ST Breaking news: Professorship of gay studies

4 June 2009
Straits Times Breaking News (online only)
Source

Professorship of gay studies

BOSTON – IVY League university Harvard is to endow a professorship of gay, lesbian and transgender studies, the organisers said on Wednesday.

The Harvard Gay and Lesbian Caucus announced that the US$1.5 million (S$2.25 million), funded by members and supporters of the group, will ‘enable Harvard to regularly invite eminent scholars studying issues related to sexual minorities.’

TNP: CONTRACEPTION: S’PORE STYLE

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By Ng Wan Ching

May 31, 2009

By most accounts, Anna (not her real name) is an intelligent student. She scored mostly As and Bs throughout her school years.

But ask her whether there’s sperm in pre-ejaculate (which is produced when a man is aroused) and she’s stumped.

‘Er, no?’ she said.

She’s wrong and she isn’t the only one.

Amid all the buzz about sexual education programmes in schools and what is appropriate to be taught, a study has found ‘worrying’ gaps in the knowledge of even post-secondary students.

ST: Mothers, talk to your kids about the birds and the bees

By Radha Basu, Senior Correspondent

The Sunday Times

May 10, 2009

Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover was every parent’s dream. A Boy Scout, he scored good grades at school, loved football and helped out at the local church.

Yet, after dinner on April 6, the Massachusetts boy wrapped an extension cord around his neck and killed himself. He was 11.

Ten days later, on April 16, Jaheem Herrera from Georgia hanged himself with a fabric belt, hours after returning home with glowing grades. He too was 11.

Both families say that relentless taunts by schoolmates who called them ‘gay’ drove the boys to their deaths. The schools have not denied their allegations.

ST: Education Ministry’s letter on why it suspended Aware project

7 May 2009
Straits Times Print Forum
Source

SEXUALITY EDUCATION
Why MOE suspended Aware project

IN RECENT weeks, the Ministry of Education (MOE) has received feedback on the sexuality education programme conducted by the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware), as well as other lesson material not involving Aware. MOE has done a thorough investigation and the following are its findings and future steps.

MOE and the schools do not promote alternative lifestyles to students. The ministry’s framework for sexuality education reflects the mainstream views and values of Singapore society, where the social norm consists of the married heterosexual family unit.

ST: GP teachers did not push alternative lifestyles

7 May 2009
Straits Times

GP teachers did not push alternative lifestyles

By Amelia Tan

IN ITS letter to The Straits Times yesterday, the Ministry of Education (MOE) revealed that it had received ‘feedback’ about materials on alternative lifestyles used in junior college General Paper lessons.

Among the issues raised was one contained in an e-mail which has made the rounds recently.

It said that during a discussion of same-sex marriages, students at a junior college were given a worksheet with questions asking for their views of a nuclear family unit. They were also asked to discuss topics such as the legalisation of gay marriage and parents of the same sex forming families through adoption.

ST: External sex education programmes suspended in schools

7 May 2009
Straits Times

External sex education programmes suspended in schools

By Theresa Tan & Amelia Tan

ALL sexuality education programmes run by external groups in schools – including the controversial one by the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) – have been suspended by the Ministry of Education (MOE).

In addition, the ministry will implement a new, tougher vetting process for the selection of such external programmes by schools.

The move comes about a week after some parents told MOE that they were concerned about the content found in an instructor guide for Aware’s programme, which was posted online.

TheWayangParty: LEAKED: Appeal to Prime Minister on values of marriage and family

Source

6 May 2009

From The Informant Network Team:

Here’s another email forwarded to Prime Minister Lee, a few PAP MPs and many other people to manipulate public perception against the CSE.

The segment on homosexuality takes up only 5 minutes of the 3 hour CSE which is taught only to 11 schools in Singapore.

It is most ridiculous to accuse it as part of a homosexual plot to undermine the institution of marriage in Singapore.

ST: Aware sex guide suspended

Source

May 6, 2009

THE Ministry of Education (MOE) has suspended the sexuality education programme run by the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) in some schools, saying it does not conform to the MOE’s guidelines.

In particular, MOE found some suggested responses in the guide ‘too explicit and inappropriate, and convey messages which could promote homosexuality or suggest approval of pre-marital sex’.

‘In view of the contents of the manual, Aware’s programmes will be suspended in schools and subject to the new vetting processes,’ said the ministry in a letter to The Straits Times Forum section on Wednesday.

The MOE’s decision came barely a week after it said it was investigating the Aware programme, following complaints from parents. But two days before that, MOE had said it saw no reason to intervene because it had not received any complaints.

FALLOUT OF THE AWARE SAGA: A LETTER TO CONCERNED PARENTS

Source

6 May 2009

By Catherine Lim

I had given my views, mainly as a non-partisan, liberal Singaporean during the recent Aware controversy. Some parents had written or called to voice their concern about one issue that had stood out – the use in schools of an Aware program on sexuality, which allegedly promoted homosexuality. The following letter tries to address this concern.

Dear concerned parents

There must be many of you out there, less interested in the polemics and theatrics of the recent Aware debacle than in the one issue that suddenly surfaced and grabbed your attention as parents: the issue of homosexuality.

You are clearly not against homosexuals (many of you in fact claim to have homosexuals among your friends) but you are, understandably, against any program in the schools that encourage your sons and daughters to become gays and lesbians. This was exactly the charge brought against the Aware Comprehensive Sex Education (CSE) by the Christian group that had seized control of the organization precisely to fight what they perceived as a great evil. They quoted from the program materials to prove their charge, condemning the insidious call to young people to regard homosexuality and its associated practices (including anal sex—ugh!) as ‘neutral’. As parents of young impressionable teens, you must have been aghast.

SGChristianPost: Understanding the Homosexual Agenda

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Tuesday, Sep. 23, 2008

According to a news article, a gay (homosexual) pride parade is scheduled to take place on 15 November 2008 at Hong Lim Park, which the Government has earmarked for demonstrations. The organiser suggested parading the grounds with placards of “Repeal 377A” on one side and “legalise gay marriage” on the other side.

This seems to be the first time that a homosexual activist has come out in the open to call not only for the repeal of 377A, but also to legalise same-sex marriage. The proponents for the retention of 377A have always said that the real issue is not the decriminalisation of sodomy but whether Singaporeans would be willing to adopt the homosexual agenda. With this “outing” of the homosexual agenda, the homosexual activists can no longer call for decriminalisation without dealing with the ramifications of the homosexual agenda of which decriminalization is the first step. For years, there has been a refusal among homosexual activists in Singapore to talk about the consequences of decriminalisation of sodomy because of the adverse impact it would have to their cause.