In creating a lesson on LGBTQ students, we have to ask ourselves: What is it like to be LGBTQ and what additional challenges do these students face? What can we do as teachers to help LGBTQ students rise above these challenges? How do we address homophobia at school and in our classrooms?
We live within the confines of a rigid, heterosexual hegemony. This fact alone causes LGBTQ individuals to experience negative pressure on their self concept and self esteem. The outcomes are sad, but familiar: homelessness, drug abuse, poor scholastic achievement. Sound familiar? LGBTQ-related issues are interconnected with the issues described by the other cultural group presentations. One of my personal goals for our lesson was making these connections explicit so that other groups might feel a greater responsibility to create safe spaces in their classrooms. Safe spaces benefit not only LGBTQ students, but others who are perceived to be LGBTQ, and really everyone in general.
Once we are all aware of the challenges facing LGBTQ students, and can identify hateful, homophobic or transphobic behavior we are ready for the next step: taking action. We may know what inappropriate behaviors look like, but taking the necessary actions or reactions can be difficult. We want to make suggestions for reacting to homophobic or transphobic behaviors, while realizing that there is often no right answer or perfect solution. Having our fellow peers sign “The Pledge to Act” and printing out a “Safe Zone” pink stop sign are small steps that we hope will have a huge impact on ALL students.
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