I did a bit of reflecting on my own experiences as I read through Vaccaro, August, and Kennedy and the GLSEN website. Throughout the Safe Spaces text, I paused several times at the “Reflection Points,” and asked myself the questions like “What messages did you receive about the LGBT community when you were in school?” (89) I did not like where this question took me: back to the early-2000s at an all-male Catholic high school. As an all-boys Catholic school, homosexuality was at or near the top of the list for taboos. At the time, expressions like “that’s gay” were common parlance and homophobic slurs were typical insults. Homosexuality was openly frowned upon, both in the religious and social spheres of the school, and several students were ostracized for even the slightest intimation that they were gay.
Homosexuality was an issue that was joked about, and many of my peers still seem to approach it with homophobia veiled in humor and the “whatever they do in their homes isn’t my business” line. Other than being exposed to changing representations of the LGBT community in the media, many members of my age group seem to have gained little insight into LGBT issues. The effects of curricula with little or no LGBT inclusion are evidenced in the continued pervasiveness of open and veiled homophobia.
Safe Spaces gives insight into how to address these issues in our classrooms with several dos and don’ts.
DO: use teachable moments to integrate or interpret the LGBT community
incorporate LGBT-inclusive texts
use inclusive language like “parents” instead of “mom and dad”
DON’T: conduct activities that can unintentionally erase the identities and realities of
marginalized students
remain silent in the presence of anti-LGBT statements
Reflecting on my experiences with LGBT marginalization as a high school student was troubling, but so was reflecting on my experiences thus far as a high school teacher. In my current position, I am limited in what I can reasonably do as an employee that needs a regular paycheck. The program explicitly prohibits relationships between residents, for mostly justifiable reasons, and discussion of LGBT issues is typically discouraged. Residents receive no instruction or insight into these issues through the program. My classroom library has been heavily censored by administrators, though I occasionally can work in a few LGBT-inclusive texts.
I find it so sad, that even in 2017 the administration has to censor the classroom library that much. They should be encouraging books that represent all students, instead of pushing them awya.
ReplyDeleteChris,
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with what you are saying here. I totally did the same thing as I was reading through the article. I love your Do and Don't list and also agree that it is unfortunate that we are limited to certain texts and regulations still in 2017.
Interested to hear more on what this looks like in your role, Chris!
ReplyDeleteHi Chris,
ReplyDeleteI like how you reflected on the questions while you read the article. I did the same thing! I also remember "that's gay" being a common phrase while I was in high school. I still hear people say it sometimes, even in public and now it makes me cringe, but as a student I didn't realize the negative implications the same way I do now.