Perhaps it’s because I can’t relate to the environment. No one in my grade school (I never went to nursery school or kindergarten) had “two dads” or “two mums”. In my little school, where I was in the largest class ever with six students, there weren’t even any single parents. I didn’t even get a hint of what homosexuality was about until L.J. tried to explain in to me in about the fifth grade. But in any case this seems just a little off base:
Nursery teachers should promote tolerance of same-sex partnerships and outlaw the use of offensive homophobic language in the classroom or playground, a teaching union said today.
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The NUT said: “It is particularly important to begin to make three to five-year-olds aware of the range of families that exist in the UK today”. That would includes families with single parents or those with “two mums” or “two dads”, the union said.
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The guidance, which has so far been voluntary, is due to become compulsory for early years staff from next year, following the outcome of the consultation.
Is this really an issue in the lives of three to five-year-olds? It would be difficult for me to defend this against the obvious accusations and baggage of “promoting the homosexual agenda” or some such thing.
It’s what California is working towards already. The CA Department of Education put out guidelines (they aren’t mandatory, for now) that say that ALL subject areas should use language that does not discriminate against the various lifestyles and gender classifications.
I don’t remember the exact examples given, but it was along the lines of:
Johnny wanted to buy himself a new dress. The dress costs $39.95 and there’s a 7% sales tax added to it. He has $42. Does Johnny have enough money to buy his new dress?
Amy’s mother, Jane, wants to go on vacation to Australia. Her other mother, Nancy, wants to go to Austria. If they live in California and don’t want to cross the equator, which of her mothers will get to go to the country they want to visit?
The idea is to make homosexuality and transgendering and all such things appear to be perfectly normal so that they won’t be as surprised and confused as you were when L.J. in fifth grade tried to explain things to you.
It’s as Alexander Pope said:
Vice is a monster of so frightful mien,
As to be hated needs but to be seen;
Yet seen too oft, familiar with her face,
We first endure, then pity, then embrace.