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Annn
Guest
It’s not a sexually-oriented club, it’s a club for people with sexual orientations that are not “straight.” Being queer does not imply sexual activity for teens anymore than being straight does.
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KingAlfred
Guest
Proceed with caution. In Texas, doing so is extremely risky business.
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pnewton
Guest
If the club was done in the vein of AA or NA, then I could see such a point. Namely, dealing with temptation for the purpose of over-coming temptation. If not, then you are kidding yourself if you think it won’t be a hook-up club.
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estesbob
Guest
Then why is a club needed?
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blessedtoo
Guest
What type of support are you expected to offer? If they want to discuss very personal issues with YOU, how do YOU respond?
Positive according to whose definition? If melensdad’s wife tells a young man that he should not act on his sexual feelings for another young man, what do you think is going to happen to melesdad’s wife? Conversely, how could she possibly provide support without encouraging this young man in some way?
Would LOVE to see that research.
Could you provide an example of unbiased support? If a young girl comes to you because her friends and family disapprove of her homosexuality, what “support” do you offer?
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pnewton
Guest
This could be a second good reason not to start such a club. One could easily find themselves on the moral low road against the parents attempt to teach solid godly principles.
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Annn
Guest
So that students who are often harassed in schools (many times because they do not fit neatly within the gender binary, or because kids think that having a queer orientation makes someone not a “real man” or a "real woman) can offer each other mutual support. My high school didn’t have a SGA or anything like that, but from what I understand many times it’s just a social group, a lot more informal perhaps than other orginizations, where other kids can talk about their experiences both negative and positive/both related and unrelated to being queer.
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estesbob
Guest
Is homosexualtiy affirmed as ok in these meetings?
Are there clubs for short kids? Nerds? Kids who stutter? Kids inept at sports?
When I was in School it seems like there were all sorts of us who were “harrassed” for all sorts of reasons.
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Annn
Guest
Yeah, and kids who are harassed often band together in various ways (for example, “nerdier” kids at my college often join the sci-fi club in order to fit in.) And kids who are “inept at sports” join clubs together. If you can find a group of people harassed for the same reasons you’re harassed, I don’t see how sitting around and talking about it could be bad. And I’ve never been to a high school GSA meeting, so I don’t know what is discussed.
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Annn
Guest
And I do know from personal experience that the biggest things I wanted to talk to adults about were the following: Will my friends stop liking me if they find out I’m gay? Will my parents stop loving me? How/when do I tell people? Should I tell people? Etc.
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estesbob
Guest
The premise being that there is nothing wrong with homosexuality , that the problem is how to overcome others “bigotry”?
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Annn
Guest
No, just how not to get kicked out of my house. Which I wasn’t. Or to lose my friends. Which I didn’t. I don’t think I mentioned “bigotry” anywhere. And I also never discussed anything “sexual” in nature with any of the people (some Catholic, some not) with whom I sought support.
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mdgspencer
Guest
I wonder if this original poster could provide the actual name of this “club.” There are national movements that seek to establish such school groups that have set agendas. With the actual name of this school group, perhaps then we could find out what it represents…
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blessedtoo
Guest
The most that any of the research will assert is that there is a LINK between sexual orientation and suicidal tendencies. I can agree that this may be present and that it is often compounded by other factors (as ALL the research illustrates) such as drug and sexual abuse, poor home environments, etc. And I would agree, as I would for any youngin’ who struggles with the pains of adolescence, that support should be available.
Where we parts ways is in the definition of “support.”
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estesbob
Guest
With regard to completed suicide, there are no national statistics for suicide rates among gay, lesbian or bisexual (GLB) persons. Sexual orientation is not a question on the death certificate, and to determine whether rates are higher for GLB persons, we would need to know the proportion of the U.S. population that considers themselves gay, lesbian or bisexual. Sexual orientation is a personal characteristic that people can, and often do choose to hide, so that in psychological autopsy studies of suicide victims where risk factors are examined, it is difficult to know for certain the victim’s sexual orientation. This is particularly a problem when considering GLB youth who may be less certain of their sexual orientation and less open. In the few studies examining risk factors for suicide where sexual orientation was assessed, the risk for gay or lesbian persons did not appear any greater than among heterosexuals, once mental and substance abuse disorders were taken into account.
parentingteens.about.com/cs/gayteens/a/gayyouthsuicide.htm
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blessedtoo
Guest
See, I believe that such questions should NOT be a topic of conversation in a school environment. But then I don’t think ANY sex education should take place in school. IMO, this is government infringing on the rights of privacy of both the student and the parents.
Why should we, as a society, expect teachers to be better equipped to answer questions like yours than a relative, a priest, or a therapist? I would NOT want a HS teacher advising my son or daughter on the best course of action to pursue should they find themselves facing the challenges of SSA.
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rpp
Guest
Suicide rates are higher with people who suffer from any form of mental disorder. Homosexuality is a mental disorder therefore it is would not surprise me if the rate of suicide is higher.
The answer, however, is not to tell people that homosexual activity of okay.
Additionally, it is important to note that the Church does not teach tolerance. “Tolerance” is a secular concept that has not place in authentic Catholic belief. Rather, we are to treat all people with dignity and respect. At the same time, we are to correct the sinner and educate the ignorant. Affirming someone in their sin is tantamount to condemning them to Hell. Is that love? Is that charity? Clearly not.
The answer, however, is not to tell people that homosexual activity of okay.
Additionally, it is important to note that the Church does not teach tolerance. “Tolerance” is a secular concept that has not place in authentic Catholic belief. Rather, we are to treat all people with dignity and respect. At the same time, we are to correct the sinner and educate the ignorant. Affirming someone in their sin is tantamount to condemning them to Hell. Is that love? Is that charity? Clearly not.
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lizaanne
Guest
This is NOT the role of a sponsor teacher, this would be the role of a Social Worker, someone who is a trained professional to deal with these types of questions.
The OP’s wife should decline - a teacher, while perhaps required for a club, has no business counseling children on their sexual orientation. Even if they happen to have the appropriate professional qualifications, in addition to their teaching credentials, it is not the place for a teacher to play both roles in the school environment.
~Liza
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rpp
Guest
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