Minister of State for Education and Youth, Senator Noel Monteith, receives a Parenting Training Manual from Janet Brown, Treasurer and Consultant with Parenting Partners, at the official launch of November as Parents' Month at the Ministry in Kingston.
The Ministry of Education and Youth in partnership with the Coalition for Better Parenting for Children on (Nov. 1) launched Parents' Month under the theme 'Parents: Today you guide. Tomorrow they lead', at the Ministry's Heroes' Circle offices.
Addressing the launch, State Minister in the Ministry, with responsibility for Youth, Senator Noel Monteith, said the concept of a month to celebrate the achievements of parents and guardians in Jamaica was commendable.
"Our parents play a vital role as they guide and nurture the future leaders of this country. All sectors of society should respect and support parents and other guardians in their efforts to nurture and care for children in the home environment," Senator Monteith said.
Senator Monteith said he believed that the family today was in a state of crisis. "The upsurge in violent crimes, the shift in values and morals, the rise in divorce and separation and the increase in the abuse of children are all indicators of this," he noted.
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So as we continue to be sidelined due to fear and hate from the mostly christian right and hetero normative focused groups the realities seem to escape them as the obvious is growing in the background in a sense. I bet the training manual as is being presented in the photo above mentions nothing of same sex parenting, typical, and we all remembered what happened some time ago when a popular home and families school text written by Caribbean authors which has been used for over 10 years here nearly got pulled when hysteria was created due to one line that mentioned same sex families as another type of family unit.
Gleaner story: EXCERPT
Same-sex lessons - Ministry-recommended textbook lists homosexual unions as family option
"Tyrone Reid, Enterprise Reporter
Several secondary school teachers are caught in a bind trying to explain homosexual unions as a viable family option as presented in a Ministry of Education-recommended textbook.
The controversial clause in the book entitled, C-SEC Home Economics and Beyon
d (Management) by Rita Dyer and Norma Maynard, reads: "When two women or two men live together in a relationship as lesbians or gays, they may be considered as a family. They may adopt children or have them through artificial insemination."
I am sure that Mr. Monteith's reference to the family being in crisis as stated above and the shift in morals also includes the notion that gays are changing things or somehow poisoning or affecting the family by going into same sex unions or asking for marriage as was embellished during the Sexual Offences Bill Debate.
Lets not also forget the similar stink that was created when performing arts group Ashe launched their Parenting Vibes book in 2003 where a similar uproar though short lived occurred as it also spoke to same sex couples as a family unit.
What are we afraid of?
The book was withdrawn after sections of the society, including the Roman Catholic Church, objected to some of the content in the facilitator's manual.But in its determined effort to use the performing arts to convey the message of better parenting,
ASHE did not only revise sections of the book, but created an improved and fun-filled medium in the 'Parenting Vibes' drama to effectively and easily communicate its message
Gay Parenting (a view on the ground)
As I hinted the post as captioned above many adults today in the LGBTQ communities had children from previous heterosexual unions or common law relationships but chose to continue or explore their same sex lives instead as either single parents or raising them with another same sex partner with some extraordinary results from just basic observation.
here is an excerpt
Visible outcomes
"One particular male who has three adopted boys did so out of the need for them to have a father figure as they were the product of two HIV+ parents who subsequently passed away. He is very strict with them and doesn't allow them to stray an inch, his gay lifestyle does not seem to impede his ability to father them and he has taught them that there are many types of people in the world. The boys age from the eldest 14, 12 and 10. All are attending school and are doing fairly well. They are aware of their parents' fate and are counselled by professionals who keep a close watch on them. I guess with these support systems in place it would be easier to manage these children especially in our homophobic setting where even kids often emulate what the adults do to other children who behave differently than what is expected.
I am aware of a lesbian couple who entered into a relationship some time ago with both of them having children from previous hetero unions, the kids have since been raised to be tolerant and are compatible with each other, they are told by their moms exactly what is happening and of their parents' orientation, the boy and girl ages 11 and 8 seem not to be perturbed by the arrangements and are doing well in school and socially as well. The father of the boy is active in his life and although he is upset with the mother (according to her) he speaks to both women when he visits the home to see his son making sure not to show any descent in front of them as responsible adults should behave.
There is a male couple who have been together for a while, one of the men has a son from a previous marriage but the union ended in divorce, The mother decided to share custody of the child although she was aware of her ex husband's new lifestyle and living arrangements. He has been visiting his son at her home where she now has a new spouse and the child also comes to his home as well. The growing boy, as most children do, has been asking alot of questions and both parents deliberated on how to handle the information so he would understand and the timing of it as well with confidentiality. To their surprise after they painstakingly discussed the issues with him he said openly to them that he loves them no matter what. This from an eleven year old. Kids are not fools, never undersestimate children." (ENDS)
"One particular male who has three adopted boys did so out of the need for them to have a father figure as they were the product of two HIV+ parents who subsequently passed away. He is very strict with them and doesn't allow them to stray an inch, his gay lifestyle does not seem to impede his ability to father them and he has taught them that there are many types of people in the world. The boys age from the eldest 14, 12 and 10. All are attending school and are doing fairly well. They are aware of their parents' fate and are counselled by professionals who keep a close watch on them. I guess with these support systems in place it would be easier to manage these children especially in our homophobic setting where even kids often emulate what the adults do to other children who behave differently than what is expected.
I am aware of a lesbian couple who entered into a relationship some time ago with both of them having children from previous hetero unions, the kids have since been raised to be tolerant and are compatible with each other, they are told by their moms exactly what is happening and of their parents' orientation, the boy and girl ages 11 and 8 seem not to be perturbed by the arrangements and are doing well in school and socially as well. The father of the boy is active in his life and although he is upset with the mother (according to her) he speaks to both women when he visits the home to see his son making sure not to show any descent in front of them as responsible adults should behave.
There is a male couple who have been together for a while, one of the men has a son from a previous marriage but the union ended in divorce, The mother decided to share custody of the child although she was aware of her ex husband's new lifestyle and living arrangements. He has been visiting his son at her home where she now has a new spouse and the child also comes to his home as well. The growing boy, as most children do, has been asking alot of questions and both parents deliberated on how to handle the information so he would understand and the timing of it as well with confidentiality. To their surprise after they painstakingly discussed the issues with him he said openly to them that he loves them no matter what. This from an eleven year old. Kids are not fools, never undersestimate children." (ENDS)
It was only recently I heard my neighbour spanking her 9+ year old son and telling him to stop acting like a girl, I couldn't believe what I was hearing, obviously some folks just hatch kids like chickens and don't know the first clue to raising them especially a dynamic male who is clearly gifted but happens to be effeminate which does not suggest he is gay or be effeminate in adulthood.
The lack of proper social interventions over the years as well from our main advocates is frightening, nothing on record to speak to LGBT family structure, training seminars or at best a press release (the factory) as they are nicknamed JFLAG has surely missed the boat as far as those are concerned yet social interventions is listed as a major activity on their brochure. They are and have been silent on these other monthly observances and issues for nearly all their existence.
Bisexuality month for e.g. was in September yet nothing, LGBT History Month was in October and nothing either, great to see the public agitations but after 13 years around we need better representation than that, the agitations seem to be nothing more than just a PR campaign to reposition themselves in the eyes of an ever more cynical and distrusting Jamaican GLBTQI community after all when they look elsewhere they see groups and people getting the business of advocacy going with results.
There are more and more persons with children who are pursuing same sex relationships, they need to recognize that or is it due to the makeup of the organization as mostly single gay men are there that causes this seeming insensitivity towards this subject of raising children and by extension lesbian issues as well?
Follow the other entries on Gay Parenting from this blog HERE
Or related entries from GLBTQ Jamaica HERE
Peace and tolerance
H
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