New International LGBT Education Group Formed To Combat Homophobia

[davidinalameda]

http://www.365gay.com/Newscon06/03/032706intlEd.htm

Educators from around the world have begun a new organization to combat homophobia in schools and assist LGBT teachers.

The Global Association for LGBT Education arose from research in 19 countries across 5 continents, which showed educators wanted to exchange information and to work systematically on training the media, police forces, health professionals and school teachers about LGBT issues in school systems said Peter Dankmeijer, one of the founders of the association.

Dankmeijer, a former teacher from the Netherlands, began to realize the need for an international body in 1997 when he was asked by Amnesty International to organize an international workshop on LGBT education.

He said that he expected education about LGBT issues to be quite different all over the world, due to cultural, religious and political differences but he and the participants at the workshop were surprised to discover that they had a lot in common.

[MuseRider]

1. Education is essential.

I just bookmarked this site. Thanks.

[chaumont58]

2. This has to be a good idea

Really, society has no more interest in sexual preferences than whether a person is right handed or left handed. I'm left handed, and my generation was one of the first to be allowed to use its left hand to write. This was in the mid 40s. Prior to that, left handers were forced to write right handed. What was the earth shaking difference that cause all to be right handed? I think the word sinister is derived from the Latin word for left handed, but perhaps not.
It seems to me that countries such as India and China would embrace the gay citizen. Their population growths are real problems.

[triakis36]

3. This would be a blessing..

..especially after reading that article on Iraq Death squads. Education is definitely one way to turn all this hate around. People all over the world would wish they didn't have to think about it, that we didn't exist, or that their children might be queer. But really what's so bad about it, except the perception that there's something bad about it. Being gay doesn't define my worth anymore than the color of my skin.