Tennessee Bill Now Requires Teachers To Inform Parents If Their Child Is Gay

• Hanna wrote on 2013-02-07 06:41
  http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2013/01/30/1514051/dont-say-gay-tennessee/?mobile=nc
  
  as if this country couldn't get more disgusting.
  

  The bill, SB 234, still bars Tennessee teachers from discussing any facet of “non-heterosexual” sexuality with children in grades K-8. But the newest iteration also includes a provision requiring teachers or counselors to inform the parents of some students who identify themselves as LGBT. State Sen. Stacey Campfield (R), who authored the bill the first time around and again introduced it this time, calls out students who might be “at risk,” but leaves the interpretation of that behavior to the teacher:

• EndlessDreams wrote on 2013-02-07 06:55
  How does a child know if he/she is homosexual or not when they are so young? If Kindergarten children are thinking about sex already, that is some bad parent and teachers.
• Ashikoki wrote on 2013-02-07 06:59
  I thought republicans preferred the not asking and not telling method?
• Hanna wrote on 2013-02-07 07:01

  Quote from EndlessDreams;1027753:

  How does a child know if he/she is homosexual or not when they are so young? If Kindergarten children are thinking about sex already, that is some bad parent and teachers.

  
  
  Kindergarteners no, but 5-8th graders start hitting puberty and their sexuality starts forming.
  I'm wondering why they didn't go that extra mile and include high school students.
• Nakishu wrote on 2013-02-07 07:12

  Quote from EndlessDreams;1027753:

  How does a child know if he/she is homosexual or not when they are so young? If Kindergarten children are thinking about sex already, that is some bad parent and teachers.

  
  
  I agree, I mean at my age I'm still not even sure.
• Cynic wrote on 2013-02-07 07:30

  Quote from EndlessDreams;1027753:

  How does a child know if he/she is homosexual or not when they are so young? If Kindergarten children are thinking about sex already, that is some bad parent and teachers.

  
  
  Kids know their sexual identity (i.e. if they're male and/or female) at around the age of 4, so it's definitely not a stretch to say that some kids can figure out their sexuality very early on. Homo/heterosexuality actually isn't that fluid either, meaning that unless they're bi/pan/poly, their sexuality won't change once they're actually aware of it. The only exceptions would be something like asexuality as a result of trauma or something, but as that's not a natural occurrence, I suppose it doesn't really count.