1. This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Learn More.

Schools need more LGBT "education"

Discussion in 'Chit Chat' started by waitwhat, Jan 10, 2015.

  1. waitwhat

    waitwhat Guest

    I think more schools should offer some type of information about the LGBT community. Whether it be some type of class or a GSA or something.

    A few weeks ago, a friend and I were discussing how my life would be if I dated/married a woman. She asked the most common (IMO) and annoying question, "Who would be the man and who would be the woman?" She actually asked me if I would be the man or more masculine one because I'm not super feminine. I told her that's not how it works and that I would not necessarily be the more "masculine" one. However, I do tend to be attracted to femmes more often. And then she asked me if I would become a man, as in SRS. I told her no because I don't feel like a man, I feel like a woman who just happens to find other woman attractive. She was very confused because we went to school with a trans classmate who identified as a female lesbian in high school but now identifies a straight male, and I guess she assumed that all lesbian want to and eventually become men. I explained to her that those were misconceptions, and I think she understood.

    I feel like if more resources were available at schools that people wouldn't be as confused about the LGBT community. How does everybody else feel about it?
     
  2. CJliving

    Full Member

    Joined:
    Nov 10, 2014
    Messages:
    1,036
    Likes Received:
    1
    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    Gender:
    Male (trans*)
    Gender Pronoun:
    He
    Sexual Orientation:
    Gay
    Out Status:
    All but family
    I agree, completely. It would save a lot of people a lot of trouble and confusion if there was more information provided, especially in a school setting. It also opens the door for more open conversations and (hopefully) at least one safe space in schools for students.

    There was actually a bill in Manitoba, Canada to enforce GSAs in every school where it was requested by students to have one, but it didn't pass. I think as necessary and good as this would be, for a lot of places in North America it's still pretty far off. Especially places that don't even have adequate sex ed. classes (i.e.: abstinance-only sex ed.).

    This is definitely something I'm going to be advocating for after I become a counsellor.
     
  3. Toast8971

    Full Member

    Joined:
    Jun 19, 2014
    Messages:
    167
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Seattle
    I definitely agree with you there. Look into how to start a club or something at your school. I'm pretty sure if you have enough people and it's inclusive enough the school has to let it become a club.
     
  4. Quiet Raven

    Full Member

    Joined:
    Nov 5, 2014
    Messages:
    559
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Nova Scotia, Canada
    I completely agree. My high school at least a little bit of education on homosexuality. They brought in a guest speaker who was gay one day. Specifically to talk about that. But that was it. Still, It was something.

    We definitely need more though. And it needs to be commonplace.
     
  5. BadWolf5

    Regular Member

    Joined:
    Feb 14, 2014
    Messages:
    51
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Colorado, vacation home on Gallifrey
    Gender:
    Female
    I think it should at least be a requirement that all schools have a GSA or something of the sort. I also think the counselors should have some resources available to help lgbt kids.
     
  6. florence2000

    Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jun 8, 2014
    Messages:
    375
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Aussie
    Gender:
    Female
    Gender Pronoun:
    She
    Sexual Orientation:
    Bisexual
    Out Status:
    All but family
    I think they should include lgbt in sex ed more. Like can we talk about protection from STDs when having not straight sex? Can you explain the different sexualities?
     
  7. Jellal

    Regular Member

    Joined:
    Dec 23, 2014
    Messages:
    1,359
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Florida
    Gender:
    Female (trans*)
    Yeah, this ought to happen. It's important so that people can learn to be respectful and understanding, and also so kids can ask themselves the right questions and maybe get a better sense of who they are.
     
  8. Kaiser

    Kaiser Guest

    Joined:
    May 10, 2014
    Messages:
    2,867
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    кєηтυ¢ку
    I cannot speak for other countries, but in America, if they can't even get a basic education done right -- what on earth makes you think they'd get any LGBT-related "education" right? So many kids are pushed out of school, with hardly any idea how to do basic math or reading at an appropriate level, just to keep a quota to financially keep a school afloat.

    Ideally, sure, it would be nice. But then you'd run into people who, for some reason or another, 'don't want their kid involved in that'. Ironically, that type of response or attitude is exactly why such education could be useful.
     
  9. antibinary

    Full Member

    Joined:
    Oct 20, 2014
    Messages:
    778
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    UK
    YES!!!! The only LGBT education can be summed up as 'don't you gay as an insult and the gays are ok.' Bisexuality/transgenderism isn't mentioned and the tried to get us to not hate gay people by being acephobic.
     
  10. MotelGuy

    MotelGuy Guest

    Joined:
    Jan 1, 2015
    Messages:
    0
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Tijuana
    Gender:
    Male
    Sexual Orientation:
    Gay
    They need to be taught a lot about us...And hire a teacher who's Gay/Lesbian to teach the class...A similar situation hapenned to me in eighth grade, a female friend, who was the only one in school that knew I was gay, asked me if I wanted to be a woman...I told her no, and she said that she thought I did simply because like guys...Oh, honey, you're soooo ignorant...
     
  11. treatmeright

    Regular Member

    Joined:
    Dec 30, 2014
    Messages:
    152
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Dubai
    Gender:
    Female
    Sexual Orientation:
    Lesbian
    Out Status:
    Not out at all
    In our country there are no sex education period.
    But having LGBT education would sertainly made me understand my sexuality from the beginning and I would have spared myself the misery.
     
  12. Shostoppa23

    Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jan 5, 2015
    Messages:
    12
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Houston
    Gender:
    Female
    Sexual Orientation:
    Questioning
    Out Status:
    A few people
    Those are definately misconceptions. It would be good to have sex ed in elementary - high school and include LGBT but most schools, especially conservative in the south, don't feel that's appropriate for their children.

    It's been proven to lower STD's, (misconceptions would be lower and tolerance would be higher in the LGBT Community) and then lower teen / young pregnancy also! So i def agree there should be but we are a far cry (at least in the south) from politically being tolerant / educated enough as adults to do it
     
  13. Fallingdown7

    Fallingdown7 Guest

    Yes, I agree. I too am tired of the misconceptions and even some people in the LGBT community do it. It's not always anyone's fault though. Plus it feels really repressive to relationship standards in general. What if a masculine/dominant woman dates a feminine/submissive man? Is he the 'woman' in the relationship? No, he's still a man and she's still a woman. To hell with gender roles.
     
  14. YuriBunny

    Full Member

    Joined:
    Jan 10, 2014
    Messages:
    44
    Likes Received:
    7
    Location:
    I'm an introvert; I live in my head.
    Gender:
    Female
    Gender Pronoun:
    She
    Sexual Orientation:
    Lesbian
    Out Status:
    Out to everyone
    Oh, definitely. I am sick of all the misconceptions.

    My elementary and middle schools didn't even allow homosexuality to be mentioned. >.< My high school has a GSA though, and we discussed gay rights in my social issues class last semester. So high school definitely is a lot better. However, according to my bff who is in health class (sex ed) all they talk about is abstinency until marriage and avoiding pregnancies. o.o So I am really not looking forward to that... I wonder if the teacher would even answer students' questions about gay sex. I feel like the class won't apply to me if the teacher's gonna teach us like we're all straight. I just know it's gonna be heteronormative...
     
  15. Intrinsicallyme

    Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jan 11, 2015
    Messages:
    19
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Buffalo, New York
    Gender:
    Androgyne
    Dude, the only sex ed I got in school was "don't have sex, or you will get pregnant and die." I didn't even know how to handle a condom my first time out, let alone what to do with a woman. The state of sex ed is abysmal. It's downright dangerous to be expected to do something that can have life-changing consequences without information.

    I also think we should have acceptance seminars or something at school, to introduce the concept that there are people that are different. I think that if that concept was introduced at a young age, we would have a student body that was more open to change on all levels.
     
  16. MrSkittles

    Regular Member

    Joined:
    Jan 4, 2015
    Messages:
    877
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    New York
    yes. My school only has a Gay Straight Alliance Club. There needs to be a separate class to teach others about the LGBT community. This would clear up all the things they get wrong about the LGBT community.
     
  17. TacobellKFC

    Regular Member

    Joined:
    Dec 23, 2014
    Messages:
    153
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    a little to the left behind the tree
    Out Status:
    A few people
    It should be mandatory and start in elementary school..it would help alot of confused kids just to show them it is normal and they are not alone
     
  18. Quiet Raven

    Full Member

    Joined:
    Nov 5, 2014
    Messages:
    559
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Nova Scotia, Canada
    That is true. My experience with schools in Canada are like that as well. Although it wasn't that they were teaching the wrong information, just that they were not good at teaching in a way that everyone understands. And we didn't need to understand it in order to receive a passing grade. Just show up most days, and don't be disruptive, and you should pass.

    So I think, if they have education on LGBT, not everyone will understand, sure. But some will. Possibly many. And that will still be a big step forward.
     
  19. Formality

    Regular Member

    Joined:
    Feb 24, 2013
    Messages:
    1,020
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Sweden
    Yes, LGBT education was very lackluster. The only short 5 minutes we got of LGBT education was on homosexuality exclusively and it was very weak (as a matter of fact, all sex ed. was very bad). I honestly believe if students were taught about LGBT in school people wouldn't grow up to be as LGBT-phobic. I got a reality check as I argued against my brother yesterday on whether gay couples should adopt, that's when this really became apparent to me. He honestly thought being gay is a choice and not something you are born as, and to think we were raised under the same roof.... Flipping society! I tell you even in a country as "accepting" as Sweden, there is still far far far from enough knowledge on the matter of LGBT+ among the general public.

    And even in high school the only LGBT "so called education" we got was a 10 minute movie that revolved around a gay couple who went to male strip clubs and danced. Like, how stereotypical can they make it?? It makes me so mad to think that that's the way they choose to portray gay men for educative purposes. Fucking ludicrous!
     
    #19 Formality, Jan 11, 2015
    Last edited: Jan 11, 2015
  20. waitwhat

    waitwhat Guest

    My high school did have a semi decent sex ed class. We discussed abstinence but as half of my class was or were about to be teen parents, they knew it was kind of pointless. We talked about misconceptions of pregnancy, straight sex, and STDs, but never same-sex sex (?). We also did have a GSA but it wasn't the most inclusive group we had. Very few "popular" people, LGBT or not, joined. And it was run by one of our LGBT teachers.