The return of Section 28

[Jeffrey Shaw]

I bet that nobody here has actually read the 'infamous' section 28. It's from the Local Government Act 1988 and it created no new provision there. But it did alter earlier legislation, the Local Government Act 1986. It reads as follows:

 

28. Prohibition on promoting homosexuality by teaching or by publishing material.

 

(1) The following section shall be inserted after section 2 of the Local Government Act 1986 (prohibition of political publicity):

 

"2A. Prohibition on promoting homosexuality by teaching or by publishing material.

 

(1) A local authority shall not:

(a) intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality;

(b) promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship.

 

(2) Nothing in subsection (1) above shall be taken to prohibit the doing of anything for the purpose of treating or preventing the spread of disease.

 

(3) In any proceedings in connection with the application of this section a court shall draw such inferences as to the intention of the local authority as may reasonably be drawn from the evidence before it.

 

(4) In subsection (1)(b) above “maintained school” means,

(a) in England and Wales, a county school, voluntary school, nursery school or special school, within the meaning of the Education Act 1944; and

(b) in Scotland, a public school, nursery school or special school, within the meaning of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980.”

 

(2) This section shall come into force at the end of the period of two months beginning with the day on which this Act is passed.

[andyofborg]

Sorry, can't make babies, with each other.

 

maybe, maybe not. but it's fun trying......

[AdamSmith]

Such policies will serve to further alienate young people who find themselves attracted to members of the same sex, at a time when they are extremely vulnerable and isolated. They also make homophobic bullying more likely. For these reasons, I feel such policies are wrong.

 

oh pleeease:roll: why are they vulnerable? why are they isolated its their choice, bullying????? depends on your definition, if you mean someone who actively seeks attention and wants everyone to know what their orientation is and some tell them to go away and they dont like it?/ they will probably call it being bullied.

if being gay is so important to them it shouldn't matter, just get on with life gay or not nobody really cares what you do, dont make a big song and dance about it! schools should not actively promote or deny homosexuality....its not the schools job!!!

[Plain Talker]

Would you say the same, Adam Smith, about someone being harassed because they are female? or because they are Black or because they are disabled?

 

"It's your choice to be black!"

 

"You chose to be born female!"

 

"You chose to be born with/ acquire a disability!"

 

Iit is as wrong to say that being gay is a choice, any more than saying that your gender, your race, or your ability/disability is a choice.

 

I didn't "decide" to be born a female. I didn't "decide" to be born white. I didn't "decide" to be born with the condition I have... and, strangely enough, I didn't "decide" to be straight.

 

My black friends didn't "decide" to be born Black any more than my white, my Chinese, my Asian friends decided to be born *insert race here*.. My male friends didn't decide to be born male, any more than my female friends decided to be born female. It's no different with their sexuality.

 

As has been said so many times before, (And so obviously has still yet to sink in with you) if someone is gay, there is still prejudice against them, as evidenced by some hateful comments in this and other threads about this subject on the forum. it shows that we still have the longest way to go, when it comes to tolerance of peoples' being gay.

 

IS *insert name of whichever gay person here* asking/ demanding that you become gay? Are they making it mandatory?

 

Are you being expected to wear "Manscara"? "Guyliner"?

 

Are they demanding that you marry someone of the same gender, or at least taking away YOUR own choice whether or not you can marry whichever person of your choice?

 

No? then what the heck exactly is your problem? My lesbian friends don't demand that I butch up, and start "getting it on" with another female. Likewise I don't expect them to femme up (?_?) and start getting heavy with a bloke.

 

YOU have no sway over whom I fall in love with, and marry, same as I don't have any say whom you fall for and marry. so long as that person is legally free to marry, it's no business of anyone else's whom that person is, and whether they are the same gender, or of differing genders, so long as there's love and respect.

[Mister M]

Thanks PT, that was a very good rebutt to AdamSmith's comment.

 

To AdamSmith I'd say that it isn't the gay boys or girls that draw attention to their sexuality; it's that kids who percieve whether someone is gay or straight that make sexuality the big issue and persecute them because of it.

 

If you seriously believe what you wrote (which I highly doubt, no one could be that naive) then I suggest you read on the internet some of the truly heartbreaking stories of children bullied at school.

 

Ayden Olsen is just one of many: http://www.shykeenan.com/?page_id=348

 

Nobody's talking about promoting homosexuality - it'd be nice if they'd challenge homophobia and ignorance. Clearly your teachers didn't

[melthebell]

And your point is?

 

Infertile hetrosexual couples can't have babies either- so what?

 

Given that the world is grossly overpopulated and there are millions of unwanted orphans awaiting adoption I'm failing to see any problem whatsoever in homosexual couples being unable to have children.

hes trying to insinuate its wrong cos its not natural

[Obelix]

hes trying to insinuate its wrong cos its not natural

 

I dont undertand gay people. I suppose I'm depressingly heterosexual.

 

I can well imagine that gay people don't understand me. So what?

 

Something like 5% of the population are gay I think, not sure of the exact figures. As long as what they do is consensual, how is it really any different from what me and the girlfreind get up to (OK the menhir thing is a bit kinky I admit).

 

Just because some ancient book from thousands of years back says it's bad is that any reason to persecute people? Oooh yes gay people do the nasty, so what. Me and the girlfreind do, I bet mellthebell does as well (menhir accessories optional). Do their actions harm anyone? Do my actions harm them?

 

Some people are gay. Get over it I say, they are not really any different from me and you, which is another way of saying you are not any different from them. Surely there is space for all in this world, we've moved on from burning witches at the stake...

[Plain Talker]

hes trying to insinuate its wrong cos its not natural

 

And, neither is being left-handed, or diabetic... 10% of the population is Left handed. 10 % of the population are diabetic. 10% of the population are gay.

 

I'd ask Adam Smith just how much of a percentage does a part of the population have to be to not be "normal"

 

Is it 50 %?

 

49% of the population are male, 51% of the population are female...

Does this mean, therefore, as Males are in a minority, compared to females, does this mean that being male is abnormal?

 

40 % of the world's population now has internet access:- is it abnormal to have access or not to have access?

 

35 % of the population of the UK are classified as "Middle class". Does this mean it's abnormal to be anything but middle class?

 

what about eye colour?

 

In Estonia, 99% of people have blue eyes, according to a study by Hans Eiberg from the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the University of Copenhagen. In Germany, about 75% have blue eyes.

 

Does this mean that it's abnormal to have anything but blue eyes?

Worldwide, only 8% of the population has blue eyes, so taking that figure, then it is abnormal to have blue eyes.

[SevenRivers]

hes trying to insinuate its wrong cos its not natural

 

How do you arrive at that conclusion from my post at #3?

 

What is it you want them to say about gay relationships? There doesn't seem much else to say other than the two people are the same sex, and they can't have babies. Covered in one sentence.

 

In the context of teaching kids about relationship formats and sex education, which bit of my post are you taking issue with? Some seem to have taken issue with the fact that I have said that same sex couples cannot reproduce with each other (though goodness knows why as it's just a fact) then you are just jumping on the bandwagon without thinking.

 

PS what are you saying is not natural?

[Mr Bloom]

oh pleeease:roll: why are they vulnerable? why are they isolated its their choice, bullying????? depends on your definition, if you mean someone who actively seeks attention and wants everyone to know what their orientation is and some tell them to go away and they dont like it?/ they will probably call it being bullied.

if being gay is so important to them it shouldn't matter, just get on with life gay or not nobody really cares what you do, dont make a big song and dance about it! schools should not actively promote or deny homosexuality....its not the schools job!!!

 

I think your perception of school-aged children may be slightly off the mark. Rather than mincing around in silver hot pants and listening to Kylie, I think mostly, any kids who feel they 'might' be gay, would be frightened to death of this becoming general knowledge at school, as they hear the word 'gay' bandied around as another term for 'naff', 'crap', or as a label for anything that is a departure from their norm and feel therefore they themselves must be 'naff', 'crap', or abnormal. And yes, of course kids and young adults are vulnerable.