26 LGBT
- Introduction
- Homophobia in Schools
- Including GLBT Curriculum in Classroom
- Creating Safe Learning Environment
- Opposition
- Conclusion
- Multiple Choice
- Sources
- Answers
Lesbian, Gays, Bisexual, and Transgender Students (GLBT) in the Classroom
By Jocelyn Carter
Learning Targets
Students should be able to:
a) Identify Homophobia in Class.
b) Identify the Importance of incorporating GLBT curriculum in the classroom.
c) Describe strategies for creating a safe classroom for GLBT Students.
Introduction
Human diversity is a normal, natural thing. We teach our kids that it is alright to be different, but we don’t tell them how different it is okay to be. Today, the most common place to study differences of the world is in the classroom. If children are to grow up prepared to live in a complex, multicultural society, more issues of diversity need to be discussed in the classroom (Banks 1993). The issue of sexual orientation has become of great importance to today’s children. Researchers and Social scientist suggest that 1 to 3 of every 10 students is either gay or lesbian, or has an immediate family member who is (Wood p.16). This article will focus on homosexuality and homophobia, GLBT students in the classroom, social bias, and what can be done to provide a safe classroom for GLBT students.
Why is “Homophobia” present in the Schools?
Most people would agree that the topic of homophobia carries very negative undertones; I guess that is unless you are homophobic. Homophobia is the fear, dislike, and hatred of same-sex relationships or those who love and are sexually attracted to those of the same sex. It occurs in schools on personal, institutional, and societal levels (Woods p 14). Homophobia is often based on ignorance, because an individual is so closed-minded that they are not willing to educate themselves on something they know nothing about. When Eric Marcus, a homosexual man and author, addressed the question, “What do students learn about homosexuality in elementary school and high school?” his answer was simply stated. “Students learn plenty about homosexuality in school, almost all of it informally, and nearly all of it bad. The first lesson occurs when one child calls another a fag in elementary school cafeteria, and the lesson continue right on through high school, when a group of students decides to torment a theater teacher they think is gay” (Marcus, 1999 p 173)We are taught when young that being “gay” is bad. Everyone is afraid of what they don’t know. When you are introduced to something new, it is a natural reaction to be skeptical about it. You hesitate to try it, or you state from the beginning; I know that I am not going to like it. How do we teach students about GLBT related topics? How do we protect our GLBT students in the school?
Why is it important to include GLBT related issues into the curriculum?“Many of us, particularly in the dark days before the Stonewall riots, remember going into libraries to check fo