I am almost 74 years old, I have been out 54 years since I was 19. I had a huge crush on a boy named Freddie in the 3rd grade which I could never tell anyone. My father owned a grocery store and when Freddie and his father came in to shop, my knees went to jello. That said, I think 3rd grade is too early to introduce gay material. I knew I liked boys but I DID NOT know I sexed boy. The concept of sexing boys did not come until the middle of the 6th grade. I was 11. I had sex with a boy summer after the 8th grade - I was 13. And then fairly regularly until high school graduation. I didn't find anyone to have sex with until the second half of my sophomore year - I was 19. This was 1970 - one year after Stonewall. I did not hear about Stonewall and gay liberation for a couple of years. There was no internet. My friends were all straight. It was turning 21 when the doors opened. I could enter gay bars. And there found publications and mountains of information. I opened the first gay disco in 1975 in the state of Maine - Ogunquit, called Anabels. Then another on in Key West Florida in 1978 - short lived - we could not compete with the Monster. I met my partner when I was 26 but he dumped me after 20 years. I have lived a very open gay life (I live in New Orleans now). It is a uncommon situation but other minorities (I am Hispanic - double minority) other minorities do not have a sexual part. I think 3rd grade is too early to introduce this material. 95% of 3rd graders are heterosexual. They need time to further their social skills before having to think about this dimension.
I am almost 74 years old, I have been out 54 years since I was 19. I had a huge crush on a boy named Freddie in the 3rd grade which I could never tell anyone. My father owned a grocery store and when Freddie and his father came in to shop, my knees went to jello. That said, I think 3rd grade is too early to introduce gay material. I knew I liked boys but I DID NOT know I sexed boy. The concept of sexing boys did not come until the middle of the 6th grade. I was 11. I had sex with a boy summer after the 8th grade - I was 13. And then fairly regularly until high school graduation. I didn't find anyone to have sex with until the second half of my sophomore year - I was 19. This was 1970 - one year after Stonewall. I did not hear about Stonewall and gay liberation for a couple of years. There was no internet. My friends were all straight. It was turning 21 when the doors opened. I could enter gay bars. And there found publications and mountains of information. I opened the first gay disco in 1975 in the state of Maine - Ogunquit, called Anabels. Then another on in Key West Florida in 1978 - short lived - we could not compete with the Monster. I met my partner when I was 26 but he dumped me after 20 years. I have lived a very open gay life (I live in New Orleans now). It is a uncommon situation but other minorities (I am Hispanic - double minority) other minorities do not have a sexual part. I think 3rd grade is too early to introduce this material. 95% of 3rd graders are heterosexual. They need time to further their social skills before having to think about this dimension.