Belle Brockhoff speaks out for gays (& bravely comes out on ABC)
I read all this yesterday and decided to discuss some of it with the kids. Asking them how they find gay kids at school re the bullying and acceptance issues. We live in an area where our local newspaper has made editorial remarks about just how “wrong” homosexuality is ....
(I was going to insert the link to the article from the Age here, but it’s blacklisted….easy to find with a search :( )
and how members of the gay population of the town have been allegedly physically harmed/ threatened/abused etc on a regular basis since the editorial.
The kids tell me that being gay is a non issue for most of their cohort. They just don’t see it as something to spend time thinking about. So it seems that a lot of this comes from “older” folk, who feel somewhat threatened?
I’m the same really, who cares if you are straight or gay, except for that awkward moment when you want to ask someone out on a date. It’s just a non issue.
For me, and apparently for my kids, “coming out” is pretty much, “and?”
I wish Belle and the rest of the team the best luck at Sochi, they are great riders.
I think the younger generation is def more accepting when it comes to the issues of gay marriage and everything associated with it. I think a lot of the bullying may stem from attitudes and behaviours that they pick up at home from their folks. Which makes it a lot harder to address, esp if there is a religious aspect to it.
So good that you are willing to have such open discussions with your kids, and they obviously have pretty stellar parents to look up to. Parenting, you’re doing it right 
I think the biggest parts of parenting are
1. respect ( goes both ways)
2. independence (those kids want it, they try to earn it, so when they do, let them have it)
3. there are 2 letters that you need to remember, N and O. they go together really well, cos I said so.
4. Laugh.
cos I said so.
If I had a dollar for every time ive heard that I dont think I’d have to work ever again