Teaching and Modeling Homosexual Tolerance in the Public School System

[The Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) organization at my high school, which meets twice per month, generated a list of concerns that they shared with school administration. The focus was specifically about gender identity, the lack of support from school staff, and the daily scrutiny they face as a result of their sexual orientation and gender identity. Through collaboration with my colleagues it was evident that there had been an increase in teacher and student referrals surrounding gender identity. The feedback from GSA clearly identified that as a school we are not meeting the needs of our LGBT students and those struggling with sexual orientation. Members of the GSA clearly feel that teachers ignore negative comments like “gay” and “faggot” when they hear them in class, that teachers may not clearly understand gender neutral language, and that our Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) students do not feel safe and protected in school. Students needed support advocating for their right to use a restroom, correct pronoun, etc., requiring district, community, parent, and colleague

In the documentary, Noah, an 18 year old male to female transgender, many people in school ask question about her gender over and over again. Because of the harassment, many tend to drop out from school. “Harassment and bullying lead almost one-third of LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning) students to drop out of high school” (T Salazar). For most of them dropping out from school means working at a lower wage. Or even worse they became homeless. Some people argue that we should create a separate school of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students. However critics say that it means of “segregation or shielding the youth from the real world.” Giving a class about LGBT people in schools might be the solution, since students then will be aware of it. Education about LGBT people teaches not only students, but also the whole generation. Therefore, schools should be the primary targets to teach the society about LGBT

Not for an evanescent second should a single child/teen be judged,bullied,or ignored due to their sexallity or gender idenification. In every school the students should never feel unsafe, if they do it means that they won’t focus and they might not even show up. LGBT youth should be treated the same as their peers, to do so is to show acceptance and safety. This school year the Smithville High school created a new club appropriately titled “The Gay Straight Alliance”. Showing students that Smithville High School is an open minded and accepting place even though it might not always seem like it. Clubs such as this are allowing for all types of students to join forces and better their experience. It’s clubs and movements like this that should be spread across the nation as it will better the country and show those around the world that they can be wholeheartedly free. Although there are schools showing support it is still an issue in public settings such as stores. The biggest “issue” is bathrooms, should transgender people use the bathroom of their biological gender or the one they identify by? It’s honestly stupid of people to try arguing about a person's right to use a public porcelain bowl that holds water. The bathrooms in stores are public property not private, therefore, if a male to female or female to male trans human being wants to use the bathroom of their choice the they

The more we talk about sexuality and public policy the more we can see change

A 2014 study showed that most (95%) Ontario parents supported some form of sexual education, and approximately 82% of the same group of parents were supportive of a sexual education curriculum starting in elementary school. While this seems like a large percent of the population, the study did state that their research group were mostly well-educated middle to upper-middle class mothers. This positivity was echoed in a Globe and Mail article, which stated a senior student, Joel Louzado, “was moved that different sexual and gender identities would be introduced to students as early as grade 3, when they are taught that some kids have gay parents.” The article continued, stating that sexuality and same-sex relationships were not previously taught in school, and that most students learned about these topics through friends or online. A 2013 article reiterated these opinions; a two-spirited social studies teacher stated that “no mention of sexuality was ever made explicitly in any social studies unit.” These articles show that there are many different types of people who agree and promote the new sexual education curriculum in Ontario, and that the progressive teachings may, in fact, teach these young children to be accepting of other’s differences. Those who support the curriculum tend to see it as a way to help children deal with modern issues in a world where men and women are sexualized at younger ages than

The intent of this film I think is unmistakable: to instruct educators in how to introduce gay issues in their classrooms in a way that promotes acceptance of homosexuality as a lifestyle choice. As one teacher in the film stated, schools must provide education in gay issues in order to create good citizens, increase student's confidence, and provide them with supportive individuals. Particularly interesting is the beginning of the film, in which juxtaposition is shown between Senator Robert Smith talking about gays and gay awareness in schools as filth and trash, and a group of younger students discussing homosexuality with a seemingly inherent sense of fairness and democracy that is quite mature for their age. One child in fact mentions that those who oppose homosexuals would not want to be discriminated against if they were in the same situation. I thought it was also a strength of the film to focus on how most children are affected by homophobic prejudice in some way, be it through the media, their home, or their friends. Some of the children, I'm guessing third

Learning family advocacy requires students to develop an understanding of contemporary cultural issues surrounding traditional marriage. The struggle over defining marriage was thought to be somewhat settled through the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA); however, as this law’s ramifications were realized, greater debate resulted about the moral, philosophical, and civic repercussions of this legal definition. This paper will provide a better understanding of the historical and worldview changes that occurred within the United States over homosexuality and same-sex marriage (SSM). After gaining a better understanding of these issues, the paper will also provide an exploration of the strengths and weaknesses of DOMA from these differing perspectives. In addition, recommendations will be offered for further changes of law and advocacy that would encourage the altering of current thought intent on stifling the defense of traditional marriage.

“Research suggests that those responsible for training teachers and educational psychologists may not recognize the issue of sexual orientation as being relevant to their work. (McIntyre, 2009) Proper training for these individuals could help provide a foundation of education for teachers to be able to recognize and handle situations that arise. If professional attitudes were altered to better accompany those views of LGBTQ students, then we may have more success in training these people. “Teachers interviewed in this study reported lack of knowledge and training in matters of sexuality and needed reassurance from both parents and employers that the content of taught courses was acceptable.” (McIntyre, 2009) Knowledge is an important thing and should not be limited to only students, but teachers as well. Giving these teachers the proper education about how to address and identify LGBTQ issues would help

The LGBTQ youth community should be able to attend school with a safe environment. As stated in Violence Prevention Works ,“Seventy-eight percent of gay (or believed to be gay) teens are teased or bullied in their schools and communities, a percentage significantly higher than for heterosexual youth, a national survey of 760 students, ages twelve

Preventing homophobia in physical education classes should be addressed by creating a more informative education curriculum, awareness of successful homosexual athletes and teaching students the importance of individual rights. Thus, the awareness homophobic issues in physical education will be eliminated.

A comprehensive anti-homophobia school policy that includes the needs of staff and students, commitment to staff development and curricula development, can assist principals, teachers, and students to challenge and disrupt homophobic beliefs and practices in their schools. Evidence into the implementation of current anti-homophobia school policies from Canada, Australia and USA shows that policy based protection makes a positive difference to LGBT students as it has a highly significant relationship with reduced likelihood of thinking about self-harm, actual self- harm, suicidal ideation and attempted suicide [34]–[36].

Sexual orientation and gender identity are two things that members of the LGBTQ community often fear opening up about. They fear that they will be rejected or harmed because of who they are, and it is important that we make all aspects of our society a safe place for every human being, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. As School-based risk and protective factors for gender diverse and sexual minority children and youth: Improving school climate explained, “64% of students feel unsafe at school because of sexual orientation prejudice, and 44% feel unsafe at school because of gender expression” (American Psychological Association). Therefore, schools in America should be making a conscious effort to make their buildings a safe, comfortable place for members of the LGBTQ community. Schools can do several things to promote the

A research article in the Journal of Sex Research that is titled Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Questioning Youths’ Perspectives of Inclusive School-Based Sexuality Education is expected to have bias shown throughout the paper to the reader. The title of the research article explains that it is written based off the study group’s perspective. The main purpose as outlined in the first paragraph of the introduction is “this exploratory study is to begin to develop a framework of what it means for sexuality education to be inclusive of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) youth, from the perspective of the youth themselves” (Gowen & Winges-Yanez, 2014 p. 788). Gowen and Winges- Yanez strives to

The realization of the homosexuality in the modern western world as a cultural, sexual and a social category has been a result of complex power relations that surround sexuality and gender. The acceptance of homosexuality in the society has met its fair share of resistance and skepticism. The view that homosexuality can be in the same league as heterosexual has led it to be viewed as a normal behavioral and moral standard (Gallagher & Baker, 2006). Inasmuch as the skeptics may not want to accept the existence of homosexuality studies show that the habit is rampant today with many gay people coming out in the open. Of interest is the political acceptance of homosexuality with passing gay rights so that it can be recognized by law. This move has given homosexuals the ability to engage in legal entities like marriage (Gallagher & Baker, 2006).

The “No Promo Homo” laws are a set of laws that prevent teachers and other school officials from talking about any of the issues facing the LGBTQ community including sexual health. These harmful laws even go as far as to demand teachers to actively speak negatively to their students about the LGBTQ community in some states. Like Alabama, for example, where the law states that, “that homosexuality is not a lifestyle acceptable to the general public and that homosexual conduct is a criminal offense under the laws of the state.” Not only is this law inconsiderate to LGBTQ supportive students, but it also dangerous. If these laws are not repealed and replaced by something that encourages equality and acceptance, something that protects the rights of all students rather than taking their rights away, then we