Quote Originally Posted by Fragony
Then what purpose does this serve, let's start there. What has this to do with raising awareness, that is the aim of course.
One would imagine it helps young people normalise the sight of same-sex couples. In an ideal world, they wouldn't need the roleplay to do this because gay people would not be demonised and children would be exposed to so many negative stereotypes.

Personally, I don't think the roleplay process you have described has much value, but I am certain it won't turn a potentially heterosexual child into a homosexual one, any more than making the little girls and little boys hold hands in pairs will make them turn out to be happily married hetero couples.

Crikey, in my day (very dim and distant past ) any contact with girls was explicitly frowned upon, and before the age of about eleven, my friends and I would have avoided touching girls like the plague. The nuns told us that girls were pretty close to the spawn of the devil. Such indoctrination didn't linger long after normal proclivities kicked in.

You can't tell someone what their sexuality must be. You can impose prejudices and strictures to confine people to a societal norm and make them very unhappy.

I simply don't see why you feel so threatened by people expressing themselves. Since homosexuals don't appear to be mandating you to follow their choices (in marked contrast to your apparent position) what's the problem? I have several gay friends, two of whom chatted me up before we became friends. I took it as a compliment. Never once did I feel threatened in my own sexuality by them, their friends, or the parties they took me to.

I don't understand the fears, truly. I'd like to try and get my head round it, if you will try and explain.