, and getting kids to think about their beliefs and actions. It’s what we expect our teachers to do. It’s really sad that some posters on this thread see that as a questionable exercise.

Snout, "The question by the Queensland school involving getting kids to imagine themselves as a minority is a classic teaching exercise in developing empathy, and getting kids to think about their beliefs and actions."

Looking around posts on OLO it's hard to convince myself that imagining yourself as a minority has had that effect on a many posters.

Their fearfull nightmares of a gay muslim majority does not seem to have built any empathy, rather the opposite. More of a "kick em" down while we can attitude.

Maybe the difference is they forget that it is a thought exercise and think it's real.

R0bert

I’m sorry, I’m a little confused. You see, I pay my taxes. The same taxes that are used to fund the schools and teachers we are talking about, the same taxes that pay the politicians who set the laws governing what we consider “acceptable” behaviour, and the same taxes that pay the police who’s job it is to protect us.

I’m confused, because despite that fact that I pay my taxes I don’t have the right to have the knowledge about who I am taught in schools to make the future a place where I have the same rights and safety as everyone else. Despite the fact that I pay my taxes the politicians do not govern to give me the right to live my life safe, and equal to the lives of everyone else (and by the way, it is the job of God to judge sinners, remember. When did it suddenly become okay for humanity to sit in judgement of others. Do you really think God considers it acceptable for his children to preempt him?) Despite the fact that I pay my taxes, I know that the Police will not always help me when I am attacked by others because of my sexuality, or that they will even try and prevent this happening. And I become even more confused when I learn that my taxes pay to subsidise the costs of churches, that the politicians I pay don’t bat an eyelid about the fact that churches have kept a presence in schools to promote their “lifestyle”, the Christian religion (through religious education and offices)

So you will have to forgive me for being confused. But I’ll make a deal with you. When the Christian’s and others who consider who I love to make me “sick”, and a “perversion”, advocate and pressure the government to allow me to stop paying taxes that fund all this stuff which doesn’t fit into my idea of how society should be, then, and only then, will I stop demanding my rights!

shauns,
I suggest you become a little less self centered about your taxes, and have some children of your own, so you can educate them in your values. Giving birth and nurture to children is what education is about. Teach them to think of their children and their children's future. Homosexuality is the death of the civilisation and the promotion of self.