Express & Star

Sexuality problems should not be made public circus

My first ‘best friend’ was a lad called Gerald and I allowed him to play with my lead soldiers. We would take them between our teeth and bend them into whatever shape was needed for our play battle. It may interest you to know that lead tastes sweet like sugar and err it’s had no adverse effect on me. We defended one another in the many fights which took place every day in the playground and suffered one of the most frightening experiences a kid might have at the time.

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Being caught by a gang of feral kids twice our age, trussed up and being threatened with being burned to death to enhance their game of Cowboys and Indians (we were the cowboys) cemented our friendship.

I look back now and wonder what might have happened to Gerald had his mum bought him a summer frock with those much prized clothes coupons. I guess the answer is that he would have ended up in hospital.

Times change and we now know that children aren’t a 100 percent sure whether they are male, female or something in between. It’s what I’d call, ‘the greenfly syndrome’ as these pests can be whatever they want to be. I believe it is important that as we are now aware of these problems we should find sympathetic ways to treat the issue. It is very understandable that there will be many disparate views on the subject.

We now have a couple of Christian parents being somewhat dismayed that a little fella/girlie is allowed to come to a class of 6 year olds; one day as a boy, next as a girl. I imagine that there is much confusion in the class. One day, Little Jimmy/Jemima is wrestling with boys in the playground and next, he’s donned his dress, brought his favourite doll to school and is giggling in the corner with the girls.

Seriously though isn’t the idea that a six year old should be placed in the full glare of the school and indeed the nation presumably because of the parent’s ‘new age’ ego trip, extremely cruel to the kid?

If he/she has a real problem regarding sexuality, this should be dealt with privately and with psychiatric assistance and not causing the child to appear to be the main exhibit in a freak show.

Alan M Etheridge, Dudley