Hello lovely people!
Funnily enough, I had a completely different video planned for today but as you may have
seen from my Twitter-
If you’re not already following me on Twitter, my handle is @JessicaOOTC, which stands for
JessicaOutOfTheCloset- which is my Instagram name. Because: Gay. And Fashion... Mainly
Gay.
As you may have seen on my Twitter, my last video, looking at historical inaccuracies
in the recent film Mary Queen of Scots, was demonetised for content.
Content that you’re taught when you’re about eight.
In a classroom. In school.
But no, history is just too exciting for youtube… or some such tosh.
(That means ‘rubbish’ in British)
I’d say it’s pretty safe content but I don’t get to make the rules, I just have
to live by them and then mass email YouTube to complain about it. I’m thorough that
way.
If you’d like to lend a hand in this situation, and believe that it is indeed ‘tosh’ please
(A) complain to youtube and (B) consider buying a piece of my merch, because it’s adorable
and I have bills to pay.
- limited edition ‘some such tosh’ merch available until the 25th of May, terms and
conditions apply, I’m joking there are no terms and conditions, it just sounds fancy.
Speaking of the demonetisation of educational content and misguided adults overreacting
about what children’s brains can deal with… I decided to hell with it, let’s make another
video that is likely to get hit:
‘Why LGBTQ+ relationships should be taught in schools.’
If you disagree with that statement, keep watching to the end because… you’ll get
chocolate. And it’s important to hear different points of view.
Despite being a disabled AND gay content creator, I don’t often get hit with the ‘not suitable
for all advertisers’ stick. I generally keep my channel and social medias ‘family
friendly’, both because (1) this Britishness is not an act, I am this much of a Victorian
in real life, I don’t swear and I don’t like talking about downstairs things and (2)
As someone who knew I was very gay from a very young age I think it’s vital that there
is content out there that is accessible for baby queers. As a child I desperately wanted
to be able to see gay content that wasn’t based on sex or physical intimacy-
Or weird tense lesbian relationships where the new bad girl at school corrupts the other
one with all of her sexual prowess and eyeliner and then someone has to die.
Just like straight kids enjoy cute, innocent portrayals of disney princes and princesses
who meet, get married and only then kiss for the first time yet say ‘ew’ when they
see adults kissing… I wanted a cute, innocent portrayal of two princesses who go on adventures
together, get married and kiss once-
And no one dies!
‘Sexuality’ does not equal ‘sex’ ‘Homosexuality’ does not equal ‘oh my
god, explicit, why is everyone naked?!’
Which brings us to the main problem we’re talking about today: the thought that even
the idea of LGBTQ+ people existing is too ‘mature’ to be talked about in schools.
Because, obviously, people don’t become gay or trans until their 18th birthday(!)
At midnight. On the dot.
And gay parents don’t exist(!) We’re gay, then we have kids, and we become asexual until
the 18th birthday of our youngest child. At midnight. On the dot.
No wait, asexuals are on the rainbow spectrum!
Darn!
Ruined!
This is currently what we call ‘a drama’ in England following protests by parents at
Parkfield Primary School in Birmingham over the ‘No Outsiders’ project, which teaches
tolerance of diverse groups.
Let me repeat that for you: it teaches tolerance of diverse groups.
It’s not sex education. It’s nothing to do with sex. It merely teaches that minority
groups exist and that’s okay.
As part of this project, pupils are taught about the positive values of diversity, tolerance
and acceptance, in a wide-ranging curriculum encompassing LGBT+ rights, same-sex relationships,
gender identity, race and religion.
Hilariously however, parents decided to protest this with signs reading ‘say no to no outsiders’.
Um….
So ‘say yes to exclusion’?
So you’re okay with a child being ostracised because of their sexuality, gender identity
or even… race?
You might argue differently but that’s what you’re saying.
You’re saying that isolating a child, putting them in the corner, bullying them, is fine
if they are a minority. It’s fine to do that to a child who is not white, it’s fine
to do that to a child who is not straight, it’s fine to do that to a child who is not
Christian.
Tension between the parents and the school were escalated when local Labour MP Shabana
Mahmood intervened and appeared to side with parents opposing the lessons for religious
reasons.
- again, all these lessons are saying is that gay people exist and you shouldn’t hit them.
Tory MP Andrea Leadsom then got involved and said it was “absolutely right” for parents
to be able to withdraw their children up to a certain age from LGBT+ classes as parents
should get to decide when their children “become exposed to that information”.
Exposed.
Exposed?
Exposed?!
I didn’t realise my gayness was nuclear radiation but now I do I’m hoping it gives
me a cool mutant power! Like the ability to turn everything sparkly around me.
What Leadsom’s words ‘expose’ is how little understanding there is of what the
queer existance is about. Spoiler: not just genitals.
I love my wife. I love my wife like a straight girl loves her husband. That love is not ‘different’
or ‘weird’ or ‘hypersexualised’. It’s just love. Love is pure, and it’s beautiful
and it’s harmless. When we have children they will be born from that love and they
will feel as securely, warmly adored as if they had a mum and a dad because there is
absolutely no difference.
But Andrea Leadsom doesn’t think that small children should see that love?
I guess what she’s trying to say is that, in order to be a good parent, the second my
wife gives birth I must hand her divorce papers, move out and love her from afar but not talk
to her until our child is a legal adult. At which point we are allowed to get remarried
and be happy together… probably until we become grandparents. When we’ll have to
get divorced again… until our grandchild is 18. Wow. This is going to be a lot of legal
work here, Andrea. I hope you’ve taken that into consideration… (!)
Whilst the parents who protested the lessons are Muslim, Leadsom’s weighing in shows
that this isn’t an issue confined to any one faith. And also that faith isn’t an
excuse. You don’t get to hit someone and then say “oh, it’s okay, you can’t tell
me off for that, my religion doesn’t like that person.”
(despite what history says)
We can’t call this a ‘culture war’ and say that it’s just people with a different
ethnic background who are confused about inclusivity in this country, because there are plenty
of ethnically British people who are intolerant too.
Just saying.
Intolerance thrives across society.
Actually, no, it’s not just intolerance, it’s homophobia.
If you are uncomfortable with your child learning about the existence of LBGTQ+ people, you
are being homophobic.
That’s it.
Every single classroom in this country has some LGBTQ+ pupils and likely some same-sex
or trans parents too. Fact.
Not talking about LGBT+ people doesn’t make those people disappear. All it does is shame
people, damage their mental health, stigmatise children and encourage bullying.
There is always that child in the class whom you know is gay. Always. Doesn’t matter
how old the children are. It’s not necessarily because they fit a certain stereotype it’s
just… a thing you can tell. And it’s a thing the other children can tell- come on,
you remember. You don’t know WHY that child is different, you don’t know HOW you can
tell… you just know. And so do the bullies. How is a teacher meant to protect that child
if even mentioning sexuality is an issue?
This protest is a reminder of the fragility of the rights we’ve fought so hard for,
given that a vocal minority can take them away so quickly. It is a little signal that
goes off in my head to say ‘nope, you’re not safe. Always remember you’re not safe.’
And that’s ridiculous. This is the twenty first century. But I will always feel that
tiny bit of fear.
I only hope that the generations beneath me don’t. I didn’t learn about homosexuality
in primary school. At all. If kids talked about it in class it was hushed up by a teacher
and thus made even more taboo.
I was taught to respect different cultures at school. I was taught to respect different
religions. But that didn’t make me Jamaican, that didn’t make me Hindu.
Learning about straight people in school did not turn me straight. Clearly. Do you honestly
think your child is so suggestible that they could become gay just by learning about gay
people? Are you saying your child is stupid or are you just admitting that you’ve done
a terrible job as a parent?
Because, if you’re THIS worried, I’m concerned it’s the second one.
You should seek counseling for these feelings.
Why am I talking to the parents? They’re the least important people in this whole mess!
The most important people are the children, all of the children, not just the queer ones
either. From these lessons heterosexual children learn that gay people are nothing to be scared
of. Learning about different types of people does nothing but enrich minds and make you
a better person. The longer this information is kept from children, the more taboo it becomes.
Our world is dominated by heterosexuality. LGBT+ children deserve to be told that they
aren’t shameful. Saying nothing- doing nothing to help that is a form of neglect.
So, to the those children (even if you’re a big kid now):
You are wonderful, you are valid, you’re only as ‘alternative’ as you choose to
be. You deserve all of the love that is waiting for you. If you feel alone right now please
know that you have a supportive community out here and we can help you. There are millions
of people around the world just like you, who are feeling all of your feelings, you
are never alone and you never will be alone. We’re right beside you and you are strong
enough to make it through. I’m proud of you.
And now I’ve made myself cry…
Just remember, if anyone tells you you’re not ‘age appropriate’ due to being gay,
it’s: TOSH.
[available from the link in the description]
Thank you for watching this most likely age-restricted and demonetised video.
I’ll see you on Friday.
[kiss]