Comments on: Explaining DADT & Gays In The Military To A Seven-Year-Old

By: mindy

mindy — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 05:17:25 +0000

God forbid you teach your kids some tolerance of those who are different.

And just in case your kid happens to turn out gay, it might not be a bad idea to let them know sooner rather than too late that they don’t have to hate themselves for it.

By: Paula Brooks

Paula Brooks — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 19:19:39 +0000

Skelton would probably be very upset to know… my twins … (you know the ones with a very openly lesbian mom)… go to a daycare center… run by the military… and you know how 3-year-olds to share their experiences with others.

By: Glen

Glen — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 18:50:36 +0000

Maybe in Missouri the parents need guidance about how to address the fact that there are gay people. But where I live, in the liberal Northeast, Skeleton’s wanting to preserve DADT is more likely to spur the question: What do mommies and daddies say to a seven-year-old child who asks why our country doesn’t treat everybody the same?

Kids are natural detectors of fairness. They know when one child gets treated better or worse than another is isn’t fair. They may not have the higher concept and language of civil rights, but they know “fair” when they see it.

So how do I explain to my kids that some people are less equal?

By: Chris Vogel

Chris Vogel — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 15:40:46 +0000

Why is it that Americans are so determined to keep themselves and their children stupid?

By: Gay Airman

Gay Airman — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 09:48:43 +0000

I agree. Conservatives like to say that children should be shielded from reality to protect their inocence. If you explain something to a child when their young though, and in simple language, they’re less likely to be judgmental about it later on, than when they discover something that they find to be abnormal.
In 20 years Skelton won’t admit to opposing repeal.
Oh and BTW Kudos to Sen. Levin and Nancy Pelosy! If repeal passes with this bill, then they will be my heroes forever! I refuse to reenlist under this policy that has broken me down so baddly! DADT is wrong and it needs to end! DOMA too!

By: Michael O. Powell

Michael O. Powell — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 05:48:14 +0000

Like you said, you didn’t become sensitive to the issue until you were really exposed to gay people. When you live in the rural Midwest and never actually meet gay people, it’s really easy to write off their rights.

I talked to a conservative once about San Francisco. I told him the city was really dirty, and right before I could say it was dirty because of the homeless, he asked, “Is it dirty because of all the gay people?” I had to just laugh that off, since the gay district, Castro, in SF is one of the nicer areas.