Oh what a day it was... Or: Murphy's Law.

[franceslievens]

Not only did my software decide to stop working, when I came to the platform of the little station where I take the train to school, it was announced that due to a partial strike in protest against unsafety on the trains my train had been exceptionaly abolished. So I trudged home, to take the carkeys, only to end up in a traffic jam, because somewhere along the road some rather expensive cars were waiting to deliver their expensive looking passengers right in front of the door of the place they were heading to. When I came to school the bell had already rung, but classes hadn't started yet. Next I had made the mistake of actually trying to talk about homosexuality with five boys averaging between 16 and 18 – I think, there might be some even older. And to top it all off: Our Madame is a stupid cow.

That said I'm grateful I was PMS-ing last week or otherwise some innocent bystander would have died.

Comments

[candlelightfrot.livejournal.com]

It's tough talking about homosexuality with 16-18 year old boys.
I tried it once (when I was 16) and nothing came out right!

[frenchani.livejournal.com]

It depends on the topic and the way. I don't see the point of talking about homosexuality for itself...unless you're a sex teacher!

But some topics are linked to homosexuality. For instance one of the topics in ECJS (civic education) is the PACS which is a contract between too people living together... It gives them several rights. Some think it's a light marriage. Many gay couple chose to sign a PACS since they can't get married.

We can also talk about adoption so the adoption by gay couple (which isn't allowed in France btw) is evoked or the legal situation of gay parents etc...

BTW I have had at least two students, within the past two years, who lived with a couple of Lesbians.

The idea isn't to ask their opinions on those subjects but to make them think of what the situation means according to the political system, what is revealed about our democracy, how laws are made or un-made...how you can be a citizen etc...

They often forget to be their intolerant and conformist selves when you put things in a certain perspective.

And yes I know that living in Paris whose Mayor is gay can help. It was well-known but everybody tends to forget it since he never made a big deal of it and we don't care about politicians' private lives in France (unless they named their illegitimate but favourite daughter Mazarine of course!lol). And I'm sure that people will recall Bertrand Delanoe as the Mayor of Paris more than as the notorious gay socialist!

[frances-lievens.livejournal.com]

Well, the lesson prep wasn't all that great either. I've been terribly slacking recently. *sigh*
I should go beyond asking for their opinions, but unfortunately that doesn't seem to work out.

The focus of the class was homophobia and discrimination, though. Talking about homosexuality as such, isn't very interesting for them...

[candlelightfrot.livejournal.com]

Well... yeah.... in my case the topic was me and the way was during one of our Friday-night beer and drug fests in 1971 - nothing to do with any school class. That wasn't the correct time (in terms of event or era) to try to come out; and so I failed at it even though they were my closest friends. And I more or less shut up about it from there on.

[frenchani.livejournal.com]

1971 my birth year...

[candlelightfrot.livejournal.com]

Yes... I am a decrepit, old queer.

[frances-lievens.livejournal.com]

Aw, poor you. The words came out right, but they all had something like "don't understand it, don't want to understand it". One of them was even outright homophobic: "They can do what they want, but I don't want them as my friend." Lesbians on the other hand, was a whole different matter.
And they identified one teacher as gay, who very much isn't. I hope they were only joking on that one...

[candlelightfrot.livejournal.com]

Uhmm... no, at that time the words for me were all wrong and to be very frank I was so worried that I had popped several amphetamenes. That did not help, I was so high that I was stuttering and incoherant. I finally made my 'admission' to my friends to be about something more benign (my anal fetish) and let my coming out die.

You see in 1971 in rural America I had a lot to be nervous about. I had 2 years earlier told my best friend that my desires were for other males (though at the time not for him!). What I got from my then friend was a stream of invectives that put me off of revealing myself to anyone. You just couldn't be yourself at that time.

[candlelightfrot.livejournal.com]

You and Chani might be interested in reading this as concerns education and sexual orientation in America.

http://www.exodusmandate.org/art_20050509-sbc-resolution.htm

[frances-lievens.livejournal.com]

Oh dear... Did you know gay marriage is legal in Belgium? ;-)

a growing number of government schools are influencing our children to regard homosexuality as an acceptable lifestyle and silencing those within the schools who disagree
They might as well shoot me now...

[candlelightfrot.livejournal.com]

Yes... I knew. But isn't it something only 'similar' to civil marriage and only for Belgian gays and lesbians. I think I read about a gay Belgian who was denied marriage to his Spanish partner. In that respect there is a discriminatory aspect to the Belgian law.

[frances-lievens.livejournal.com]

They should have the same rights as other civil marriages, but are denied the right to adoption.

I didn't know about the non-Belgians being denied as well. In the Netherlands it is possible for other nationalities to marry Dutch gays.

Gonna look it up now and make a post of it...