During a course for high school children in Miami-Dade County, students were assigned to complete a sexuality-focused questionnaire that asked a series of bizarre questions such as: “What do you think caused your heterosexuality?”; “Is it possible that being straight is just a phase you may grow out of?”; and, “Considering the menace of hunger and overpopulation, could the human race survive if everyone were straight like yourself?”
‘Have You Considered Changing?’: Florida Teens Asked To Consider Becoming Gay In Class Assignment
Shouldn't somebody at least be fired. Discontinuing it without repercussions simply insures it will happen again
This grooming shit is irresponsible
Grooming has long been understood to be the act of gaining the trust of children to manipulate them into engaging in some sexual act for the gratification of the groomer. Gay people have long been wrongly accused of being groomers, pedophiles and pederasts
More recently, it has come to mean manipulating children into questioning their gender identity or sexual orientation, but most often leveled at anyone who offers any recognition of or support for transgender youth. The label of “groomer” has been falsely and extensively applied to everyone from practitioners of Drag Queen Story Hour to educators who dare to engage in age appropriate discussions of gender and sexuality, issues that children are already aware of but who need some adult guidance with.
This grooming meme is rampant and detracts from the reality that there are real groomers out there –sexual predators who seek to take advantage of kids. Think about the boy who cried wolf. This is similar to the way in which QAnon followers undermine the work of those fighting real human trafficking, by wrongly accusing others for political and ideological reasons. Looking for groomers, and traffickers in all the wrong places only makes it easier for the real perpetrators to operate.
Most of the accusation of grooming comes from straight and cisgender people who have equal levels of animosity for both gay and trans people. These are people who cling to traditional ideas of gender and sexuality and who are confused and frightened buy changes that they do not understand and cannot control. Right now most of the focus is on the transsexual issue, transpeople are a more acceptable and convenient target. In any case, we could debate the reasons why kids believe that they are trans, or gay but the fact is that it is very real for them and they need to be supported and taken seriously. It is important to recognize the fact that-to put it bluntly, these kids are not making this shit up. They have very real and intense feelings about who they are in terms of gender and sexuality. Recognizing that reality is not grooming, and it is not sexualizing them as some allege. It is not encouraging them to question their gender or manipulating them into transitioning or being gay-as though that were possible. It is suicide prevention, as is gender affirming care when appropriate.
To those who decry any discussion or acknowledgement of gender and sexuality issues with children, and pejoratively label it as grooming, I say yes, there is grooming going on, just not the way you mean. It is grooming the children to be accepting and respectful of those who are different to prepare them to function in a diverse and tolerant society. It is also teaching then to love and accept themselves for whoever they may discover they are. It is given then much deserved permission to find and express their true selves. It is not manipulating or steering them in any one direction. It is grooming them to not grow up to be close minded bigots who fear and hate anything and everyone who deviates from traditional ideas of gender and sexuality. And they must stop the destructive and shameless lies.
The reality is that LGBT people are part of the fabric of society and our young people are part of that society. That means that these kids continue to need support, acceptance and validation which is exactly what conservatives-including conservative gays- are erroneously calling grooming. There is a difference between giving someone permission to explore who they are as opposed to manipulating them into being who you –the adult-wants them to be The alternative to support and acceptance is ridicule, and rejection which is destructive and cruel. Anyone who is really concerned about the well being of children should seriously consider this. Everyone who insists on bleating about grooming need to do some serious soul searching and re-examine their views.
mamabearapologetics.com
