Howey, what does one's sexual orientation have to do with their contributions to history? Read my previous posts. If you contributed to history, we teach about it. What does it matter that you are gay? Gay people have contributed to history since the beginning of time, valuable contributions. Does their sexuality make their contributions any more or less historic? I don't care that Tennesee Williams was gay, I do however value his literary works. Why does everyone have to have their sexuality as an identifier next to their
name?
You know me Howey. I may be conservative but I support gay rights, gay marriage, gay adoption etc. But to teach "gay history" is idiotic, divisive and counter productive.
Ms Peterson, omitted? DaVinci? Tchaikovsky? Oscar Wilde? Cole Porter? Noel Coward? Laurence Olivier? Tennessee Williams? Eleanor Roosevelt, Melissa Etheridge, Martina Navratilova, Billie Jean King, Barney Frank, J. Edgar Hoover, Rock Hudson.
I didn't know that five of the people you listed were gay. I'm willing to wager that a hetero wouldn't realize even more than that were, either. Other than Billie Jean King, of course.
I think the problem with this is that you and others are looking at this through your own eyes, minds, and prejudices...while I look at it like enlightening the young listener to these persons accomplishments in spite of the societal stigma of their sexuality.
For example:
"Booker T. Washington was a prominent black leader of a century ago."
"Martina Navritolova was a lesbian tennis player who was one of the world's greatest."
The crux of those statements is not directed at you, me, or those who follow your words. It's directed to the young man or woman facing the stigma of their skin color or their own sexuality and the societal bigotry that comes with it while at the same time adjusting and coping with young adulthood. The realization that "Hey, if that famous person was so successful and happened to be gay, maybe I can be too." I know I certainly could have appreciated it when I was growing up.
It's about role models for our youth. There's nothing wrong with that. What is wrong is the ignorance of those refuse to accept anything but the "norm".
