Creating Safe Spaces

In "Safe Spaces: Making Schools and Communities Welcoming to LGBT Youth", August does a fantastic job delivering the argument that LGBT youth are not being protected in today's schools. It is the job of educators to protect all students, especially those who are typically marginalized, and most are failing to do so. By neglecting to talk about LGBTQ families and individuals or even going as far as to talk badly about LGBTQ community members, teachers are shaming these students simply for being who they are. 

August speaks heavily about integration and interpretation. For our class, this should not be a new concept. Many pieces we have read lay out very similar ideas. In the article we read last week, Christensen mentions the lack of representation of certain groups in media. Certainly the LGBTQ community is under-represented, especially in children's media. However, it is important that children see people and families different from their own because it teaches them to be loving and accepting of all. I think it is safe to assume that many TV and film companies fear backlash if they choose to include LGBTQ people in children's films. In the new Beauty and the Beast film, Disney chose to make the character LeFou a gay man. It is subtle, and certainly most children probably did not even realize it. However, the backlash Disney faced was unreal. I have included a link to an article which talks more about this "scandal". As Christensen says, children are receiving a "secret education". If children never see LGBTQ people in films or TV shows, they are in essence being "educated" to believe that it is wrong to have two moms or it is wrong to love certain people. It is teaching children to be intolerant. 

The reading by Collier also relates to August's article because both authors state that we must not teach children that their cultures are wrong but rather embrace them. One of the key points in Collier's article is that in teaching bilingual students, it is extremely important to both incorporate and respect their culture in the classroom. The same is true for LGBTQ students. We must embrace the cultures of LGBTQ students in the same way. We must teach both those students and all students that just because their way of life is different than some of ours does not make it wrong. All cultures are beautiful, LGTQ culture included. As educators, it is our job to relay these positive messages of cultural acceptance in the classroom every day. 

QUESTION: As someone who went to Catholic school, LGBTQ themes were NEVER incorporated into the classroom. There was no negative portrayal but that is because there was never any portrayal at all. I am wondering if those of you who went to public school had a different experience? Technically speaking public schools are more inclusive, but are they actually?