This blog post is based
on readings from Safe Spaces by Annemarie
Vaccaro, Gerri August, and Megan S. Kennedy. Have you ever felt
discriminated against for a characteristic that you have no control over? No, I
am not speaking about one’s race. I am referring to a person’s sexual
preference. While LGBT organizations around the world are places where men and
women can embrace their sexuality comfortably, society as a whole gives these
men and women a very tough time. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people
are constantly being discriminated against for something they cannot control. Because
some people are only comfortable with relationships that consist of a man and
woman, any other combination appears as a sin that these men and women should
be ashamed of. Although I am not a member of the LGBT community, I was very
touched by this text.
The quote, “Assumptions
that everyone is (or should be) heterosexual shape most classroom interactions,
whether academic or social” (84) is very powerful and unfortunately true.
Thinking of an elementary school classroom, many projects and assignments were
based on our mommies and daddies. If someone had two moms or two dads, they
were forced to feel like their situation was wrong and didn’t belong. This
quote also applies to older students such as those in high school. One of the most
common questions a teenage girl is asked is “do you have a boyfriend?” Because
this is society’s “norm”, the question of is she has a girlfriend will most
likely never come up and therefore causes that girl to feel guilty for her
sexual preference.
While reading this text, I became aware of the daily
struggles LGBT youth face every day. I could not imagine living in a world
where what I felt was right in my heart caused me to be viewed as a disgrace to
society. I also found it difficult to fathom feeling this way in school. If
there is any place that you should feel comfortable enough to display who you
truly are, it is in the classroom. Teenage years are difficult enough, never
mind if those years are filled with confusion and shame for your sexuality.
POINTS
TO SHARE: The quote, “One reason educators take
the path of least resistance is their fear of negative repercussions from
parents or administrators” (91) really stood out while I read this text. I feel
that students should be exposed to LGBT formally in classrooms. I feel this way
because they are already being exposed to this community every day whether they
know it or not. If teachers and administrators attempt to shelter children from
LGBT, that does not mean that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people do
not exist. Although some parents may react negatively, it is crucial for
students to recognize LGBT youth because they are not outcasts and do not
deserve to be treated that way.
Well written Kerri! You made a good point about the "do you have a boyfriend?" comment, and it's one we all endure every church event, holiday, and every time you run into a relative that you don't see often, lol. I had never thought about how completely demoralizing and awkward it must be to have that questions asked all the time to anyone who's situation is not the "norm" or easily accepted by everyone.
ReplyDeleteI liked reading your blog. I definitely think that it must be hard for people who are LGBT because people do make assumptions, and many times the assumptions are wrong. At the daycare I work at, we have pictures up of the families in the classrooms. We do have a few families that have two moms, or the children live with an aunt or grandparents. So we try to show all of the different families from a young age. Paperwork has been adjusted to include LGBT people, so why can’t we talk about it in schools?
ReplyDeleteKerri I loved your post, and you raised many questions that many people do not have an answer to, like why is it that we as females, "do you have a boyfriend ?" or vice verse for guys? As a society we automatically have the concept of what is wrong and what is right even with out doing it intentionally it is just what we know, but it would be much better if we as a whole could get to a place where it does not matter and as far as sexuality, race and who we love there is no right or wrong.
ReplyDeleteHi Kerri, great post! Thank you for posting the link to the LGBT helpline, as it provided so much information! (going through my comments I realized I never submitted the comment two months ago, sorry!)
ReplyDelete