http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2031223,00.html
I thought this may be a good article to look at since I believe we are discussing these issues in class today. The school system in England is trying to introduce children’s books that deal with gay and lesbian characters and issues. They are trying to introduce these issues to kids at a young age, before they can develop negative connotations about gay or lesbian people. I think this is a very interesting idea because It does reflect reality of our lives. Young children have probably not even thought about sexuality yet but it’s the parents that could be an issue. Some children have two mothers or two fathers, so these books would help the other kids to understand and accept these children with same sex parents. I could see how this is going to be a very controversial issue that is going to get a lot of parents worked up. What do you guys think? Good idea to introduce these issues to young children, or bad idea because they may be too young to understand?

I think it could be very confusing for children to read books like that. Introducing sexual orientation issues at such a young age could cause kids to grow up too fast. I mean, can you imagine kindergarteners on the playground discussing whether they want to marry someone of the same or opposite sex? I guess that's where the culture is heading, but I would rather address complex issues like this with my kids when they are older than elementary school age. I also think that since the morality of a homosexual lifestyle is controversial, it should be the parents who decide how to approach the issue, rather than the schools.

I agree with what Leah is saying. It is an extremely touchy area with a lot of people. There are a lot of people that are ignorant on the issues of people with a sexual orientation that is not heterosexual. Our nation is based on heterosexual ideas (marriage, laws, etc.) and that fact that it is a touchy area in general in our nation at this time the thought of bringing that sort of literature in the school would outrage so many parents. There is so much controversy on whether gay/lesbian couples should get benefits from their partner's occupation/be able to get married that this would just open another can of worms.

Even if down the road they decided to begin including the discussion of sexual orientation in the school setting I believe it should happen at the higher level grade where the children would be better prepared and will have a better sense of self to handle it.

i also think it is a very touchy subject. however, the fact that "daddy's roomate" and other books about homosexuality and banned from schools is also a problem. As teachers, if one of our students is being picked on for having two mom's or dad's it might be benefical to read some of these books to make the other students understand that it is a part of our culture.

Young age groups shouldn't be exposed to homosexuality through story books and fairy tales. I would have never been able to understand that as a child and would have probably ended up very confused. I think that students should be made aware of homosexuality but later on in life and that in my opinion should be up to the parents disgression.

I read a book that was in our library, in the children's section, called "Why Does Daddy Drink So Much?" While I think it was controversial, I believe it was a good book for any child dealing with alcholism in their family. I feel the same for children books on homosexuality. I think that as long as their not required reading, they are fine to put into a school library. I also agree however, that at such a young age children may be confused, I believe these books should be introduced around the same age as sex ed, so that children who do not even know what sex is are not reading about homosexuality. I think introducing homosexuality with sex ed would be the best way.

I just want to say that middle school was confusing and probably caused me to grow up too fast (or at least, to TRY to grow up). With that in mind, I think it would be very difficult to identify an appropriate period in a child's school career when they could be introduced to topics such as sexuality, especially when sexuality is discussed in ways that are not "hetero-normative." Maybe elementary school wouldn't be such a bad idea? 4th or 5th grade?

I suppose it comes down to questions about maturity and readiness. But I know many adults who are embarrassingly immature when it comes to sexuality as a social/political issue. I actually heard a teacher use the word "faggot" the other day, without missing a beat I can't see kids talking about sexuality in a mature way when they're raging through puberty, and by high school the negative connotations in question are likely to have become at least somewhat solidified. This makes me think that towards the end of elementary school could maybe work...what are everybody else's thoughts? If you're going to teach about sexualitIES, when on earth are you supposed to do it?

Of course, this brings back up the tricky problem of parents and (vs.) teachers. Whose responsibility is it to teach about certain aspects of life?