I was reading one of my favorite blogs poly percolations poly in the news when I saw this brightly colored poster. If you will link in and read the article you will see that it is about the safe spaces project in some Canadian schools. I won't really talk much about that, more about the backlash so, go, read the article and come back. I'll be here....
Ok, so my first let me say; "Go Canada!" for presenting positive relationship styles imagery. Second, what the crap is up with people? Do they not know this is going on? I mean poly and LGBTQ are here and have been throughout history why are you getting so bent out of shape about it. Apparently, it's not ok for kids to know that there are lots of different types of family structures.
If we defined family as a micro-political structure for the nurturing, protection, and provision for all family members which aids personal growth for productive citizenship in the society in which it lives and for the transmitting of useful values and mores. We would be a lot better off.
Oh, our kids can't know about poly and LGBTQ because they might think that it is ok to roll with your natural feelings. I posit this is because parents don't really talk with kids about these issues and don't really want to, so if we can make society's imagery match our values we don't have to worry so much. It's not going to happen. As long as there is a stigma, often supported by religion, to having gay, lesbian, bi, transgender, queer or poly kids there will be this sort of backlash.
Gone are the days of tightly closeted lives to maintain the lie that there is only one way to live happily and functionally. Look, if you want to protect kids there must be awareness that all of us have things we like and things we don't like and it's ok to be different. If you don't know ask, if you are confused by your feelings talk to someone who gets it. As long as having LGBTQ or poly kids frightens the crap out of parents this sort of stuff will keep being an issue. You can't legislate morality it must be lived and we now live in a global community in which tolerance is more useful than tight protection of intimate values that actively take away the rights of others.
We have already proved that what kids see is important in developing their values. At least in America we see so much violence in our media and it has become the go to solution for more people. School shootings, public violence, and rape are all on the rise, why? Because we are powerless and violence makes us feel more powerful. Why are we powerless? Because it isn't ok to be who we are. Wouldn't it make more sense to focus on, and thereby expand what is more useful?
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