Homosexual Education Essay, Research Paper
Teaching sex education in public schools alone has become a very controversial subject with some parents and other community members. So one can only imagine the reaction to teaching about homosexual lifestyles as part of the sex education program. There are basically two different views on the subject of homosexuality. Some people are perfectly okay with it, while others cringe at the thought. Many parents would be highly upset if their child came home from school one day and said, “Mommy, guess what? We got to learn about homosexuals today. Ms. Conner said we are supposed to accept them no matter what their sexual behavior. Why did you and daddy tell me it was bad? Ms. Conner said it was okay.”
The issue of teaching homosexuality in the sex education curriculum is important because it affects all of our children. Some of us may not have our own children, but most of us have children in our life which we care about deeply, such as nieces, nephews, and god children. Sometimes the public schools overstep their boundaries when teaching young children subjects such as homosexuality. For example, in Provincetown, Massachusetts, the school board has voted to begin teaching preschoolers about homosexual lifestyles. They also want to back hiring preferences for sexual minorities ( Clinton’s homosexual agenda 2). There is also a school in New York City that have told their students they must come to an assembly for two days in a row to talk about how normal homosexuality is, and how indecent, undemocratic, and homophobic it is to have any negative views of such sexual functioning (Socarides 3). It is hard for me to accept this type of teaching in the public school. When it comes to learning about homosexual lifestyles, I believe a child should be aware that these types of people are in the world, but I would never condone the matter. I would also never discriminate against homosexuals. Children should never hear their teacher say good
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things or bad things about homosexuality. At school, they should just learn the basic facts and
leave the morals and values to be taught at home by the parents.
I do not believe that homosexuality is the right way to live, but that does not give me the right to judge. Our children should not be so sheltered of the fact that there are homosexuals, but I believe it is the parent’s responsibility to talk their children about this matter. I do understand, though, that many parents will not discuss this subject with their children. They either believe it is not important, or feel they just do not have the time. Someone should take time to speak to the children about it. We cannot wait until Little Johnny comes home from school one day and says, “Why does Georgie have two moms? I told him that was weird.” It is so important to discuss this different way of life to the children, but is it the school’s responsibility?
Some educators believe that it is important while teaching sex education to help the students unlearn negative feelings and stereotypes about gay and lesbian people (Roleff 53). On the other hand, other educators feel certain that teaching children to be open-minded about gays undermines the authority of the parents who consider homosexuality to be morally wrong (Roleff 63).
Public schools used to try and teach moral practices such as abstinence before marriage, but schools have stopped trying to legislate morals and have started teaching responsibility (Roleff 9-10). I do not necessarily believe as some do, that teaching sex education in public
schools is a bad thing as long as the teacher knows where to draw the line. Some educators
believe that the lack of sex education is one of the major causes of the sex variant (Burt 151).
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Like I have already mentioned, I do think it is the parent’s responsibility to talk to their children about homosexuality. Most parents try to explain this issue to their children in a neutral way, but occasionally they have to deal with their own complicated reaction to this lifestyle (The Study Group of New York 252).
If I were a parent with a child in the public school system, I would feel as if it were my obligation to find out exactly what is included in the sex education program. If the sex education teacher was trying to get the students to believe that there is nothing wrong with homosexuality and we should celebrate it (as some schools actually do), I believe I should have the right to pull my child out of that section of the course. I believe a parent should have more say-so over what a child learns than a school staff.
Every school district teaches sex education in a different way. Most schools teach the same basic math, science, and reading principles, but when it comes to teaching homosexuality, there is so much confusion. It is such a controversial subject.
I believe that if a school district is going to teach a sex education class, they should have some guidelines to abide by. I feel that no public school should include in the course of study any instruction that promotes a homosexual lifestyle or portrays homosexuality as a positive alternative lifestyle. While teaching social health, I feel the school should promote that a mutually faithful monogamous heterosexual relationship in the context of marriage is the best and healthiest way for anyone to live.
Once again, if a school chooses to provide these types of instruction, parents should have
the opportunity to be provided with all of the information that their children will be learning.
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Parents have every right to be able to get involved with their child’s school and also what the
child will be learning.
For starters, one should agree that teaching sex education in public schools is a beneficial thing. I agree because I realize that there are dysfunctional parents in the world who do not care enough to talk to their children about the dangers of some sexual activities, including homosexuality. School is not just a place to learn how to read and write, it is a place to learn how to interact with others and learn different social behaviors. School is about the only place where we can get all of our children together and try to complete the work of parents. I am not saying that the school has the right to go against a child’s family’s beliefs. I am saying that the school should be there for the student and help them in any way possible without overstepping their boundaries.
I believe that it is important for a sex education teacher to know where to draw the line when it comes to subjects such as homosexuality. It would be so difficult to be a sex education teacher, because it would be so easy to step on many people’s toes. Many parents become very protective of their children when it comes to learning about sexual behaviors. This is why public schools should examine their sex education curriculum very closely and allow no room for anyone to get upset with what they are teaching.
Just like most history teachers wish not to express too many of their opinions regarding politics and political parties, sex education teachers should follow the same guidelines and just teach the subject and allow the students to form their own opinions about homosexuality and other controversial subjects.
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Author Unknown. 1999. “Clinton’s Homosexual Agenda.” http://www2.southwind.net/~jeremiah/clint_homo.html
Burt, John J. Ed.D. 1970. Education for Sexuality: Concepts and Programs for Teaching. W.B. Saunders Company.
Roleff, Tamara L. 1999. Sex Education. San Diego: Greenhaven Press.
Socarides, Charles W. M.D.1999. “Thought Reform and the Psychology of the Homosexual Advocacy.” http://www.leaderu.com/softcopy/narth/socarides.txt
The Study Group of New York. 1983. Children and Sex: The Parents Speak. New York: The Facts on File.