Prejudice against gays and lesbians are not something that is tackled in the classroom or on the curriculum. Therefore some of the ways that I have noticed that homophobia and heterosexism permeate the world of young children in all that they see daily is that there is no or little mention or reference to either in books at school, movies for the younger age group, educational setting or stores they visit. By age two, toddlers are beginning to notice and comment on gender differences and have assigned their playmates labels (girl, boy) (Ramsey 2004). Everything in our culture is gender related, with girls being cultivated and boys geared toward enhancing their natural abilities. All children are curious and want to know about the world surrounding them, and gay and lesbian individuals are a part of their world and often daily life, yet we steer clear of the subject because of our personal feelings. The books we read to them do not include couples of the same sex, through play most teachers discourage boys to take on any roles such as washing dishes, playing nurse, or feeding the baby. These are all roles that most fathers perform, yet we deter our young boys to participate in this learning experience. Children and families are continuing to transform and society must work towards being understanding and accepting of all.
Currently in my school there are no books or movies in the media center related to one’s homophobia. And when I asked several colleagues if they addressed this within their curriculum they wholeheartedly stated absolutely not. We must be willing to expand and explore our limited knowledge in order to create a non-homophobic atmosphere that meets the needs of all (lesbian, gay, bisexual, educators, parents and their children). We can start by incorporating stories and pictures of families that represent differences in families and having an open discussion on the similarities and differences. If there is a family within your classroom that you area aware of as same-sex, invite them to come out and speak of their lifestyle while encouraging everyone to be nonjudgmental and open-minded, even if they do not agree with their choice. As stated in the Gender video this week, we need many different opinions to see the many different views outside of our own
Earlier this week my son, who is ten, and I were watching the opening ceremony of the President’s Dinner Party for the Ambassador of Camden. Individuals and their wives, husbands, and significant others were being introduced. As we watched this, my son started to ask why the same-sex couples were holding hands and shared the same name. Were they indeed married? I took this opportunity to share with him that in some states, marriage of the same-sex is legal and that love is a beautiful event no matter the difference in gender, color, race, or age. He later responded that some of the married men and women looked unhappy and not really wanting to be there as opposed to the same-sex couples who appeared to be truly thrilled to be with their partner.
References:
Laureate Education, 2011. Start seeing diversity: sexual orientation
Ramsey, P. 1991. Young children’s awareness and understanding of social class differences. Journal of Genetic Psychology
