Biggest Gay Lobby Group in America Urges Schools to Ban Words ‘Boy’ and ‘Girl’

originally posted by: Thecakeisalie

originally posted by: Gryphon66
a reply to: Thecakeisalie

Yeah, none of that has any meaning in regard to intersex people nor in regard to suggestions for classrooms.

If you decide to discuss the matter seriously, let me know.

Oh, i'm being quite serious.

i'm questioning the fact, the fact that '1 in a 100 people are intersex' and i'm asking, quite seriously, how do you know that is a fact?

Let's get serious.

When analysts take figures, they extrapolate. For example if you take ten random people out of a crowd, let's say seven watch TV every night. Then you can say that seventy percent of people on earth watch TV-however that doesn't include tens of millions of kids in the world that wouldn't know what a TV is.

It is very, very easy to spin the figures. That's how we end up with spin doctors. A small control group does not reflect on humanity as a whole. Nine out of ten doctors agree*

*from a select group of ten doctors.

I agree, some times i really wish they would add some additional context to the raw percentage of lots of things they make percentages out of so we dont apply incorrect or misleading assumptions to.

Like 70% of people in citys or 70% of people of a base of 1 billion world wide etc and so on.

Yes, pointing out that males don't breastfeed truly strikes one as sincere ...

I have asked you several times whether you bothered to read anything on the link I produced you with. As you haven't answered and you thought we were discussing a survey, I still include that you haven't bothered and you're just going off your experiences growing up in Mayberry or wherever.

I don't mind providing links to anyone who wants to verify facts. I've done that. If you're interested you'll at least do enough work on your own to look at what I've already offered.

So far you've offered jokes and anecdotes.

a reply to: EKron

When I was in high school, I was a social pariah due to my looks and behavior.

I once knew a little girl that was a social pariah, she was extremely homely, her clothes were dirty and old and didn't fit very well, she lived down on the outskirts of town down in a raven in a shack next to a creek we call S*it creek, next to the junk yard.

Every day we would line up for lunch and they would stand back from her and make fun of her and say she had cooties, she never fought back, just hung her head, little Norma.

I don't remember a lot of names from school but I remember hers.

One day I told them all to shut up and leave her alone,

I never fit in again, and I never wanted to.

I don't fit in here, I don't fit in anywhere,

originally posted by: pfishy
a reply to: crazyewok

That's discriminatory towards Xeno. I'm sure that's the offspring of the deity of Scientology and Lucy Lawless, or something.

I'm offended just because I'm a insecure arse whole and what to be offended for the sake of being offended

a reply to: Stormdancer777

Being the odd one out is going to happen at sometime in everyone's life.

The reason for my signature, the motto I have lived by.

originally posted by: skunkape23
It ain't easy being a lesbian trapped in a man's body.
Keep on truckin'.

You do know that's an ignorant statement, right?

The gender is physical, but the orientation can be straight, bi, or same sex attraction.

a reply to: Annee

Lol...no I want to grow up being touchy, getting offended at every turn and constantly getting into arguments and debates about how I've been labelled and it's a terrible, terrible thing.

I've been labelled lot's of things over the years, I've been chosen last before, I've been sidelined and left out before. It's all part of the wealth of human experience and is as valid an experience as any.

Some people are thick skinned, you can scratch at them and they bounce back...seriously. You should listen to me, I'm batman.

originally posted by: samerulesapply

I've been labelled lot's of things over the years, I've been chosen last before, I've been sidelined and left out before. It's all part of the wealth of human experience and is as valid an experience as any.

Some people are thick skinned, you can scratch at them and they bounce back...seriously. You should listen to me, I'm batman.

Everyone has at one time or other. That's really not what this is about.

And why should a child be forced to have a thick skin as a child? Plenty of time for that to happen.

The really funny thing is all I did was contribute a rather childish post in what is, essentially...a thread about something which I view as childish. If labels ain't important then why care about changing them?

Yet you came along and told me what I don't understand, having never spoken to me, knowing nothing about me.

Isn't that what homophobes do to homosexuals? You leapt to conclusions based on the fact that I want to be batman...but yeah, there's a nugget of sarcasm to it...we all fantasise about being this or that, truth is I ain't batman.

no amount of calling myself batman will make it so...thus, I don't try to imitate his mannerisms, or his voice...nor do I dress like him because that'd be living a lie. But whatever,t hanks for taking the time to educate me about being labelled and outcast for being different or something.

I've learned so much over the last few days, like the irrefutable, absolutely undeniable truth - there are bigots on both sides. Some homophobes hate gays...and some gays hate straight people and think we're the ones with the problem. Me...i never had much of a problem with sexuality of any type. I will say this, I've known a couple of gay folk in my lifetime and it seems to be the main focus of who and what they are, everything they say and do is about their gender identity...yet they hate being labelled. I find this extremely contradictory but carry on.

a reply to: Annee

Nobody wants to force anyone to be anything. There you go again, telling me what I really mean, muchas gracias!

I don't care how sensitive or touchy someone is, most kids are touchy, you develop a thick skin and grow up into an adult. Nobody is saying kids should be callous or thick skinned...are you a kid?

You're the one who is hurt at apparently being groupd based on whatever...get over it, jeez.

I'll tell you about bigots and being grouped. I grew up in a small town in Scotland. son of a Catholic mother and father I went to Catholic school where some other bigots set about trying to condition and brainwash me.

As well as that, the area where I lived was predominately Protestant, sectarian violence was rife and Catholics were the scum of the day.

You think I don't know persecuation? Now who's casting aspersions? This still goes on to this day, but not as bad. Me? I'd no choice in the matter, period. There's no such thing as a closet catholic, you're either protestant or not andf that's that.

So don't talk to me about persecution, being sidelined. That's the environment in which I grew up, there were no choices, no hiding anything. Do you see me crying about being labelled...and how sobbing unfair it all was? No...it made me who I am, had things been different who knows who or what I'd be. It's irrelevant.

Point is being catholic was not the main focus of my life, I was pushed into that by well meaning parents who cared about their traditions. If I were a sensitive so and so I'd hold them responsible for my terrible, teeeeerrrrible upbringing and probably feel miserable...but I don't.

So there.

I'm the millionth person to say this, but noone is trying to ban anything. I think these recommendations are ridiculous, but they are recommendations only. Saying they are powerful, or might someday try to ban these words to defend the title of your sensationalist OP is intelluctualy dishonest.

originally posted by: samerulesapply

I don't care how sensitive or touchy someone is, most kids are touchy, you develop a thick skin and grow up into an adult. Nobody is saying kids should be callous or thick skinned...are you a kid?

You're the one who is hurt at apparently being groupd based on whatever...get over it, jeez.

No, I'm a 68 year old gramma who is raising a 3rd generation. Start 1st grade this month.

I went to school in the 50s. No such thing back then as anti-bullying, transgender, girls wearing pants to school, girls playing Little League.

Gender roles still firmly in place during the 50s.

It took us a while to call Blacks, Blacks, and Whites, Whites. When interracial births became commonplace we came up with a third option--- biracial.

We will come up with a suitable third name when it is wanted/needed. Until then, boys are boys, and girls are girls. Once they are old enough to identify with a specific gender, they can become that gender if they so choose.

In the meantime, this is food for thought.

a reply to: Annee

Well it would seem your experiences made you who you are, both good and bad. And in all sincerity I'm sure you're a fine and upstanding person.

I apologise if I was rude. To be perfectly frank I don't believe the claims being made in the OP and think that if any such agenda were pushed it would be hard to enforce. Plus it is silly and pointless. Language and communication rely on labels...no matter what we call ourselves.

It's not a bad thing to give things an identity...it's petty and irrelevant. I don't see words like boy or girl as anything other than a means to distinguish between two different things.

Anyways, I normally come to ATS for stories about monsters and goblins. Been a lot of these threads about recently, I even authored one. But I'm out, sorry again if I was rude.

a reply to: samerulesapply

It's not a bad thing to give things an identity...it's petty and irrelevant. I don't see words like boy or girl as anything other than a means to distinguish between two different things.

Of course. We have to have something to refer to. To not have that, is impractical.

I know I said I was out but I had a think and thought...actually not a bad idea.

We should rename lots of things. Starting with boy and girl, got to start somewhere. I don't mind that much as long as I can explain myself fluently and others can understand it.

But I don't want people in 50 years time to turn 'round all miserable because they no longer like being referred to as whatever they're being called at that particular juncture.

We need to agree on something first, and I'm open to suggestions and even willing to make some of my own.

I think that men should be called hoses and women cups. No doubt someone will object they always do.

Another even better idea would be to simply switch them, call girls boys and boys girls, bit boring though. Might as well spice things up a bit, bit of glitz, bit of glamour.

Another possibility is we just trade labels with a foreign country...spanish hoses will be known as boys and spanish cups as girls, and english speaking hoses will be senores and english speaking cups can be senoritas.

I love this thread!

a reply to: samerulesapply

Thank you. No prob. I rarely take things personal and simply respond with directness.

Society changes and schools are "children's society" which IMO should reflect the changes as well. I prefer progression (accepting changes as we evolve).

In my grandson's school they are not allowed to have Best Friends, Boyfriend/Girlfriend, or any situation that would be termed "exclusive" as it would exclude others.

Some of these young kids are very sexual. It's even shocking to me.

Everyone needs to (legally) go spend a few hours on a primary playground. Before giving an opinion on these young kids today.

a reply to: Annee

I know, I commented on a thread the other day about some of the tings my niece has said. My mother is really old fashioned and a total prude - and she's absolutely gobsmacked.

It's pretty insane, I don't think it's a good thing to be honest. Not being allowed to have a best friend because it excludes others...I cannot get my head around that at all.

I find that fact alone quite disturbing.

a reply to: samerulesapply

Yeah, that does seem pretty far-fetched to me as well. Especially not being allowed to be a couple. But, then again, I don't know the age group of this school, so maybe it's not quite as extreme as it seems. But the best friend thing, I just simply don't get that one.