In need of sex education

It is as easy as live and let live. It is just that some people are nasty and will always pick on those who are different and vulnerable, whether gay, old, disabled, small, coloured, you name it they can hate it.

That, sadly, is human nature.

How true Monica - for some to be different is to be 'wrong' and therefore the easy target of the spiteful and bullying.

I don't think anyone in the Rainbow Community (now that will probably put the pigeon amongst the cats) is thrusting their sexuality in anyone's face, or elsewhere for that matter.

They simply wish to be accepted as normal, like straight people, even be proud of who they are and their sexual orientation. Is there any reason why they should not?

The many answers here which indicate a 'Live and leave me out of it' attitude, which of course is anyone's right but is probably based on fear, sadly perpetuates the situation which sees people discriminated agaist in every social sphere.
That is why the OP was brave enough to ask, and research and learn and maybe at some future date even help change things.

And we need to change from the, 'I don't want to know' (or care what you're suffering) attitudes to 'I know, understand and support you.'

Almost every major city in most of the developed world now has a well attended (50,000+ in Auckland this year) Pride Festival.
Things are changing gradually, not because gender diversity is being thrust in anyone's face but because people like Mumsyface are moving from the dark, ignorant age of bigotry and daring to learn more about their fellow human beings.

BradfordLass72 - well said. And good on Mumsyface too.

GillT57 wrote:

" Some muslim parents ( and a lot of professional rent a mob) are demanding that their children be withdrawn from classes which are teaching said children that we are and can all be different and that it is ok to be different. "

Islam is such that the letter of the moral Islamic law is what matters, and the Islamic law is described in enormous detail. I sometimes wonder how so called 'moderate' Muslims manage to cope with the different ways of being a good person in our wider society.

I suppose that 'moderate' Muslims are able to obey the spirit of the Islamic law instead of the letter of the Islamic law. This is what St Paul urged Christians to do.

My only problem resulting from our current understanding of the range of genders is that the English language has male or female pronouns! I do sometimes find it awkward choosing the right one without offending anyone. Time we invented a gender neutral version of he/she, him/her, his/hers etc? 'It' sounds so impersonal to me.

I have a few lesbian women in my family aged from 70 down,I also worked in an industry where there are a lot of gay and lesbian people .It has never been an issue for any of the family ,we loved them before we knew they were gay and we love them still.My late mother who was born in the early 20's had best friend who was a gay man when she was in her teens .
Its hardly a new thing to be gay so why do so many people still think its odd or wrong?.Its absolutely right that children are being taught that people come in all kind of variety of sexuality and that its not freakish
I still hear kids yelling "gayboy" as an insult that 's something we need to stop .

Can't ignore the fashions of wanting to be different either. People want to express themselves more now and like to shock. It's the popular culture. I'm not bothered, even desensitised to it. If you choose to be non binary, or whatever else, then live your life and don't ram it down our throats.

Joyfulnanna, People who are gay or lesbian haven't made a lifestyle choice. It's not like deciding to get some new curtains you saw in a magazine spread on interior decorating. And we shove heterosexuality in their faces, constantly, through all media, and in everyday life. They have been persecuted, killed, and continue to face violence just because of who they are, not because they've made some choice, lightly.

OMG - whilst we still have people (eg: Joyfulnanna) still talking about sexual orientation being a 'choice', then we really do have a long way to go in education.
Great for the OP to want to find out more, sure that she also find out that she does know people who are gay, etc.
July is a good month to find out more on this subject. Most large cities have Pride Festivals this month. Go along, - have a great day out - and extend your education
Just thanks to Cyclingknitter for so much common sense.

HillyN My only problem resulting from our current understanding of the range of genders is that the English language has male or female pronouns! I do sometimes find it awkward choosing the right one without offending anyone

If in doubt, just ask which the person concerned prefers. That shouldn't cause offence

"It’s a common misconception that gender identity and sexual orientation are connected. If someone is transgender, for example, many people automatically assume that they must also be gay. That, however, is not the case. Gender and sexuality are different, and it’s an important distinction to understand.

“People often perceive that they intersect. But many of us are working very hard to unhinge one from the other,” said sj Miller, deputy director at NYU’s Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and the Transformation of Schools. “They’ve been conflated for so long, and they’re ----"

www.cbsnews.com/news/the-difference-between-sexual-orientation-and-gender-identity/

is the internet address that the above quotation came from

yggdrasil just seen your pot of 10th June. About 10% of the population is gay or lesbian. This also applies to animals, there was a TV programme last week called My Gay Dog that was very serious and pointed out these facts. So you might as well get used to it. Although as you say, it doesn't really matter if you don't know about that one in ten of your friends or family

I'm not sure it actually works like that, but never mind. .

Also I think you misunderstood my post, but I cba to to enlighten you further.