Personal mythology

[fpb]

Everything I find written about practicing homosexuals intimates that they were aware of their "difference" from an early age, and certainly from their teens. But in my own experience, the two homosexual men I knew best only turned to their own sex in their mid-twenties, after considerable experience with women. And I would like to be sure that this business of young teens being already gay is not a matter of retrojection and personal mythology. After all, there has hardly ever been a teen-ager who did not feel "different".

Comments

[fellmama.livejournal.com]

My point wasn't that one should single out homophobic bullying for particular censure, but that children will be bullied on the grounds that they're gay regardless of whether they are or not. Noncomformist children are always at a higher risk of being bullied, and this should be unconscionable no matter what the basis. I personally would be happiest seeing anti-bullying initiatives that made it clear that there are no "acceptable" targets for bullying, but the parents of a white, middle-class, thin, male child who is bullied for being "gay" are of course going to focus on that aspect.

[fpb.livejournal.com]

I think anti-bullying initiatives are a waste of time. What has to happen is to empower teachers to enforce discipline in and out of class. To make it a special problem instead of a part of the socialization issues of pretty much all children means to fail to understand what you are dealing with.

[stahlhelm.livejournal.com]

Pretty much my thoughts on anti-bullying legislation/policy. Making an "anti-" campaign is a recipe for disaster. No amount of awareness seminars, benefit concerts and guest speakers will fix what is ultimately a symptom of the American public's disgusting lack of self control and discipline.

[fpb.livejournal.com]

children will be bullied on the grounds that they're gay regardless of whether they are or not
If this is your point, this means that your whole strand has nothing to do with what I was trying to say in the original post.