Homosexaulity in Schools
Sam and Elaine had been dating for two months. They met at their high school, and became close quickly. They would greet before lunch with a hug and a kiss. The next day both Sam and Elaine are suspended for their public display of affection, and pushed into conferences with school facility and parents. This action was taken for one simple reason: both Sam and Elaine are women. This might seem drastic but similar events occur in every school system. Whether it be a school not admitting two gay men into a dance or teachers turning a deaf ear to peer taunts towards a lesbian student, the school system in America and elsewhere is perpetuating heteronormativity. Such an inaction not only discriminates towards homosexuals but fails to properly educate each student. Schools have grown tremendously in the past twenty years to meet the new standards set by society concerning race and gender, but now must confront issues of sexuality. Our problem is that we as Americans have created a myth of masculinity and femininity just as apparent in our school system as in the rest of American society. One way to battle this myth is through education, and the school system is one of the easiest routes to provide information to minds open
"Lesbian Teacher Sues Oceanside School District. Programs in Australia and England have stepped forward to fight sexual prejudice, and they are succeeding. " Accepting the fact that there is a need for representation in the schools for this minority is a simple step, identifying and altering customary practices to fit such representation is much more difficult. The fact remains that few sexual education courses cover the idea or practice of homosexuality, as if it were taboo and not appropriate for a classroom setting. The Social Construction of Difference and Inequality. With a growing number of homosexual and bisexual individuals, currently higher that 2 percent of the population in America (Cameron '93), there is a need to recognize such a growing minority in an unbiased manner. Ironically, little support also comes from those educators who are homosexual. Works CitedCameron, Dr. This forces teachers to debate if and how to support their beliefs and practices or risk being fired; just as one woman from a California high school had to sue the school in which she taught for their inappropriate conduct towards her homosexuality and her eventual dismissal (Penn 2). This preconceived notion is damaging to progress when teachers will not cover debatable or controversial issues in fear of loosing the order in the classroom or offending parents with "liberal" subject matter.
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