For most kids, the social prsur of middle school are tough enough. But an creasg number of young teenagers, some as young 10 or 11, are g out as gay or lbian middle school. Beno Denizet-Lewis, who wrote about the trend the New York Tim Magaze, discs what social factors uld be leadg young people to e out earlier.
Contents:
- BEG GAY AT SCHOOL REMAS DIFFICULT FOR TEACHERS
- WHAT'S LIFE LIKE FOR GAY KIDS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS?
- GAY YOUTH COMG OUT IN MIDDLE SCHOOL
- COMG OUT AS GAY IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
BEG GAY AT SCHOOL REMAS DIFFICULT FOR TEACHERS
High school is a challengg time for most teens. It n be even more so for lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr stunts. Judy Chiasson of the Los Angel Unified School District and Eliza Byard, executive director of the Gay, Lbian and Straight Edutn Network talk about beg openly LGBT school. * being gay at school *
When Jonathan beme a teacher, he wanted to be open about his sexualy, but a school where sual e of the word "gay" as a put-down was mon, he wasn't sure if was a good ia. About a year to his time at the school, a group of female pupils asked if he was gay and he said 'y' first thgs were fe, and Jonathan felt he was able to help pupils who were qutng their own sexualy. "Jonathan left the school a year later, and says the homophobia he experienced was part of the reason for his parture.
His experienc echo the fdgs of a rearch report rried out earlier this year by the gay equaly anisatn Stonewall, The School Report, which found that 96% of gay pupils had heard homophobic language such as "poof" or "lezza" at school – behavur that often go unchallenged by teachers. Acrdg to equaly mpaigners, havg openly homosexual teachers n provi both gay and straight young people wh role mols, but all too often they lack the support they need om senr learship teams and lleagu. Sue Sanrs of Schools Out, a chary that promot equaly for LGBT people tn, timat that as few as 20% of gay teachers are "out" to their pupils.
"The legacy of Sectn 28 – the ntroversial legislatn that banned the "promotn" of homosexualy schools – lgers on, even ne years after s removal, says Streetg, pecially given how many current teachers traed and first tght that Dellenty, the puty head of Aled Salter primary school south-east London, whose succsful anti-homophobic bullyg programme has attracted the attentn of the Department for Edutn, says fear of backlash, and a lack of trag, are the ma reasons behd some school lears' unwillgns to support LGBT teachers and tackle homophobia. Outright prejudice, along wh a ntug misnceptn society that lks gay men workg schools and paedophilia, n also play a part, he says. After some ial "uurgh" nois, they began their own dialogue about what beg gay meant, wh one girl explag to her classmat that simply meant "a man and a man" stead of a man and a woman, rells a few months later, problems began to surface.
WHAT'S LIFE LIKE FOR GAY KIDS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS?
6 reasons why “don’t say gay” bills are wrong. * being gay at school *
"Trag has a val role to play, says Dellenty, who has been workg wh the Natnal College for School Learship (NCSL), the profsnal velopment body for heads, cludg liverg a workshop for school lears on overg the issu that prevent them om rpondg to homophobia.
"You have a much easier relatnship wh stunts when they feel you have a human si, and if you don't tell them you're gay 's really difficult to talk about your life, bee you n't jt talk about your hband or wife, " he the ndns need to be right, says Suran Dickson, whose anisatn, Diversy Role Mols, works wh schools to unter negative stereotyp. "Tips for school lears Lead om the top, and go back to basics: have clear and promoted polici on the issue Enforce the le that all stanc of homophobic language – cludg g "gay" as a pejorative term – mt be challenged, and ensure pupils and teachers unrstand why 's wrong Don't tolerate homophobia by staff, who should be provid wh trag on how to al wh homophobia and support LGBT pupils Make clear to LGBT staff that they have your support if they want to be open about their sexualy, and that any negative reactns will be alt wh swiftly and clearly Involve pupils the velopment and sign of anti-bullyg policiW Streetg, head of tn at Stonewall.
GAY YOUTH COMG OUT IN MIDDLE SCHOOL
* being gay at school *
If your school’s drs allows stunts to wear T-shirts wh slogans, is unlawful for your school to ask you to take off your shirt jt bee endors gay pri. The anizatns are stunt-led groups that provi a safe, supportive environment for lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, queer, and qutng youth and their alli. You have the right to be ee om nversn therapy or church servic that say negative thgs about lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr people.
Each year, seems, we hear the stori of the clash of culture and genr when a high school stunt who is gay is banned om attendg the prom, or pays a price for gog. This year is no different, om a Mississippi unty school board banng 18-year-old Constance McMillan, who wanted to wear a tux and brg her girliend, to the Miami gay senr who was crowned prom queen -only to be disowned by his own fay. Lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr stunts face unique and often cel stggl to fd their place Amerin high schools.
Today, we hear om a Los Angel school admistrator charge of equy and diversy, and om an advote whose anizatn has helped gui gay kids through the maze of high school life. COX: Now, is there an office, an anizatn, an agency wh the district that is set up to al specifilly wh the issu of gay stunts? COX: One of the areas that has been an issue the gay, lbian, transgenr muny, as far as public schools are ncerned, is whether or not to tegrate the stunts to the mastream populatn or to some way segregate them, even if is jt for their safety.
COMG OUT AS GAY IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
High school n be an excg but a strsful time. As you are gettg to know about yourself, you may have realized that you are gay, pansexual, or bisexual. Datg high school n be hard, and fdg someone to love while you are... * being gay at school *
COX: Is possible, Judy, to tablish wh a school settg, let's say, a program that will benef stunts who are lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr - not discrimate agast them but at the same time, allow them to have the fort of beg an area where they n feel fortable? You know, so we would do some kd of supprsn terms of the anti-gay harassment that you experienced and plement that wh tnal terventns bee is through tn that we n really end bias.
She is the executive director of the Gay, Lbian and Straight Edutn Network - to talk more about how gay stunts n be assisted. We are talkg about gay stunts and high school, public high school, and we are talkg wh Judy Chiasson wh the Office of Human Relatns, Diversy and Equy the L. Those are the clear non-discrimatn and anti-bullyg, anti-harassment polici that explicly clu sexual orientatn and genr exprsn and genr inty as among those tegori of protectn; havg supportive faculty and school staff available to young people to help them when issu arise; the prence of stunt clubs, monly known as gay-straight allianc, or GSAs, and other stunt advocy to improve school climate; and the prence of clive curricular elements that accurately and appropriately pict LGBT people, history and life.
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS: LGBT HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS –WHAT TO DO IF YOU FACE HARASSMENT AT SCHOOL Lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr (LGBT) stunts face discrimatn and harassment at school all too often. Unfortunately, many school officials know very ltle about how the law requir them to protect LGBT stunts. And sometim they do know that they're breakg the law, but * being gay at school *
I am a queer teacher Columb, and the big thg I've noticed, the big problem that I have had, is I live a state where is still legal to fire someone for beg gay. I thk Judy embodi what I thk is bt all people who go to tn, but I do have to pot out that there are ser stutnal barriers across the untry for teachers, gay or straight, who wish to reach out and help stunts who are havg a hard time.
And fact, eight stat this untry, there are laws that specifilly prohib posive discsns of homosexualy public schools.
And I thk the key thg - thkg about that first email - is that this is about the fact that 90 percent of stunts, gay and straight, report that they hear anti-gay ments, anti-LGBT ments at school every sgle day. Stunts we asked - a natnal sample of sendary school stunts, middle and high school, the - gay and straight - about the most equent bas for bullyg and harassment their schools, and the top three that were listed were physil appearance and body size, actual or perceived sexual orientatn, and whether a stunt was perceived to be, quote-unquote, mascule or feme enough.