Comments on: Scrap gay history month http://www.learnedfool.com/scrap-gay-history-month Fri, 11 Nov 2011 01:30:06 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: Fool http://www.learnedfool.com/scrap-gay-history-month#comment-716 Fool Fri, 24 Apr 2009 10:47:16 +0000 http://www.learnedfool.com/?p=248#comment-716 My point is that primary school is not the place to introduce gay history, where the children have very little concept of sex, much less sexual orientation. I never claimed history was created by heterosexuals only. But I don't believe that these homosexuals achieved their greatness simply because they were gay. I don't think that being gay makes them any smarter or more creative. Unless you are implying that it should have made them less smart and less creative; therefore, we should celebrate their achievements. I can understand Blacks saying that they were oppressed, therefore, it was a great accomplishment to do what they did. Yes, some gays were discriminated - in some societies, they were outlawed. This only kept them in the closet, but they were not prohibited from doing anything. It's not like their skin colour can give them away. So, should we rewrite history, having a separate one for gays and another for straights? That's ridiculous. Can't we look at an achievement and see how it affected history, science, etc., without pointing to the discoverer's sexual orientation? In primary school, children learn basic facts without delving too much into fine detail. As they get older, they relearn the facts with finer details. This continues to progress in higher education. At the primary school stage, it is not important to stress sexual orientation. I believe it can cause more distress because it creates some confusion. You might argue that it is good to get them started thinking like that at a young age, but I don't agree. Though some children may mature earlier than others, the majority at this stage have very little understanding of sexual preferences. They see other children of their age as playmates, not future mates. My point is that primary school is not the place to introduce gay history, where the children have very little concept of sex, much less sexual orientation. I never claimed history was created by heterosexuals only. But I don’t believe that these homosexuals achieved their greatness simply because they were gay. I don’t think that being gay makes them any smarter or more creative. Unless you are implying that it should have made them less smart and less creative; therefore, we should celebrate their achievements. I can understand Blacks saying that they were oppressed, therefore, it was a great accomplishment to do what they did. Yes, some gays were discriminated – in some societies, they were outlawed. This only kept them in the closet, but they were not prohibited from doing anything. It’s not like their skin colour can give them away. So, should we rewrite history, having a separate one for gays and another for straights? That’s ridiculous. Can’t we look at an achievement and see how it affected history, science, etc., without pointing to the discoverer’s sexual orientation? In primary school, children learn basic facts without delving too much into fine detail. As they get older, they relearn the facts with finer details. This continues to progress in higher education. At the primary school stage, it is not important to stress sexual orientation. I believe it can cause more distress because it creates some confusion. You might argue that it is good to get them started thinking like that at a young age, but I don’t agree. Though some children may mature earlier than others, the majority at this stage have very little understanding of sexual preferences. They see other children of their age as playmates, not future mates.

]]> By: Dennis de Young http://www.learnedfool.com/scrap-gay-history-month#comment-696 Dennis de Young Thu, 23 Apr 2009 20:55:46 +0000 http://www.learnedfool.com/?p=248#comment-696 Puh-lease yourself, but yes: gay people have contributed to civilization out of all proportion to their expectable numbers, and yes: those who seek to contribute to civilization need to know why. Gay people want their history passed on to children who are or will become gay. Must this be pointed out to heterosexuals? So long as we have integrated gay-and-straight public schools, we must. History itself, the genre, was a gay invention (by Heroditus and Thucydides), and modern (warts and all) biography likewise ("Elizabeth and Essex" ...?). As the gay historian said, "History is biography." Would you pretend that it is a 'heterosexual' invention? Ancient science? Modern science (you know, Sir Francis Bacon, Newton, Cavendish, et al.?) What were the Wright brothers? Straight? Why would you deny gay people credit for such inventions? Because you want to keep them for yourself? Puh-leeze! As Thucydides demonstrated in his Peloponnesian War, give credit where credit is due. You, guy, might be overdue for a little study in gay biography and history. The problem you have to confront is why we heterosexuals and homophobes wrote gay people out of history by burning them at the stake; and then you'll be obliged to explain why Christians closed down the Greek academies in the 4th century and cancelled the Olympic Games for 15 centuries. Was this in our best interests? or in the best interests of ignorance? Repressing homophilia (gay life) in the 4th century turned out the lights all over Europe and gave us the Dark Ages, the Christian Dark Ages -- or weren't you taught that the Renaissance was a largely gay event recreating the homophilic classical era, all made possible by the election of a couple of gay popes (like Julius II, the Warrior)? My interest is in who invented civilization, and why; and so long as our children need to know that to continue it, we're going to get gay biography and history in our schools. It would appear to me that you need gay history if only, by default, you learn what straight history is. How bad can the answer be? Gay men invented civilization? While gay men produce, we can reproduce; how bad is that? Puh-lease yourself, but yes: gay people have contributed to civilization out of all proportion to their expectable numbers, and yes: those who seek to contribute to civilization need to know why. Gay people want their history passed on to children who are or will become gay. Must this be pointed out to heterosexuals? So long as we have integrated gay-and-straight public schools, we must.

History itself, the genre, was a gay invention (by Heroditus and Thucydides), and modern (warts and all) biography likewise (“Elizabeth and Essex” …?). As the gay historian said, “History is biography.” Would you pretend that it is a ‘heterosexual’ invention? Ancient science? Modern science (you know, Sir Francis Bacon, Newton, Cavendish, et al.?) What were the Wright brothers? Straight? Why would you deny gay people credit for such inventions? Because you want to keep them for yourself? Puh-leeze! As Thucydides demonstrated in his Peloponnesian War, give credit where credit is due. You, guy, might be overdue for a little study in gay biography and history.

The problem you have to confront is why we heterosexuals and homophobes wrote gay people out of history by burning them at the stake; and then you’ll be obliged to explain why Christians closed down the Greek academies in the 4th century and cancelled the Olympic Games for 15 centuries. Was this in our best interests? or in the best interests of ignorance? Repressing homophilia (gay life) in the 4th century turned out the lights all over Europe and gave us the Dark Ages, the Christian Dark Ages — or weren’t you taught that the Renaissance was a largely gay event recreating the homophilic classical era, all made possible by the election of a couple of gay popes (like Julius II, the Warrior)?

My interest is in who invented civilization, and why; and so long as our children need to know that to continue it, we’re going to get gay biography and history in our schools. It would appear to me that you need gay history if only, by default, you learn what straight history is. How bad can the answer be? Gay men invented civilization? While gay men produce, we can reproduce; how bad is that?

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