| Educators and parents can follow some simple guidelines to provide equity to the gay and lesbian students in our schools and homes (Edwards, 1997, 70): 1. Use the words gay, lesbian, bisexual. Use inclusive language, such as partner or spouse instead of husband or wife. 2. Provide classroom speakers. This can have a positive effect on reducing name-calling. 3. Display or wear a gay-positive symbol. When teachers in Brookfield, Connecticut put pink triangles outside their doors as a symbol of safety for gay and lesbian students, some people in the community objected. With administrative support, the teachers prevailed. Gay, lesbian, and questioning youth feel part of a safe school. 4. Challenge homophobic remarks everywhere and all the time. Establish an anti-slur policy. 5. Provide positive role models, both historic and current. 6. Demand in-service training for all staff. Local organizations such as Parents and Friends of Lesbian and Gays (PFLAG) can help with this. 7. Include discussions of gay, lesbian, and bisexual issues in the class, as with any other minority. 8. Create social situations for both gay and straight friends. A �teen night� instead of a dance with the encouragement of attendance by both gay and straight youth. Strategies for Sensitizing Youth Serving Agencies to the Needs of Gay and Lesbian Youths (McMillen, 1997, 398-407): 1. Hire supportive employees. 2. Adapt anti-discrimination policies in employment and in service provision that includes sexual orientation. 3. A statement of nondiscrimination should be placed conspicuously in the agency as well as on the employment application. 4. Thorough in-service training for staff regardless of sexual orientation is integral to providing quality services to gay and lesbian youth and their families. 5. Creation of a physical environment that welcomes gay, lesbian, and bisexual youths, parents, and prospective employees to the agency. 6. Sexual minority youth may be particularly sensitive to religious symbols if they have at some time suffered from prejudice in the name of religion. Agencies can keep these symbols out of therapy rooms and where they are displayed they can place a gay and lesbian-affirming poster or symbol next to the religious symbol. 7. Sexual orientation is too vital to be overlooked. Agencies must be diligent in training to best serve sexual minorities. Reflecting Upon Attitudes and Beliefs (Mathison, 1998, 153-154): � Do I assume that all my teacher education students and colleagues are heterosexual? � Do I believe that it is appropriate for gay men and lesbians to become teachers? � As I discuss historians, philosophers, theorists, and practitioners with teacher education students, do I ever identify individuals as homosexual in the same manner that I might mention ethnicity, gender, or other cultural attributes? � Do the examples I use in class assume that everyone is heterosexual? � Have I ever said anything in or out of class that would let the students know how I feel about homosexuality? � If a teacher education student wanted to talk to someone about ways to better serve gay and lesbian children and adolescents in the classroom, would he or she feel comfortable coming to me? � If someone were to look at my course syllabi or any other aspect of my teaching activities, would that person see any evidence that preparing teachers to serve gay and lesbian students was important to me? Actions for Teacher Educators (Mathison, 1998, 154): 1. Create a safe environment for gay and lesbian students. 2. Provide positive role models. 3. Select curriculum materials and activities supportive of gay and lesbian students. 4. Provide information and training for faculty. 5. Secure library holdings about gay and lesbian issues. 6. Focus attention on gay and lesbian students in one�s research. Teacher educators can use research to gain insights into the lives and schooling experiences of gay and lesbian youngsters. REFERENCES Edwards, Ann T. (1997). Let�s Stop Ignoring Our Gay and Lesbian Youth. Educational Leadership, 54, No. 7, 68-70. Mathison, Carla. (1998). The Invisible Minority: Preparing Teachers to Meet the Needs of Gay and Lesbian Youth. Journal of Teacher Education, 49, No. 2, 151-155. McMillen, C., Phillips, S., Sparks, J., Ueberle, M. (1997). Concrete Strategies for Sensitizing Youth-Serving Agencies to the Needs of Gay, Lesbian, and Other Sexual Minority Youths. Child Welfare, 76, No. 3, 393-409. |
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