LGBT-Q Studies Should be Incorporated in the Curriculum Because it is Something that Exists
- The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario represents 73000 elementary public schools teachers and education workers across the province and is the largest teacher federation in Canada.
- ETFO President David Clegg to Education Minister Kathleen Wynne says LGBTQ issues should be included in the curriculum because:
- Recognizes the diversity of families
- Reflects life experiences of all children in positive ways
- Students should feel valued, included, and have positive role models through the educational system
- There should be an understanding of diversity within schools and communities.
- Doing so would hopefully decrease stereotypes that lead to confusion and discomfort.
- Classroom resources, that can be found through ETFO, that demonstrate ways to address diversity and inclusion in the classroom include: “We’re Erasing Prejudice for Good” and “Imagine a World that is Free from Fear”
"To suggest that there is only one type of sexual orientation denies the identity of individuals in the LGBT-Q community and provides an inaccurate view of the general population as a whole. By creating lesson plans and activities about the LGBT-Q community within the classroom, students who identify as such or who have family members or friends who are part of the community, can have a sense of belonging and resource if they feel the need to discuss any questions or general concerns"
Reference:
LGBT-Q studies incorporated into the
curriculum promotes School Safety.
- Adding LGBT-Q issues in the curriculum, specifically about significant figures and history has been argued to promote feelings of safety in school setting among the LGBT-Q community. What's more, it is thought that have an inclusive curriculum in general would promote safety for all students in schools.
- A survey conducted by the Preventing School Harassment, in California, asked over 2000 students in a variety of California school districts looked at the relationship between LGBT-Q inclusion in the curriculum and the following:
1. Individual Students and Overall School Climate
- In the PSH survey, half of the students surveyed were presented with LGBT-Q issues in the curriculum and as a whole, all populations felt safer at their school with the inclusion of the information compared to those that did not have LGBT-Q issues included.
Ø All students: 78% of all students felt safer than 67% of the students that did not have LGBT issues included in the curriculum.
Ø Straight students: 83% of straight students felt safer than 77% of the straight students that did not have LGBT issues included in the curriculum.
Ø LGBT-Q students: 73% of LGBT students felt safer than 58% of the LGBT students that did not have LGBT issues included in the curriculum.
In every single one of these categories, there are gains in the percentage of safety that students feel in the classroom. These results also coincide with the students reporting less rumors or lies being told about them as well as less bullying that occurs among the LGBT community.
It seems that students, as a whole, are more accepting of the way individuals dress and speak and are less likely to judge students which creates a more positive and safer space for students.
2. Policies and Practices of School Districts
At a greater level, California school districts demonstrate an interest in learning about LGBT issues and how to incorporate them in schools and classrooms. A minority of school districts surveyed (20%) expressed the lack of interest in gaining knowledge of the issues and how to implement them in the curriculum.
Reference:
http://www.casafeschools.org/FactSheet-curriculum.pdf
Including LGBTQ studies
in schools, more specifically with incorporating Gay Straight Alliances into
the school community, creates awareness and clarity of structure and how it
contributes to the school community.
Including LGBTQ studies in schools, more specifically with incorporating Gay Straight Alliances into the school community, creates awareness and clarity of structure and how it contributes to the school community.
- What is a Gay Straight Alliance?
A student run group that provides a safe place for any and all
students to meet and learn about all different orientations, to
support each other while working together to end homophobia,
and raise awareness and promote equality for all human beings.
In addition to being a group dedicated to support, it also strives
to educate the surrounding areas and the community on different
gender and equality issues. (MYGSA.CA)
- Gay Straight Alliances can break the emotional and physical isolation for LGBTQ students while also building a culture of greater acceptance (Kitchen & Bellini, 2012).
- According to mygsa.ca, there are five benefits of having a Gay Straight Alliance incorporated into a school community
- 1. A GSA has a positive impact on student academic performance, school/social/and family relationships, student comfort level with sexual orientation, a sense of physical safety, changes in student and teacher attitudes, perceived ability to contribute to society, and an enhanced sense of belonging to the school community
- 2. A GSA forms alliances and positive relationships between both gay and straight students to fight homophobia, isolation, marginalization, violence, and exclusion in the community
- 3. A GSA promotes acceptance, respect and tolerance of all individuals, regardless of racial background, socioeconomic status, gender, religion, or sexual orientation
- 4. A GSA raises awareness and promotes education about homophobia and other forms of oppression
- 5. A GSA offers support and resources for students in need
- Bill 13 requires all public and Catholic secondary schools to support the development and operation of Gay Straight Alliances.
- The overall goal of Gay Straight Alliances is to promote inclusive environments in the classroom, school, and larger community settings.
References:
Gay Straight Alliances. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://mygsa.ca/
Kitchen, J., & Bellini, C. (2012). Addressing Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer
(LGBTQ Issues In Teacher Education: Teacher Candidates' Perception
Educating young children on LGBTQ studies instead of fearing that it will cause the demise of their sexual orientations will hopefully decrease the victimization, discrimination and high suicide rates of people based on their sexual orientation.
“Homophobic harassment and bullying are persistent issues in Canadian schools
despite recent initiatives to improve school climate”
(Kitchen & Bellini, 2012).
- Policies and initiatives according to the Education Act (Bill 157 and Bill 13), were designed to improve school climate, including character education, restorative justice, and peer support programs.
- Teachers in Ontario have a legal duty to address and report homophobia and bullying under Bill 157
- The above changes to the Ministry of Education documents were also targeted towards homophobia and homophobic bullying which still remains a persistent issue in most schools in Ontario.
Over 85% of LGBTQ students report being harassed because of their sexual or gender identity, and over 20% report being physically attacked (Biegel & Kuehl, 2010)
- Far too often teachers and administrators do nothing in response to harassment and physical abuse due to the sexual orientation of their students
o Educators need to take the initiative to address the problem by stopping homophobic comments and bullying, directly and indirectly
o Educators need to stop being bystanders to homophobic comments and bullying
- According to the 2004 General Social Survey (GSS), gays, lesbians and bisexuals reported experiencing higher rates of violent victimization including sexual assault, robbery and physical assault, than did their heterosexual counterparts.
- The proportion of gays, lesbians and bisexuals who felt they had experienced discrimination was about 3 times higher than that of heterosexuals.
o 78% of gays and lesbians who experienced discrimination believed it was because of their sexual orientation compared to 29% of bisexuals and 2% of heterosexuals
o The suicide rate for LGBTQ students continues to be 3-4 times higher than that of their straight counterparts
o In some parts of the country LGBTQ runaways may comprise up to 40% of the entire teen homeless population
- According to the GSS, just over 362,000 Canadians aged 18 years and older (1.5%) identified themselves as being gay, lesbian or bisexual.
- Overall, we as educators need to integrate LGBTQ issues into the classroom and school community not only to educate students in a school setting, but also in a holistic view that challenges students character outside of the school environment.
In the Media: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/bullying-and-sexual-orientation-by-the-numbers-1.909444
“For education to be inclusive, LGBTQ students and curriculum need to be present across all classes. This would include,
for example, explicit attention in areas such as equity and diversity, education law, psychology, and classroom management,
as well as the inclusion of queer content in all subject areas”
(Kitchen & Bellini, 2012).
References:
Biegel, S., & Kuehl, S. (2010). Safe at School: Addressing the School Environment and LGBT
Safety Through Policy and Legislation.
Cushman, C. (2009, June 08). Opposing Views: Schools Should Not Mandate Pro-Gay Teaching.
Retrieved from http://www.opposingviews.com/i/schools-should-not-mandate-pro-gay-teaching