Queering in our schools

 For this blog I am going to be pulling three quotes from the article and talk about them further by using some of my own experiences. 

"In a recent survey, six out of 10 LGBTQ teens said they felt unsafe at school and 82 percent had been verbally harassed because of their sexual orientation." (page 23) 

After reading this part in the article I stopped and thought about how the students in my high school reacted to other students who were part of the LGBTQ community. As someone who is not a part of this community I am as educated about the topic as I should be. During high school I have witness a lot of ignorant students who naturally picked on the students who just look slightly different than the rest of the students. If one thing wasn't "normal" about the student there would always be a person saying something negative about them. I have heard numerous comments about people who have bright colored hair, wear spontaneous clothing that someone else might not particularly wear. It is honestly a shame that some people think they are entitled to speak about how someone else dress or their appearance. 

"But no number of classroom discussions about gender stereotypes and homophobia will create a nurturing environment if teachers and parents are afraid to come out. A school that’s a protective community for LGBTQ adults is a school that’s going to be safe for kids." (page 24)

As someone who wants to be a future teacher you have to be willing to talk about topics like this in particular that even though may be uncomfortable or not know all the right answers. It is our jobs to do the research, become educated on these topics because there will probably come a time in our teaching career that we will encounter a student that is either being bullied because of how she expresses who they are, or if they need guidance about who they truly want to be. It is important for us to be able to give these students the help and guidance they may need. Speaking about these topics in the classroom is the first step to making everyone feel welcome, included and valued no matter who they are. 

“I’m going to keep wearing a skirt. It’s a big part of who I am.” (page 26) 

This quote is very important because even though they got the utmost amount of hate and disrespect from another student about how they express themselves they will still choose to wear what they want. This is truly important for people who struggle with staying true to themselves because of all the negativity and hate they get from students at school. Not changing for anyone and keep being yourself is a huge step forward in becoming someone you love and value. When other people make comments or look at you like you aren't welcomed you shouldn't let that effect how you feel internally and shouldn't let it change the way you look for someone else. 

LGBTQ+ Inclusive Curricula (apa.org) 

I added this link that talks about the benefits of incorporating talking about LGBTQ community in our school curriculum.