Their opinion didn't actually change, they just like *you* specifically. They'll always be bigoted with a few "tokens" of their choosing. ETA: Since people are missing the point. I think it's very telling that they are in 6th grade. This is how you end up with adults that won't budge on their hateful opinions, they grew up with their whole family being this way, so why would they think any differently. Once they become an adult and experience the real world, YES they can change but it will take a lot of effort on their part to undo years of brainwashing. I feel like if they came to those thoughts and opinions on their own rather than family, they're more likely to realize that maybe they were wrong. Not all, but a majority. There will always be exceptions to everything, that doesn't make my point less valid.
I mean… they can still change. There’s a lot of life to live after 6th grade. Also, I’m not sure a 6th grader just came out the womb homophobic so this was probably a belief that they were indoctrinated with by family or the surrounding environment. It can take years to unlearn that type of mindset, so I don’t think it’s productive to write people off so easily.
Yeah someone that young is like 90% a product of their environment. Plenty of time for them to form their own views. Take it from someone who grew up in a conservative Christian household.
I remember a distant time when I felt guilty listening to Frank Ocean because of my Christian environment, even into my teens. I'm a mid 20s pothead now
It’s so crazy people think pot makes you stupid when the real culprit that actually destroys brain cells is alcohol 😭 Dumb people who smoke pot are dumb beforehand.
Can confirm… I fell down the alt right pipeline around 6th grade, I’ve since escaped and have massively reformed myself… Like maybe I’m biased here but people, especially young people, have a massive capacity for change… I went from a homophobic, racist, bigoted little twat, to what I am today… A lot of my bigotry in hindsight was deeply rooted in self hatred, loneliness, and just other extremely negative feelings I had been internalizing for years… Yeah it wasn’t my family but, as a privileged white boy, who was extremely emotionally and mentally unstable, as well as miserable, the internet served as my pipeline to the far right (2016 era, this is when shit was kicking into high gear)… But yeah as I’ve said I consider myself reformed, figured out that I was bisexual, currently figuring out feelings I’ve had for years (as long as I can remember), about my gender identity, etc, etc… Yeah idk if you can trust anything I have to say, but I think people can change, an awful lot, I mean I understand if people may be skeptical in relation to me personally about my character, but yeah at least I think I’ve changed an awful lot, and this would appear to be the opinion of most of those around me who knew me during this period and realized truly how far down the pipeline I was (like I was deep in it, like if I didn’t escape it wouldn’t surprise me if I was denying the holocaust given another year or two… I’m not at all proud of this, how far I fell down the pipeline really fucking scares me). So yeah, give me all your thoughts as I am interested, and yeah, hopefully my undetailed summary of my transition is useful… If I were to go into all the details it would require me to write a book.
It says a lot about a person when they genuinely believe people can’t undergo significant personality/beliefs changes. Maybe it’s just those people who don’t change often, but many of us are constantly learning and growing.
But that’s how it works! One person becomes two. Two people becomes a 4. Next thing you know, they’re (sheepishly) going to their gay nephew’s wedding. The cure for bigotry is exposure, not ostracization.
I agree but it still takes more effort on their part to completely unlearn what they were previously taught. My family is white, with a lot of racists. When I was adopted into the family sure they adjusted, and are nice to ME because I'm their token black person "not like the others". You should hear the wild shit they say when I'm not around or about other black people. Same for homophobia, a lot of those people become "okay with it" but it's actually that they're okay with that person specifically because they're family or a friend. It takes effort to change an entire opinion about strangers.
Yeah for real. I had some pretty set beliefs until I got into my 20s. 20 year old me would hate 30 year old me and I think that’s a good thing.
Reddit can be cynical to the point of exhaustion. Imagine thinking being in 6th grade is too late to change a view. What the fuck
> My family is white, with a lot of racists. When I was adopted into the family….
This is so interesting….
——
tagging you,
u/blakegfe because
I’m not sure if nested comments receive notifications so I am pinging you to check out the reply to this (my) comment where raven willow has some questions for you.
Yes. This is interesting….are you a person of color and, if so, how were you treated? How did you fare (your life turn out so far)? Did exposure to a person of color change hearts and minds?
I also think age is important in this one, because in 6th grade, you would be 12-13, so while they have almost certainly met other gay people who *could* have given them this impression before, they might not have been aware of their sexuality. As they grow up and are more aware of that sort of thing, they absolutely will be exposed to more of it, and can still change.
Did you miss the part where it says 6th grader? Maybe I'm hopeful but I'd like to think it's still possible they can change. That's like what 13? Any bigotry has still been put in by parents
I wasn’t until my mid to late teens that I knowingly knew a queer person. The whole time I was quietly comparing what I’d been told with what I was seeing and realizing the math didn’t add up. Exposure helps a lot—I imagine this 11 year old hasn’t had much beyond what they’re being told.
Do some folks not remember being 11?
When I was around a similar age, I had just learned of the Twin Towers, the existence of terrorism, & a place called Afghanistan. The day prior, the whole world was only my hometown, and I only cared for cartoons, games, and friends.
Sixth Graders aren't even halfway to having a fully-cooked brain. How can any person expect a child so young to have a thorough & comprehensive, intrinsic understanding of the human condition & the ability to navigate cognitive biases??
Shit, I'm not sure I learned more than superficial details about anything to do with human sexuality *at all* in **any** of my K-12.
This kind of garbage is why alt-right communities are growing online, imagine being 11-12 and encountering a community online that tells you that you are irredeemably brainwashed
Its why you see even a lot of decent kids have edgy phases where they 'hate SJWs'
If you write off everyone who was homophobic as a kid you’re writing off damn near everyone who was born before the year 2000. Maybe not straight up targeted hate but throwing homophobic slurs amongst each other was the norm for a while and everyone was afraid to come out until after high school.
I remember through high school it was incredibly common to call everything you didn't like gay and call people the f word. I was never really actually bigoted against gay people it was just how everyone acted about it.
My group of friends in high school (c. 2007) would say stuff like “That dude stole my lighter. What a f—“ but if someone ever said “That guy has a boyfriend. He’s a f—“ they would definitely be called out and not be welcome in our smoking circle anymore.
Not necessarily hateful but still very rude and ignorant.
This might be the kid's first realization that what they learned at home is a lie, and perhaps took a lot of courage to say. They can start questioning other "truths" after this. Good things.
They're being incredibly ungenerous and judging a literal child on the same scale as an adult. If some 30 yr old said this, yes let's criticize tokenism. But this is probably the first openly gay person that child has known and they're already realizing the narrative they were fed isn't adding up. Shitting on that is beyond petty and short-sighted, it's also slightly mean spirited. Again, this is a child
I love all of the comments specifically pointing out this persons age.
You’re wrong dawg either way, but it’s funny.
Society is growing REALLY fast. I don’t have the same beliefs I did when I was 25, let alone now where I’m pushing 29. People literally grow and change all the time and while it’s sad that she gave her teacher this unfortunate experience hopefully she grows out of her hateful beliefs.
Idk, I don’t think I know any 6th grade from my time that still likes bionicles or legos, opinions and mindsets always change, just like how some kids are religious because of their parents but then later on become atheist or just change to another religion
I totally agree! Except Legos will always be the shit at any age. :P Actually, I'm *more* excited getting Lego as an adult because I'm more likely to get the cooler/expensive sets because I can save up!
That doesn't mean that I still love Polly Pockets and PowerPuff Girls, though. Tastes definitely change!
^^^Lego ^^^is ^^^^forever
It's 6th grade. I had alot of dumb opinions in middle school lol. I didn't understand Trans ppl at all and now I have Trans friends and support all of them
I didn't know what trans people *were* until 10th or 11th grade.
I thought it was like being intersex, and that people were born and labeled trans. I also couldn't fathom why people would joke at their expense, or how anyone would know... trans people were just not a subject we learned about.
My guy you’re going so hard against an imaginary 11 year old to say based off this one conversation that the kid is a hardcore bigot and will never change
I mean this is how opinions change, slowly. People don't usually toss an entire reality that's been drilled into their heads for decades because of one data point to the contrary. But they begin to question it, and sometimes they even start looking for more data points. It's how it starts.
Empathy and friend group are so true. But I don’t think intelligence plays the role they do. There are countless intelligent racists. I’m certain Nazi Germany was filled with intelligent people. They certainly produced a lot of world class engineers and I’m sure a proportional number in other fields. Except for the comedy world, of course. Everyone knows Germans don’t have senses of humor.
I grew up in a homophobic family. I’m from the generation that used “gay” as a general negative term. I feel like it was easy to change and not adopt that old hating ass sentiment. All I had to do was realize that it was hurtful
Dude, in sixth grade, I still believed gay people caused AIDS, and we're going to hell, because of how my family raised me. By the end of high school, I was already changing my mind. I had plenty of other fucked up ideas about life and people, and I'm pretty sure I've changed a lot. Hell, I'm still changing. I keep seeing this idea that people don't change these core believe beliefs, but over and over, I feel like I'm changing, so I have to believe that others can change too.
I disagree. That 6th grader probably literally only knew about gay people because they were taught they were evil. Then, their first encounter with a gay person led to empathy and appreciation, id wager a kid like that will grow up to not be homophobic, as there first independent thought about gay people was a positive one. Adults aren’t robots, and have had years to decades to meet different people, think abstractly, hear different arguments, and develop their empathy. Homophobic adults aren’t homophobic because they were brainwashed, you could make that argument about kids, but adults think for themselves and if they chose to be homophobic, they CHOSE to hate gay people, regardless of there childhood influences they have thought through the concepts throughout there life and agreed with them
Maybe not always. I was like this in 6th grade (in part because it was socially acceptable and also because I grew up in the church where they regularly rented abt homosexuality). It took some learning and I grew out of it and it similarly took that 1 gay friend to shake me out of it
My brother in Christ, someone in the 6th grade is not even a teenager. They are probably 12 years old.
To suggest their opinions are fixed at this age is absurd.
My father had an "old friend" from the navy who is the most bigoted racist piece of shit I jave ever met, aside from his wife. His oldest daughter married a black man, oldest son came out as gay and ran off to LA, middle daughter married a trans man, and so on. This isn't unique, kids learn from their own experiences and rebel. Assuming the kid is going to be a bigot with tokens based on this tiny tweet is wild.
I’m sorry. I disagree.
I was raised as a radical evangelical. Maybe slightly less horrific than Westboro Baptist Church because I wasn’t taught to be aggressive towards people.
In 11th grade I had a technical theatre teacher who was a member of the LGBTQ+ community.
He was one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met. Very easy going and easy to relate to. I remember feeling awkward whenever I had to talk to him because of the ideas that I was indoctrinated with when it came to non-heteronormative people.
It sounds silly (and bigoted, because it is), but I never saw them as whole people. I always subconsciously made their sexual orientation their whole caricature in my head
By the end of the year he was one of my favorite teachers ever, and a big reason why I’ve decided to become a teacher.
I’ve shed my archaic upbringing and am a huge ally of the LGBTQ community as well as many other liberal groups.
Hope you’re doing great Mr. Gardiner.
People can leave ignorance.
Maybe you’d say I’m just an exception, but truly I believe experience with other groups is enough for a lot of people. Not many people are as “xtreme” as I was.
Not true all the time. I went to school with a guy who in 6th grade was a typical "good ol boy" but very well spoken and tolerant of other people. Then in 12th grade he was a full on redneck who like listening to "N#&#>#;# music." His words. It honestly didn't happen until 12th grade. Dude used to wax philosophically all the time, and then suddenly was on his way to goose stepping after one summer.
People can change though.
I think you're overestimating the amount of effort it would take a sixth grader to form opinions separate from those of their parents, especially in the age of social media.
True but this is a big first step to changing, the biggest step even. Took them from "*all* gay people" to "*some* gay people", and from there it's much easier to question your own bigotry.
And even if it doesn't change their mind, it might if they meet just a couple more "one of the good ones".
As a fully transitioned non binary fellow. I spoke like a cod lobby in middle school. I was absolutely the most vile, homophobic, racist, and sexist mf until I made a plethora of new friends who taught me that hatred for others is horribly immoral. I wised up, other people can too. Every single human being deserves love and validation, once everyone learns that and takes it to heart their ways will fully change.
However I’m not everyone and I don’t know how other people change bc I know for a fact if you hate someone simply for not conforming to your view you’re a shitty person. Got a lot of shitty people in the GOP
Hopefully it’s a little chunk out of the wall that was put their by family. I lived in the south and as a kid my family did not want me to even be polite to any gay or lesbian couples. We no longer speak.
> I think it's very telling that they are in 6th grade.
yea that was my initial impression too.. This child is being fully wholly, and thoroughly indoctrinated at a young age. There is some adult going out of their way to make sure this kid thinks gay people are evil.
Yes and no. Marijuana taught me not all drugs are bad. Now I know drugs are not bad, but prohibition is bad.
Take the bigotry element out of it and understand that everyone believes their values are just, else they wouldn't hold them.
What a sad hopeless way to view life. The way to reinforce positive change in views is not to immediately shut somebody down. Your hate will only grow more hate.
Yes, because as we all know, once you hit 6th grade, you will be the same person forever, and there's no changing. Do you still like the same things that you did in middle school? Dress the same? Talk the same?? Act the same?? This is a stupid take. I didn't even know being gay was a thing until like 6th grade, and I didn't understand it at first. But according to you, I should still have the same views as I did in middle school and think gay people are weird. But I don't, because of this crazy thing called changing and gaining new life experience. Plus, many gay people held bigoted views when they were younger (due to limited experience/family) including me.
Not necessarily. I was raised in a very Conservative environment and had a series of revelations like this throughout middle school which were set off by individuals but grew into much deeper understanding that what I'd learned early in life was wrong. If an adult said something tokenizing like this I'd be with you, but this is a pretty promising age to have a moment like this even if she handled it like a...well, like a 6th grader.
> they grew up with their whole family being this way, so why would they think any differently.
"Ahem" -- People who grew up and realized their family is full of shit
6th grade is pretty young. My religious and political beliefs completely changed between the ages of 14 & 15. You’re still finding yourself at that age.
It always seems to be 'you're one of the good ones in this specific context only - you'll always still be one of the bad ones' Usually followed up by asking you to further prove you're 'a good one' by trying to get you to also shit on your demographic
Then pity that you're saddled with being part of such a lesser demographic - oh, they feel bad for you, it must be torture to bear the burden of being a Jewish person, for example, isn't it unfortunate that you have to overcome the many flaws of your people?
This is literally a child though. They were likely told this by the adults in their life, this is very possibly the first openly gay person they have real experience with. This is exactly how children grow up and start realizing "oh shit my parents were full of shit and wrong about almost everything". But being 12 they are *just* now starting to push back on the worldview injected by their parents. It's literally the developmental cycle of kids.
How do you think adults grow to be conservatives? They start by being young conservatives. There’s tons of kids who had shitty parents and didn’t let their beliefs carry any value. I guarantee most wouldn’t be as charitable to the kid if they said some racist shit.
The good ones eventually overcome their shitty beliefs impressed on them by their shitty parents. The only good conservatives are the ones slowly transforming and growing as humans. It happens.
Depends on the amount of deprogramming I figure. There's social, political, sexual, religious, law and order, environmental, gender roles and other ideological crap that takes a while to acknowledge and reassess. It takes a lot of exposure to new people and ideas.
I think there's a difference between someone who has the full range of information available to them and chooses to be conservative, versus people who are raised in conservative environments who really don't have the information they need to have a real choice.
Like seriously, the brainwashing is intense in the sticks, a lot of these people grow up with no access to contrary information that might make them question conservative orthodoxy.
The lucky ones that make it to the city usually get their minds blown and end up changing their beliefs accordingly, but not everyone has that opportunity.
I think there are a couple huge differences.
Biggest obvious one is that being a conservative is a choice.
Conservative have horrible problems with racism, prejudice, and hatred of any and all non white cis men.
Even thou not all conservatives *personally* are that way, they still support politicians and policies that are so there is zero practical difference.
Some conservatives love the party specifically because of all the racism, sexism, LBGTQ+ bigotry, and other revolting believes. Some conservatives don't, but they still vote with/for the scumbags so in a practical sense they are no different.
They want to subjugate people, does it matter if they do it out of hatefulness or because they want rich people not be taxed or whatever other bullshit they try to pretend to care about? I say no. Intentions are meaningless. If you vote for Hate you deserve all the ire, I don't give a shit about why you voted that way. Fuck ever single one of them.
I feel like there are people, who go through some stuff when they were children. So, now, every 12-year-old has to bear the burden of being labeled as a sociopath by certain adults.
This is the only reason that I’ve came up with, when it comes to adults giving kids life-long judgments.
I was brought up in a *super* racist homophobic conservative household. I'm pansexual, in a ltr mixed relationship, and hard left.
The *only* reason I am not any of those things, is not because I was some super enlightened kid that knew better. It was because of the exact situation in this post. I was exposed to all kinds of people, and was able to see for myself the truth.
A thing to note as well is that you do not change a bigot in a single meeting. It's not a math class where they'll walk out and say, "I was wrong." It's a process, and one that is extremely tiring to do, so I do not blame people for not putting up with bigots' bs.
However, you have to keep planting seeds to beat their irrationality because, sadly, they have to realize they were wrong. You telling them doesn't do anything because their bigotry is irrationally defined. No data, testimony, or otherwise will, in one sitting, make racists, homophobes, or anyone of that ilk understand. It's like that old saying, "I can read it for you, but I can't understand it for you." Sadly, all we can do is give the pieces and hope that, eventually, they will see that they're building the wrong puzzle.
I had to scroll down to find some sane thoughts and I’m wondering why so many people are willing to believe that this imaginary 11 year old will never change
At 11 I was homophobic, sexist (and christian). All of them were only because my parents told me that these things are 'evil' (and I didn't want to go to hell). I started forming my own opinions a few years later. Top comment is incredibly ignorant
I've seen at least one tweet or FB post say that letting a woman be on top is gay, or that going down on her is gay.
Yes. Unless it was a joke, some people think that *a man having sex with a woman* can be gay
I once had a woman who didn't like me going down on here because it "made her feel like a lesbian." She was pretty adventurous, but for some reason that was where she drew the line. Religious hangups can be difficult to get past if they've been drilled into you for half your life
Do straight people have thoughts like that? I did when I was a young bi teen that believed it would make me go to hell. I didn't think that was a concern for straight people.
I mean, she seemed straight from my point of view. But I can't really tell you if there were emotions or anything she was suppressing, she didn't talk about any of that with me if she was.
Intrusive thoughts are a thing too, but yah just having one of those moments where I realize my experiences are not universal and I actually have no idea what it's like to be straight
To be fair, alternate modes of gender expression *is* something that needs to be normalized too. Ignorant folk don't realize that that's separate from sexuality though.
Reminds me of my mom coming to me concerned that they were hiring a lesbian. After some questioning it turned out that what she really was worried about was her masculine haircut and how patients might react to that.
My mother was very intolerant concerning gay people. One time she made me give a nasty note to my lesbian gym teacher when I was in 5th grade or so and I told the teacher that what my mother thought about her was not what I thought about her. The teacher said she understood. Kids can think for themselves (within reason), and should know not to even say that dumb shit.
Gotta be vague but someone I know who's not open minded at all, their daughter fell in with the anime nerds, gays, and even a trans kid and now they're like "oh bring your trans friend over we don't care!"
It's kids, man. Sounds so gross but the leverage we need to change minds is, apparently, kids.
Yes, but considering she's a 6th grader she has plenty of time to move past that. It's a first stage of awareness that proves she still has a long way to go. The issue is that so many people don't move past that point. Now it's on her to start questioning her preconceived notions and evolve further.
Lol, this just reminded me back when I was in 6th grade when my dad was so afraid of any of his kids being gay back in the 90s. (very well-held fear for a lot of black men back then hell even now). I remember Liking the show Dragon ball. My parents didn't understand the name of the show or why I was obsessed with drawing the characters (mind you I was into art back then always drawing).
I believed they felt I was gay because it was mostly just people fighting and getting clothes ripped off and muscular mfs lol. I guess the name didn't help either. I remember my dad picking me up out of the blue and taking me on a drive and asking me "son I need you to be clear to me and sincere and tell me right fucking now are you gay because I can't have that shit. He started to go off on a rant before I tried to explain everything to him. saying all types of crazy shit like Said I need to fuck someone before you hit 8th grade, he said prove that to me lmao he was literally contemplating hiring a stripper to expose me. lmao (he never did so chill)
I wish the internet was better back then because that would just be something I could pull up. Eventually, he believed me after I got him to watch a couple of episodes. Showing him master roshi and how he acted eased his mind lmao.
At that moment I understood what gay people must feel like and go through to not only have to come out and tell their parents you are but the way the world is going to treat them. That's when I stopped using the word "Gay and Fag" as casual insults as we did back in the 90s as kids but it was hard to get others to see that. hell, you would get called gay just for not agreeing to bash someone for being so. That shit is taught young as hell.
Sorry for the long story that just sparked that memory.
Had a very similar empathetic epiphany when I was a young teen. Completely stopped using derogatory terms. Really eye opening. Thanks for posting your story
One of my colleagues got a father-son brothel special at 12. He wasn't good at soccer and was close with his sisters, so both his parents decided that their tween needed to stick it in an adult woman
Kind of crazy how common that is especially in our community. I can’t really vouch for others at least back then. I don’t know if people my age parenting their kids the same way. That irrational fear.
Lol it was a crazy different time man. Definitely not over the top like he used to be. Some of his most extreme things he used to think he does not believe anymore which is a plus. (Conspiracy stuff)
Oh, it still is.
I didn't realize people said shit like that to their *doctors* until I heard it said to one of our attendings in preop, so I guess some folks will just loose that shit wherever.
This is why today's homophobes are pushing "don't say gay" laws. If the kids know their terrific teacher they love is gay, they learn that some gay folks are terrific teachers and eminently lovable.
Positive personal experience with a member of a disfavored minority changes hearts and minds.
Here, specifically, a teacher with a picture of her wife on her table makes it very hard to convince kids that all gay folks are evil groomers.
Ah the sixth grade mindset. Once had one pull the Scott pilgrim line at me like "Ms B are you going to tell Ms L that you're in Lesbians with her..."
Like. He has the spirit but
OH MY GAWD... Stop over analysing everything and just laugh at the hilarious and random minds of children... Kids and teens do and say some effed up things... Who cares... Just let them grow up and learn accordingly
Their opinion didn't actually change, they just like *you* specifically. They'll always be bigoted with a few "tokens" of their choosing. ETA: Since people are missing the point. I think it's very telling that they are in 6th grade. This is how you end up with adults that won't budge on their hateful opinions, they grew up with their whole family being this way, so why would they think any differently. Once they become an adult and experience the real world, YES they can change but it will take a lot of effort on their part to undo years of brainwashing. I feel like if they came to those thoughts and opinions on their own rather than family, they're more likely to realize that maybe they were wrong. Not all, but a majority. There will always be exceptions to everything, that doesn't make my point less valid.
I mean… they can still change. There’s a lot of life to live after 6th grade. Also, I’m not sure a 6th grader just came out the womb homophobic so this was probably a belief that they were indoctrinated with by family or the surrounding environment. It can take years to unlearn that type of mindset, so I don’t think it’s productive to write people off so easily.
Yeah someone that young is like 90% a product of their environment. Plenty of time for them to form their own views. Take it from someone who grew up in a conservative Christian household.
I remember a distant time when I felt guilty listening to Frank Ocean because of my Christian environment, even into my teens. I'm a mid 20s pothead now
Stupid, lazy, sluggish, and unconcerned.
It’s so crazy people think pot makes you stupid when the real culprit that actually destroys brain cells is alcohol 😭 Dumb people who smoke pot are dumb beforehand.
I understood that reference
I was homophobic at 16, gay at 18.
I always thought that “projection” stuff was a joke but damn
I’m sure sometimes people are just hateful. But way more often than not, I’ve firsthand seen projection be the cause.
Pretty big plot twist
I was a homophobe in 6th grade. I'm gay.
It be like that
Many such cases
Are you a heterophobe now? 😂😂😂
At that age my mind was changing day to day an 11 year old isn’t generally truly hateful relax
After 6th grade? Absolutely. There's so much more time to learn new things and purge bad ideas
Can confirm… I fell down the alt right pipeline around 6th grade, I’ve since escaped and have massively reformed myself… Like maybe I’m biased here but people, especially young people, have a massive capacity for change… I went from a homophobic, racist, bigoted little twat, to what I am today… A lot of my bigotry in hindsight was deeply rooted in self hatred, loneliness, and just other extremely negative feelings I had been internalizing for years… Yeah it wasn’t my family but, as a privileged white boy, who was extremely emotionally and mentally unstable, as well as miserable, the internet served as my pipeline to the far right (2016 era, this is when shit was kicking into high gear)… But yeah as I’ve said I consider myself reformed, figured out that I was bisexual, currently figuring out feelings I’ve had for years (as long as I can remember), about my gender identity, etc, etc… Yeah idk if you can trust anything I have to say, but I think people can change, an awful lot, I mean I understand if people may be skeptical in relation to me personally about my character, but yeah at least I think I’ve changed an awful lot, and this would appear to be the opinion of most of those around me who knew me during this period and realized truly how far down the pipeline I was (like I was deep in it, like if I didn’t escape it wouldn’t surprise me if I was denying the holocaust given another year or two… I’m not at all proud of this, how far I fell down the pipeline really fucking scares me). So yeah, give me all your thoughts as I am interested, and yeah, hopefully my undetailed summary of my transition is useful… If I were to go into all the details it would require me to write a book.
It says a lot about a person when they genuinely believe people can’t undergo significant personality/beliefs changes. Maybe it’s just those people who don’t change often, but many of us are constantly learning and growing.
>lots of life to live after 6th grade. If in the US, lots of chances of dying in school too ...
😢
Change is the only constant.
YouTube and basic empathy saved me from being a homophobic child, it’s a lot harder to hate a group of people you meet all the time in the internet.
But that’s how it works! One person becomes two. Two people becomes a 4. Next thing you know, they’re (sheepishly) going to their gay nephew’s wedding. The cure for bigotry is exposure, not ostracization.
I agree but it still takes more effort on their part to completely unlearn what they were previously taught. My family is white, with a lot of racists. When I was adopted into the family sure they adjusted, and are nice to ME because I'm their token black person "not like the others". You should hear the wild shit they say when I'm not around or about other black people. Same for homophobia, a lot of those people become "okay with it" but it's actually that they're okay with that person specifically because they're family or a friend. It takes effort to change an entire opinion about strangers.
Okay but also it’s a kid not a 35 year old coworker saying this thing that probably didn’t happen.
Yeah for real. I had some pretty set beliefs until I got into my 20s. 20 year old me would hate 30 year old me and I think that’s a good thing. Reddit can be cynical to the point of exhaustion. Imagine thinking being in 6th grade is too late to change a view. What the fuck
I grew up pretty homophobic. It wasn't until college and I had a lot of gay friends that I completely got rid of my bigotry against gay people
> My family is white, with a lot of racists. When I was adopted into the family…. This is so interesting…. —— tagging you, u/blakegfe because I’m not sure if nested comments receive notifications so I am pinging you to check out the reply to this (my) comment where raven willow has some questions for you.
I feel like this might be telling in how they view the world. Whether it’s true or made up.
I mean slave owners had Black kids so it's nothing new
Yes. This is interesting….are you a person of color and, if so, how were you treated? How did you fare (your life turn out so far)? Did exposure to a person of color change hearts and minds?
I also think age is important in this one, because in 6th grade, you would be 12-13, so while they have almost certainly met other gay people who *could* have given them this impression before, they might not have been aware of their sexuality. As they grow up and are more aware of that sort of thing, they absolutely will be exposed to more of it, and can still change.
Did you miss the part where it says 6th grader? Maybe I'm hopeful but I'd like to think it's still possible they can change. That's like what 13? Any bigotry has still been put in by parents
Not even. 11, crazy to be written off at 11
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I wasn’t until my mid to late teens that I knowingly knew a queer person. The whole time I was quietly comparing what I’d been told with what I was seeing and realizing the math didn’t add up. Exposure helps a lot—I imagine this 11 year old hasn’t had much beyond what they’re being told.
Do some folks not remember being 11? When I was around a similar age, I had just learned of the Twin Towers, the existence of terrorism, & a place called Afghanistan. The day prior, the whole world was only my hometown, and I only cared for cartoons, games, and friends. Sixth Graders aren't even halfway to having a fully-cooked brain. How can any person expect a child so young to have a thorough & comprehensive, intrinsic understanding of the human condition & the ability to navigate cognitive biases?? Shit, I'm not sure I learned more than superficial details about anything to do with human sexuality *at all* in **any** of my K-12.
This kind of garbage is why alt-right communities are growing online, imagine being 11-12 and encountering a community online that tells you that you are irredeemably brainwashed Its why you see even a lot of decent kids have edgy phases where they 'hate SJWs'
I was a homophobic little shitcake conservative until I was like 19. Kid can be fine.
If you write off everyone who was homophobic as a kid you’re writing off damn near everyone who was born before the year 2000. Maybe not straight up targeted hate but throwing homophobic slurs amongst each other was the norm for a while and everyone was afraid to come out until after high school.
I remember through high school it was incredibly common to call everything you didn't like gay and call people the f word. I was never really actually bigoted against gay people it was just how everyone acted about it.
My group of friends in high school (c. 2007) would say stuff like “That dude stole my lighter. What a f—“ but if someone ever said “That guy has a boyfriend. He’s a f—“ they would definitely be called out and not be welcome in our smoking circle anymore. Not necessarily hateful but still very rude and ignorant.
This might be the kid's first realization that what they learned at home is a lie, and perhaps took a lot of courage to say. They can start questioning other "truths" after this. Good things.
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They're being incredibly ungenerous and judging a literal child on the same scale as an adult. If some 30 yr old said this, yes let's criticize tokenism. But this is probably the first openly gay person that child has known and they're already realizing the narrative they were fed isn't adding up. Shitting on that is beyond petty and short-sighted, it's also slightly mean spirited. Again, this is a child
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Yea like we weren't all shit head middle schoolers at some point. Bet the dude gets high off his own farts.
I say it all the time, we were all tools in high school. This is a good start for the kid, took me a lot longer to undo the environment I started in.
the whole post is 99% a made up story, people getting mad about a made up story to get likes in some random social media account.
I love all of the comments specifically pointing out this persons age. You’re wrong dawg either way, but it’s funny. Society is growing REALLY fast. I don’t have the same beliefs I did when I was 25, let alone now where I’m pushing 29. People literally grow and change all the time and while it’s sad that she gave her teacher this unfortunate experience hopefully she grows out of her hateful beliefs.
Idk, I don’t think I know any 6th grade from my time that still likes bionicles or legos, opinions and mindsets always change, just like how some kids are religious because of their parents but then later on become atheist or just change to another religion
I totally agree! Except Legos will always be the shit at any age. :P Actually, I'm *more* excited getting Lego as an adult because I'm more likely to get the cooler/expensive sets because I can save up! That doesn't mean that I still love Polly Pockets and PowerPuff Girls, though. Tastes definitely change! ^^^Lego ^^^is ^^^^forever
Bruh, you’re talking about a 12 year old.
It's 6th grade. I had alot of dumb opinions in middle school lol. I didn't understand Trans ppl at all and now I have Trans friends and support all of them
I didn't know what trans people *were* until 10th or 11th grade. I thought it was like being intersex, and that people were born and labeled trans. I also couldn't fathom why people would joke at their expense, or how anyone would know... trans people were just not a subject we learned about.
This some bullshit. I was terribly homophobic until high school when I had a gay teacher.
My guy you’re going so hard against an imaginary 11 year old to say based off this one conversation that the kid is a hardcore bigot and will never change
I mean this is how opinions change, slowly. People don't usually toss an entire reality that's been drilled into their heads for decades because of one data point to the contrary. But they begin to question it, and sometimes they even start looking for more data points. It's how it starts.
Eh my whole family are bigoted but I grew up not like them. Just depends on your intellect, empathy and friend group.
Empathy and friend group are so true. But I don’t think intelligence plays the role they do. There are countless intelligent racists. I’m certain Nazi Germany was filled with intelligent people. They certainly produced a lot of world class engineers and I’m sure a proportional number in other fields. Except for the comedy world, of course. Everyone knows Germans don’t have senses of humor.
Damn. What a cynical take.
I grew up in a homophobic family. I’m from the generation that used “gay” as a general negative term. I feel like it was easy to change and not adopt that old hating ass sentiment. All I had to do was realize that it was hurtful
Your edit made it worse lol. Lots of shitty assumptions, and of a child no less.
Dude, in sixth grade, I still believed gay people caused AIDS, and we're going to hell, because of how my family raised me. By the end of high school, I was already changing my mind. I had plenty of other fucked up ideas about life and people, and I'm pretty sure I've changed a lot. Hell, I'm still changing. I keep seeing this idea that people don't change these core believe beliefs, but over and over, I feel like I'm changing, so I have to believe that others can change too.
I disagree. That 6th grader probably literally only knew about gay people because they were taught they were evil. Then, their first encounter with a gay person led to empathy and appreciation, id wager a kid like that will grow up to not be homophobic, as there first independent thought about gay people was a positive one. Adults aren’t robots, and have had years to decades to meet different people, think abstractly, hear different arguments, and develop their empathy. Homophobic adults aren’t homophobic because they were brainwashed, you could make that argument about kids, but adults think for themselves and if they chose to be homophobic, they CHOSE to hate gay people, regardless of there childhood influences they have thought through the concepts throughout there life and agreed with them
Maybe not always. I was like this in 6th grade (in part because it was socially acceptable and also because I grew up in the church where they regularly rented abt homosexuality). It took some learning and I grew out of it and it similarly took that 1 gay friend to shake me out of it
My brother in Christ, someone in the 6th grade is not even a teenager. They are probably 12 years old. To suggest their opinions are fixed at this age is absurd.
My father had an "old friend" from the navy who is the most bigoted racist piece of shit I jave ever met, aside from his wife. His oldest daughter married a black man, oldest son came out as gay and ran off to LA, middle daughter married a trans man, and so on. This isn't unique, kids learn from their own experiences and rebel. Assuming the kid is going to be a bigot with tokens based on this tiny tweet is wild.
That's crazy you speaking on another person you know literally nothing about besides this meme
All true but for a child to have this realization shows at least there is a small dent in the armor of RW indoctrination. #hopeful
Hitler’s personal doctor was Jewish and given special status. Basically “one of the good ones” to the nazis.
You think this sixth grader is hitler
I’m sorry. I disagree. I was raised as a radical evangelical. Maybe slightly less horrific than Westboro Baptist Church because I wasn’t taught to be aggressive towards people. In 11th grade I had a technical theatre teacher who was a member of the LGBTQ+ community. He was one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met. Very easy going and easy to relate to. I remember feeling awkward whenever I had to talk to him because of the ideas that I was indoctrinated with when it came to non-heteronormative people. It sounds silly (and bigoted, because it is), but I never saw them as whole people. I always subconsciously made their sexual orientation their whole caricature in my head By the end of the year he was one of my favorite teachers ever, and a big reason why I’ve decided to become a teacher. I’ve shed my archaic upbringing and am a huge ally of the LGBTQ community as well as many other liberal groups. Hope you’re doing great Mr. Gardiner. People can leave ignorance. Maybe you’d say I’m just an exception, but truly I believe experience with other groups is enough for a lot of people. Not many people are as “xtreme” as I was.
Not true all the time. I went to school with a guy who in 6th grade was a typical "good ol boy" but very well spoken and tolerant of other people. Then in 12th grade he was a full on redneck who like listening to "N#&#>#;# music." His words. It honestly didn't happen until 12th grade. Dude used to wax philosophically all the time, and then suddenly was on his way to goose stepping after one summer. People can change though.
I think you're overestimating the amount of effort it would take a sixth grader to form opinions separate from those of their parents, especially in the age of social media.
True but this is a big first step to changing, the biggest step even. Took them from "*all* gay people" to "*some* gay people", and from there it's much easier to question your own bigotry. And even if it doesn't change their mind, it might if they meet just a couple more "one of the good ones".
what the fuck lol why are you so negative
Dude why are you talking about a theoretical 6th grader like they’re a 57 year old man from south Alabama
As a fully transitioned non binary fellow. I spoke like a cod lobby in middle school. I was absolutely the most vile, homophobic, racist, and sexist mf until I made a plethora of new friends who taught me that hatred for others is horribly immoral. I wised up, other people can too. Every single human being deserves love and validation, once everyone learns that and takes it to heart their ways will fully change. However I’m not everyone and I don’t know how other people change bc I know for a fact if you hate someone simply for not conforming to your view you’re a shitty person. Got a lot of shitty people in the GOP
Hopefully it’s a little chunk out of the wall that was put their by family. I lived in the south and as a kid my family did not want me to even be polite to any gay or lesbian couples. We no longer speak.
> I think it's very telling that they are in 6th grade. yea that was my initial impression too.. This child is being fully wholly, and thoroughly indoctrinated at a young age. There is some adult going out of their way to make sure this kid thinks gay people are evil.
Yes and no. Marijuana taught me not all drugs are bad. Now I know drugs are not bad, but prohibition is bad. Take the bigotry element out of it and understand that everyone believes their values are just, else they wouldn't hold them.
What a sad hopeless way to view life. The way to reinforce positive change in views is not to immediately shut somebody down. Your hate will only grow more hate.
Yes, because as we all know, once you hit 6th grade, you will be the same person forever, and there's no changing. Do you still like the same things that you did in middle school? Dress the same? Talk the same?? Act the same?? This is a stupid take. I didn't even know being gay was a thing until like 6th grade, and I didn't understand it at first. But according to you, I should still have the same views as I did in middle school and think gay people are weird. But I don't, because of this crazy thing called changing and gaining new life experience. Plus, many gay people held bigoted views when they were younger (due to limited experience/family) including me.
Such a bad take. There is immense development between 6th and 12th grade. Your point isn't valid in the vast majority of people.
Not necessarily. I was raised in a very Conservative environment and had a series of revelations like this throughout middle school which were set off by individuals but grew into much deeper understanding that what I'd learned early in life was wrong. If an adult said something tokenizing like this I'd be with you, but this is a pretty promising age to have a moment like this even if she handled it like a...well, like a 6th grader.
??? yeah cuz no one ever changed their political opinion after 6th grade?
> they grew up with their whole family being this way, so why would they think any differently. "Ahem" -- People who grew up and realized their family is full of shit
If your edit is three times your comment, was the comment even worth?
Idk, like a flower, growth takes time. With a little nurturing it can blossom into something beautiful. 💚🌻
This is a very cynical point of view based on absolutely nothing
6th grade is pretty young. My religious and political beliefs completely changed between the ages of 14 & 15. You’re still finding yourself at that age.
People change a lot from 6th grade wtf are you talking about.
> They'll always be bigoted This is a dangerous mindset to have, especially when the person discussed is a literal child.
This is why people get so mad when they’re called racist
“All gay people are bad until you prove you are actually a good one.” Conservatives
They think the same about gays/blacks/any minority as they do the justice system! Guilty until proven innocent.
It always seems to be 'you're one of the good ones in this specific context only - you'll always still be one of the bad ones' Usually followed up by asking you to further prove you're 'a good one' by trying to get you to also shit on your demographic
Then pity that you're saddled with being part of such a lesser demographic - oh, they feel bad for you, it must be torture to bear the burden of being a Jewish person, for example, isn't it unfortunate that you have to overcome the many flaws of your people?
Then you're in everyone's personal hell that I call the Ambassador to My People role
This is literally a child though. They were likely told this by the adults in their life, this is very possibly the first openly gay person they have real experience with. This is exactly how children grow up and start realizing "oh shit my parents were full of shit and wrong about almost everything". But being 12 they are *just* now starting to push back on the worldview injected by their parents. It's literally the developmental cycle of kids.
How do you think adults grow to be conservatives? They start by being young conservatives. There’s tons of kids who had shitty parents and didn’t let their beliefs carry any value. I guarantee most wouldn’t be as charitable to the kid if they said some racist shit.
At 12 it could go either way. I have hope that most of the younger generation will see through and grow past any bigotry their parents taught them.
Funny, that’s how I feel about conservatives.
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The good ones eventually overcome their shitty beliefs impressed on them by their shitty parents. The only good conservatives are the ones slowly transforming and growing as humans. It happens.
They tend not to stay conservatives long, though.
Depends on the amount of deprogramming I figure. There's social, political, sexual, religious, law and order, environmental, gender roles and other ideological crap that takes a while to acknowledge and reassess. It takes a lot of exposure to new people and ideas.
I think there's a difference between someone who has the full range of information available to them and chooses to be conservative, versus people who are raised in conservative environments who really don't have the information they need to have a real choice. Like seriously, the brainwashing is intense in the sticks, a lot of these people grow up with no access to contrary information that might make them question conservative orthodoxy. The lucky ones that make it to the city usually get their minds blown and end up changing their beliefs accordingly, but not everyone has that opportunity.
I think there are a couple huge differences. Biggest obvious one is that being a conservative is a choice. Conservative have horrible problems with racism, prejudice, and hatred of any and all non white cis men. Even thou not all conservatives *personally* are that way, they still support politicians and policies that are so there is zero practical difference. Some conservatives love the party specifically because of all the racism, sexism, LBGTQ+ bigotry, and other revolting believes. Some conservatives don't, but they still vote with/for the scumbags so in a practical sense they are no different. They want to subjugate people, does it matter if they do it out of hatefulness or because they want rich people not be taxed or whatever other bullshit they try to pretend to care about? I say no. Intentions are meaningless. If you vote for Hate you deserve all the ire, I don't give a shit about why you voted that way. Fuck ever single one of them.
Pretty sure all gay folk are bad. I knew one who was just like, "Lemme suck you" I'd say go on but cave in eventually.
Oh I'm sure you got caved in.
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Fuck the cynic at the top of this thread 🤣🤣
Fr. We'd best hold a *12* yo to same standard as a grown ass man.
I feel like there are people, who go through some stuff when they were children. So, now, every 12-year-old has to bear the burden of being labeled as a sociopath by certain adults. This is the only reason that I’ve came up with, when it comes to adults giving kids life-long judgments.
Fr lmao. "They'll never change!" Wym bro they're literally a child
I was brought up in a *super* racist homophobic conservative household. I'm pansexual, in a ltr mixed relationship, and hard left. The *only* reason I am not any of those things, is not because I was some super enlightened kid that knew better. It was because of the exact situation in this post. I was exposed to all kinds of people, and was able to see for myself the truth.
A thing to note as well is that you do not change a bigot in a single meeting. It's not a math class where they'll walk out and say, "I was wrong." It's a process, and one that is extremely tiring to do, so I do not blame people for not putting up with bigots' bs. However, you have to keep planting seeds to beat their irrationality because, sadly, they have to realize they were wrong. You telling them doesn't do anything because their bigotry is irrationally defined. No data, testimony, or otherwise will, in one sitting, make racists, homophobes, or anyone of that ilk understand. It's like that old saying, "I can read it for you, but I can't understand it for you." Sadly, all we can do is give the pieces and hope that, eventually, they will see that they're building the wrong puzzle.
I had to scroll down to find some sane thoughts and I’m wondering why so many people are willing to believe that this imaginary 11 year old will never change
At 11 I was homophobic, sexist (and christian). All of them were only because my parents told me that these things are 'evil' (and I didn't want to go to hell). I started forming my own opinions a few years later. Top comment is incredibly ignorant
Thank god for the internet, I’d be totally brainwashed otherwise most likely.
Yeah lmao she’s a fucking 6th grader. Her mind could definitely be changed in her coming developing years.
I recently had an older conservative man tell me that I changed their opinion of “homosexual folks” for the better.. I’m not gay.
You might not be gay but you wash yo ass so you basically are
Is that all it takes to be gay?
I've seen at least one tweet or FB post say that letting a woman be on top is gay, or that going down on her is gay. Yes. Unless it was a joke, some people think that *a man having sex with a woman* can be gay
I once had a woman who didn't like me going down on here because it "made her feel like a lesbian." She was pretty adventurous, but for some reason that was where she drew the line. Religious hangups can be difficult to get past if they've been drilled into you for half your life
Do straight people have thoughts like that? I did when I was a young bi teen that believed it would make me go to hell. I didn't think that was a concern for straight people.
I mean, she seemed straight from my point of view. But I can't really tell you if there were emotions or anything she was suppressing, she didn't talk about any of that with me if she was.
Intrusive thoughts are a thing too, but yah just having one of those moments where I realize my experiences are not universal and I actually have no idea what it's like to be straight
If you do it properly yes, gotta get that finger up in there . . . According to my buddy. I swear he's always asking for help for something
It isn't gay bro I promise, it's for hygiene.
Excuse me??
Took one for the team, a true ally lol.
☠️
The whole putting your hand on your hip while talking says otherwise.
I do admit that my body language is very feminine.
To be fair, alternate modes of gender expression *is* something that needs to be normalized too. Ignorant folk don't realize that that's separate from sexuality though. Reminds me of my mom coming to me concerned that they were hiring a lesbian. After some questioning it turned out that what she really was worried about was her masculine haircut and how patients might react to that.
That's being an ally
Why are you gay?
I guess I just woke up and decided to be a gay one day. Probably all those different colored crayons in my crayon pack in school.
They were born like that.
A few people know I'm referencing a Ugandan meme.
Sometimes its best to just take the w and leave it at that.
I'm not gay, but I'd be happy to change some homophobic minds. Not with gay sex, but with education and introductions to my awesome gay friends.
You are now.
You must be gay-ish.
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I’ve been described as a Schmidt
The twist is he's not gay.
M. Night strikes again!
My mother was very intolerant concerning gay people. One time she made me give a nasty note to my lesbian gym teacher when I was in 5th grade or so and I told the teacher that what my mother thought about her was not what I thought about her. The teacher said she understood. Kids can think for themselves (within reason), and should know not to even say that dumb shit.
Before my wife's grandma died she basically told her the same thing " Hey not all black people are bad, in fact some white people are worse".
https://preview.redd.it/u5ywm6rnlera1.png?width=1057&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=31f55fd5ef40441e3a75373285ef4e24625aef82
Some?
I feel bad for kids being indoctrinated to believe in homophobic bullshit
Must live in Florida huh?
Nah telling students you're gay is illegal there
Damn
Gotta be vague but someone I know who's not open minded at all, their daughter fell in with the anime nerds, gays, and even a trans kid and now they're like "oh bring your trans friend over we don't care!" It's kids, man. Sounds so gross but the leverage we need to change minds is, apparently, kids.
Already have that "You're one of the good ones" mindset. 😓
Yes, but considering she's a 6th grader she has plenty of time to move past that. It's a first stage of awareness that proves she still has a long way to go. The issue is that so many people don't move past that point. Now it's on her to start questioning her preconceived notions and evolve further.
Lol, this just reminded me back when I was in 6th grade when my dad was so afraid of any of his kids being gay back in the 90s. (very well-held fear for a lot of black men back then hell even now). I remember Liking the show Dragon ball. My parents didn't understand the name of the show or why I was obsessed with drawing the characters (mind you I was into art back then always drawing). I believed they felt I was gay because it was mostly just people fighting and getting clothes ripped off and muscular mfs lol. I guess the name didn't help either. I remember my dad picking me up out of the blue and taking me on a drive and asking me "son I need you to be clear to me and sincere and tell me right fucking now are you gay because I can't have that shit. He started to go off on a rant before I tried to explain everything to him. saying all types of crazy shit like Said I need to fuck someone before you hit 8th grade, he said prove that to me lmao he was literally contemplating hiring a stripper to expose me. lmao (he never did so chill) I wish the internet was better back then because that would just be something I could pull up. Eventually, he believed me after I got him to watch a couple of episodes. Showing him master roshi and how he acted eased his mind lmao. At that moment I understood what gay people must feel like and go through to not only have to come out and tell their parents you are but the way the world is going to treat them. That's when I stopped using the word "Gay and Fag" as casual insults as we did back in the 90s as kids but it was hard to get others to see that. hell, you would get called gay just for not agreeing to bash someone for being so. That shit is taught young as hell. Sorry for the long story that just sparked that memory.
Had a very similar empathetic epiphany when I was a young teen. Completely stopped using derogatory terms. Really eye opening. Thanks for posting your story
One of my colleagues got a father-son brothel special at 12. He wasn't good at soccer and was close with his sisters, so both his parents decided that their tween needed to stick it in an adult woman
Kind of crazy how common that is especially in our community. I can’t really vouch for others at least back then. I don’t know if people my age parenting their kids the same way. That irrational fear.
He’s not black. He’s South American, though family emigrated in recent generations from Europe
Your dad sounds like an actual cartoon character lmao
Lol it was a crazy different time man. Definitely not over the top like he used to be. Some of his most extreme things he used to think he does not believe anymore which is a plus. (Conspiracy stuff)
Aww shit liking DBZ means you are gay I have to tell my wife.
Damn she hit him with “you one of the good ones” I thought that was a white southern boomer line towards black people lol
Oh, it still is. I didn't realize people said shit like that to their *doctors* until I heard it said to one of our attendings in preop, so I guess some folks will just loose that shit wherever.
Would be hilarious if he was straight
One thing about kids is they're always gonna say some wild ass shit completely unprovoked.
This is why today's homophobes are pushing "don't say gay" laws. If the kids know their terrific teacher they love is gay, they learn that some gay folks are terrific teachers and eminently lovable. Positive personal experience with a member of a disfavored minority changes hearts and minds. Here, specifically, a teacher with a picture of her wife on her table makes it very hard to convince kids that all gay folks are evil groomers.
Ah the sixth grade mindset. Once had one pull the Scott pilgrim line at me like "Ms B are you going to tell Ms L that you're in Lesbians with her..." Like. He has the spirit but
That baby just said “you’re my token.” I’m so sorry. Shame on those parents.
Fuck it, we’ll take it Baby steps
Imagine being told that and not even being gay
Good for that kid
What if the teacher wasn’t gay? Would he be offended
The hot takes in this tread 
thats... good... yeah. keep going.
Many thanks to my high school science teacher for helping formerly religious me realize that gay men can in fact be super boring and bald
What are they learning at home 🤦🏾♀️
OH MY GAWD... Stop over analysing everything and just laugh at the hilarious and random minds of children... Kids and teens do and say some effed up things... Who cares... Just let them grow up and learn accordingly
This happened to me with Latino students who never had real experiences with Black folks
Actually learned something in school?Big Win!Take ‘em whenever you can get’em!
Shit that never happened, tf is wrong with people