I have to admit that I have come late to the debate surrounding Tennessee’s Senate Bill 49, popularly known as the Don’t Say “Gay” Bill. The bill was introduced by State Senator Stacey Campfield with the intention of making illegal any references or statements (including instructional material) that mention any sexual orientation other than heterosexuality. The senator has seen a significant backlash following the introduction of this bill to the state legislature through the FCKH8.COM campaign. It is also disturbing that the bill has passed through committee stage (both the judicial and education committees – the latter with some amendments). The bill is very carefully worded, and reads as follows:
(1) The general assembly recognizes the sensitivity of particular subjects that are best explained and discussed in the home. Human sexuality is a complex subject with societal, scientific, psychological, and historical implications; those implications are best understood by children with sufficient maturity to grasp their complexity.
(2) Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, no public elementary or middle school shall provide any instruction or material that discusses sexual orientation other than heterosexuality.
The text of the bill can be accessed here.
While Senator Campfield argues quite lucidly that parents should have a say in when issues of sexual orientation are introduced to their children in schools, this is a backward step and one that clearly suggests that, in elementary and middle schools in the State of Tennessee, homophobia will continue unabated.
Interestingly, in 1788 James Madison (1751-1836), later the Fourth President of the United States (1809-1817), and author of the Bill of Rights warned us of this sort of gradual erosion of freedom by those in positions of power when he said:
“I believe there are more instances of the abridgement of freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments by those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations.”
What a wise man President Madison was and it would serve Senator Campfield well to reflect upon his attempts to usurp those freedoms that not only ensure the safety and well-being of the families of voters, but also those future voters who will become invisible to teachers and targets of bullies within Tennessee schools.
Sexualisation of Young People Review
Following the ‘hype’ in the gay press and on Twitter about the fact that the Prime Minister wants to ban lesbians kissing on TV before the watershed of 9:00pm, I recalled that psychologist Linda Papadopoulos wrote a report, published by the Home Office in 2010 on the sexualisation of children in the media. The Mothers’ Union’s chief executive, Reg Bailey is currently compiling a report sponsored by the Department of Education which is independent of their somewhat emotive campaign ‘Bye Buy Childhood’. The Mothers’ Union released a statement today confirming that it is taking no part in the the review, and is gender inclusive. The statement can be read in full here.
Of course, any such Government endorsed report on issues of sexuality, especially with respect to children, has to be both fair and balanced. It has to acknowledge that childhood and adolescence is an apprenticeship, and as such we should also prepare children and young people for the realities of today’s world, no matter how much we wish to hark back to days gone by.
Unfortunately, the Papadopoulos Report was not received well by the media or, indeed, by other academics and social commentators. The columnist Toby Young, writing in The Telegraph, described it as resembling “a bit of cheap electioneering rather than a serious piece of research”. Clarissa Smith (University of Sunderland) wrote that she had “no great hopes” for the report and it “did not disappoint”. A copy of the Papadopoulos Report can be downloaded from the Home Office archive here. Two other reports were produced just prior to 2010, one from the US (which can be accessed here) and one from Australia (accessed here). Qualitatively there are significant difference between the report published in the UK and those published overseas.
So we wait to see what the Bailey Review will bring. A link the the Department of Education’s web-page for the review is provided here.
Promotion code for book
I’ve included the promotion code (#29768) given by Oxford University Press for the new book, it’s a 15% deduction on the regular price! Just click on the image for ways to order.
Rethinking Homophobic Bullying
Based on 17 years of research in the field of homophobic bullying, I drafted this article (access here) which recently appeared in Secondary Education (SecEd). The article is on page 15.
The Health of LGBT People: New Report
The Institute of Medicine of the National Academies (U.S.) recently published a report entitled,‘ The Health of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) People: Building a Foundation for Better Understanding’. This 340 page resource identifed the challenges faces by LGBT people over the lifecourse.
In childhood and adolescence the comittee appointed noted the following:
- In terms of HIV, the burden falls disproportionately on young men who have sex with men, and most particularly on young black men.
- LGB youth continue to be at increased risk of suicide ideation and attempted suicide as well increased risk for depression. Some small-scale studies suggest that a similar pattern exists for transgender youth.
- Alcohol and tobacco use, and substance use may be higher among lesbian, gay and bisexual young people when compared with heterosexual young people. Little or no research is available on this phenomenon among transgender youth.
- LGB youth are disproportionately represented in the figures for homeless youth. Research also indicates that young transgender women are significantly more likely to be homeless.
- Reports of violence, victimization, and harassment are higher for LGBT youth when compared with heterosexual and ‘non-gender-variant’ young people.
- Families and schools represent to two focal points for intervention research.
In early and middle adulthood the comittee noted the following:
- LGBs experience more mood and anxiety disorders, greater levels of depression, and an elevated risk suicide and suicide ideation when compared with heterosexuals. Researchers, using small convenience samples, also found higher rates of suicide ideation and depression in transgender adults, but to date there is no information on mood or anxiety disorders.
- Lesbians and bisexual women are less likely to use preventive health services than heterosexual women.
- Lesbians and bisexual women may be at greater risk of obesity. They also have higher rates of breast cancer when compared to heterosexual women.
- In terms of HIV/AIDS, men who have sex with men are at a greater risk when compared to other groups, within this group, black and Latino men are disproportionately represented.
- LGBTs are frequently the victims of stigma, discrimination, and violence directly as a result of their sexual- and gender-minority status.
- LGB adults may be more likely to smoke, abuse alcohol, and engage in substance use when compared to heterosexual adults. Much of the research has focused on women and much less is known about gay and bisexual men. A few studies suggests that substance abuse is an issue within the transgender population.
- Lesbians and gay men are less likely to be parents despite the fact that the children raised by same-sex parents are well adjusted and developmentally similar to children of heterosexual parents.
In later adulthood the comittee noted the following:
- There is very little research but what there is suggests that transgender elders may experience negative health outcomes as a result of long-term hormone use.
- HIV/AIDS impacts on older LGBT individuals, yet there are very few programs that target older adults.
- Evidence suggests that LGBT elders exhibit crisis competence (a concept reflecting resilience and perceived hardiness).
- LGBT elders also experience stigma, discrimination, and violence and have done so across the life course.
A pre-publication copy of the report can be obtained here for $49:46.
