As MPs vote to lower the homosexual age of consent to 16 and try to broker a compromise deal with the House of Lords over its rejection of repeal of Section 28 banning the promotion of homosexuality in schools, Children's Express journalists give their views.
| People should be respected, no matter what they believe in, or what sex they are, or what sex they fancy. |
Anna Bradshaw, 16
Gay issues should be taught in school. This would be better than people learning about it in fictional TV series like Queer as Folk. The whole matter should be seen on a social level, not simply on a media level, to change peoples attitudes.
If children in schools have any concerns about being gay there is no-one they can talk to. Talking about homosexuality should be really important in making young people more aware of the issues.
People that think they are gay might keep it locked inside because they are afraid of being beaten up or of losing their friends Oh, I am not hanging around with her/him, theyre gay. Even an adult who should have known better made a clever comment when they saw me and a friend arm-in-arm. She said with a sneer on her face: Put each other down, people may start jumping to conclusions. Its throwaway comments like that which stop people talking about gay issues at school. People should be respected, no matter what they believe in, or what sex they are, or what sex they fancy.
Sara Hawkins, 15
People who disagree with the teaching of children about being gay are the ones who have the problem with it. The few people who dont want homosexuality taught in schools are those who are afraid of the thought and dont really understand homosexuality themselves.
Teaching sex education in schools has never been a problem, and by teaching the facts of different sexuality wont be a problem. Teaching the facts about gay life is not influencing young children to become homosexual because its individual, natural and chemical.
There shouldnt be as much fuss about the issue. People are making a problem out of nothing. People in my school would find it difficult to come out. I think at the moment someone who came out gay at school could find themselves isolated and ostracised. I personally would not treat a gay person any differently, but I think rumours could be circulated by really childish kids and no-one would know how to handle the situation. There could probably even be fights and bullying. This is why awareness of homosexuality is so important.
Schools need to be prepared for any young person to come out and say they are gay because Im sure the number is rising of people coming out at school.
Mark Lewis, 14
There is nothing wrong with being a lesbian or gay. It is just like being black or white, everyone is the same. If they want to be like that then it is their choice, not ours. At school, maybe there are a few people who have feelings for the same sex.
The reason no-one comes out is because they think that others would not understand and they would take the mickey. Some might have told their teachers because they might think they will understand. If I was a homosexual, I would find it really hard to admit to it in front of my class because people would bully you and get you down. One of the best ways to resolve this matter would be to involve someone from out of school who is gay, or a lesbian, to talk about it, so people might understand.
Erin Spence, 13
We should be allowed to be taught about same sex relationships. These days it is not as unusual as it used to be and its much more in the publics awareness. Schools should be allowed to teach us about gay relationships so that children our age and younger can come to understand gay people enough to get rid of all the prejudice and stereotypes so that these people dont have to keep their sexuality a secret.
If two people love each other it doesnt have to matter if they are a man and woman or both the same sex. Two gay men have been in the news recently because they wanted to adopt a child. I think that if a loving couple would like to have a child why cant they? It shouldnt matter what sex they are. What matters to a child is that it has lots of love. Today, a lot of children are not lucky enough to have two parents who love each other.
If someone in my family was gay it would not matter to me because I would love them for the person they are. Thats whats important, not what they do in private with someone else.
Davind McDowell, 14
There is nothing wrong with someone going with the same sex. People should try to understand that some people prefer to be gay than straight, and if they are happy about that then others should be happy for them.
Being gay is a subject that should be taught in school as it comes under the subject of sex education. Teenagers need to be taught about these things because some children are maybe confused about their sexuality. There are people who I know at school who maybe want to be different in some way and they always get called names. I sometimes feel sorry for them. I think that kids in school could get bullied if anyone every found out they were gay.
When I see gay people together I sometimes hear people nearby saying silly remarks. I have seen and met some gay people and I think they are no different to anyone else.
Sheriena Risden, 13
What matters is what youre like as a person, not what sex you prefer. You cant judge a person by their sexuality.
In schools, adults should sometimes be more careful in what they say. They might be talking to a boy or girl who is gay/lesbian and the young person may want to talk about his/her sexuality, but theyre scared about the way people might react. If an adult makes comments like Oh,, why are you staring at him/her? Are you in love? they may only mean it as a joke but that would prevent a young person talking about their sexuality.
When gay people know theyre gay, they should be able to express their feelings without it being shameful or without thinking that others will give them a hard time.
About this article
This article was published in the Sheffield Star.
