Here are some quotes from Safe Spaces that I found to be relevant and important.
" Most adults unconsciously perpetuate heterosexism: heterosexism is the assumption that everyone is or should be heterosexual. At the bus stop, soccer field, dinner table, or local grocery store, adults reinforce the messages of heterosexism." This is so common place in our society that it isn't even considered by most people, I think. Every where you go heterosexual relationships are considered "normal". They are portrayed everywhere. I never thought about what it would be like to grow up realizing that you differed from this norm. It must be a real distancing phenomena. I would imagine it creates quite a bit of confusion in a young person. It starts with the gender reveal before a baby is even born and continues in school, at work, and at home."
"Classrooms lay the foundations for an inclusive and safe society; a just community where common interests and individual differences coexist. To the extent that teachers, school administrators, and college professors create an atmosphere in which difference is not only tolerated but expected, explored and embraced, students will be more likely to develop perspectives that result in respectful behaviors. Without the deliberate creation of an inclusive atmosphere, however,what happens inside classroom walls reproduces the prejudices that exist outside these walls: straightness and gender conformity are assumed; LGBT identity is deviant." I think it is important to not just tolerate diversity in the classroom but to include and not ignore it. The authors argue that overlooking or intentionally leaving out LGBT families and examples from the curriculum is just as damaging as negative messages. I think that the classroom is a place where students learn about the world outside of the home. Most children are not exposed to diversity until they attend school. If LGBT families are intentionally left out of the conversations and examples then students will fear what they do not understand. I have gay and lesbian friends so my son grew up being accustomed to them and their family situations. As a result, he was used to it when he attended school and wouldn't think of it as deviant. I know this is not the norm however, and most teachers will not approach the subject at all. I am sure that they are afraid of repercussions from parents and principals and unfortunately I think they have reason to be so. I can imagine the letters that would come in if a child in kindergarten came home and said the teacher was talking about two dads being married for example. I think this is improving but we still have a long way to go. I agree with the authors of this article that most teachers do not set out to marginalize LGBT youth but it happens because it is easier that way. They want to avoid uncomfortable conversations and backlash from parents.
" Most educators do not set out to marginalize LGBT youth. They simply follow paths of least resistance. They put one foot in front of the other in what seems the natural, even the right, direction without critically examining the journey or the destination."
" Heterosexism is one of those unexamined avenues of privilege. Assumptions that everyone is (or should be) heterosexual shape most classroom interactions, whether academic or social."
"LGBT students need advocacy and protection, not neutrality." Heterosexism, in my opinion is even less realized as a privilege than white privilege is. Just because I think it is OK for others to have different sexual orientation than myself does not mean that I don't benefit from the privilege of being heterosexual. I had never considered before how difficult it must be to navigate a world where heterosexism is so deeply ingrained.
"Our classrooms need to be mirrors and windows for all students- mirrors in which youth see themselves in the curriculum and recognize their place in the group; windows through which youth see beyond themselves to experiences connected with, but not identical to their own." Classrooms need to show children many different worlds and teach them to respect all diversity not just racial or cultural. If children are introduced to LGBT type family situations in a positive way they will be much more likely to treat others who differ from themselves with kindness. For the students who are LGBT they will feel included instead of excluded in the classroom. Below is a link to a fabulous speech by Anne Hathaway when she accepted an award for the Human Rights Campaign regarding LGBT youth and acceptance of all people.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeLNRMrAEUA
"Classrooms lay the foundations for an inclusive and safe society; a just community where common interests and individual differences coexist. To the extent that teachers, school administrators, and college professors create an atmosphere in which difference is not only tolerated but expected, explored and embraced, students will be more likely to develop perspectives that result in respectful behaviors. Without the deliberate creation of an inclusive atmosphere, however,what happens inside classroom walls reproduces the prejudices that exist outside these walls: straightness and gender conformity are assumed; LGBT identity is deviant." I think it is important to not just tolerate diversity in the classroom but to include and not ignore it. The authors argue that overlooking or intentionally leaving out LGBT families and examples from the curriculum is just as damaging as negative messages. I think that the classroom is a place where students learn about the world outside of the home. Most children are not exposed to diversity until they attend school. If LGBT families are intentionally left out of the conversations and examples then students will fear what they do not understand. I have gay and lesbian friends so my son grew up being accustomed to them and their family situations. As a result, he was used to it when he attended school and wouldn't think of it as deviant. I know this is not the norm however, and most teachers will not approach the subject at all. I am sure that they are afraid of repercussions from parents and principals and unfortunately I think they have reason to be so. I can imagine the letters that would come in if a child in kindergarten came home and said the teacher was talking about two dads being married for example. I think this is improving but we still have a long way to go. I agree with the authors of this article that most teachers do not set out to marginalize LGBT youth but it happens because it is easier that way. They want to avoid uncomfortable conversations and backlash from parents.
" Most educators do not set out to marginalize LGBT youth. They simply follow paths of least resistance. They put one foot in front of the other in what seems the natural, even the right, direction without critically examining the journey or the destination."
" Heterosexism is one of those unexamined avenues of privilege. Assumptions that everyone is (or should be) heterosexual shape most classroom interactions, whether academic or social."
"LGBT students need advocacy and protection, not neutrality." Heterosexism, in my opinion is even less realized as a privilege than white privilege is. Just because I think it is OK for others to have different sexual orientation than myself does not mean that I don't benefit from the privilege of being heterosexual. I had never considered before how difficult it must be to navigate a world where heterosexism is so deeply ingrained.
"Our classrooms need to be mirrors and windows for all students- mirrors in which youth see themselves in the curriculum and recognize their place in the group; windows through which youth see beyond themselves to experiences connected with, but not identical to their own." Classrooms need to show children many different worlds and teach them to respect all diversity not just racial or cultural. If children are introduced to LGBT type family situations in a positive way they will be much more likely to treat others who differ from themselves with kindness. For the students who are LGBT they will feel included instead of excluded in the classroom. Below is a link to a fabulous speech by Anne Hathaway when she accepted an award for the Human Rights Campaign regarding LGBT youth and acceptance of all people.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeLNRMrAEUA
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