Title: Critical Literacy and Sexual Orientation
1Critical Literacy and Sexual Orientation
- Kelly Rueda Michelle Vega Jennifer Morris
2How does critical literacy relate to sexual
orientation
- Identifying which group has the power -
Heterosexuals
- Investigating what is done with that power and
why - All other orientations are oppressed
- Students ought to question why our society
considers heterosexuality the norm and why
anything else may be seen as weird or
unnatural - Once students are critically literate about
sexual orientation they can become agents of
change acting to balance power .
3Definition of Sexual Orientation and Identity
- Heterosexual (or straight) refers to a person
who is attracted to or falls in love with someone
of the opposite gender.
- Homosexual (or gay man or lesbian woman) refers
to someone who is attracted to or falls in love
with someone of the same gender.
- Bisexual refers to a person who is attracted to
someone of another or the same gender.
- Questioning refers to a person who is unsure of
their own sexual orientation.
- Transgender refers to individuals whose internal
feelings of being male or female differ from the
anatomy they were born with. Transgender refers
to gender identity not sexual orientation.
4How are homosexual students suffering in schools
- Teachers cannot portray homosexuality as an
acceptable lifestyle in the following states
Arizona Alabama Mississippi S. Carolina
Texas and Utah. - 65 of teachers surveyed in Colorado have never
taken an undergraduate or graduate course that
featured information on homosexuality
- 92 of LGBTQ students in middle and high school
report hearing homophobic remarks. 1 in 5 of
these students heard these remarks from staff or
faculty - Attempted suicide rates are over four times
higher for LGBTQ students
- 33 report they have attempted to commit suicide
during the past year compared to other students
(8).
5Providing Support for GLBT groups
- Create a safe classroom environment Teach
students how to discuss sensitive issues in an
appropriate way. Students need to use proper
vocabulary and demonstrate respect when speaking
and listening to others. - Provide explicit support systems for LGBTQ
students. Research shows that students in
schools with gay-straight alliances (GSAs) feel
less likely to miss school feel less unsafe and
more likely to feel a sense of belonging at their
school vs. LGBTQ students who have no support at
their school. - Employ inclusive and respectful curricula. You
can have one opinion personally but deal with an
issue entirely different professionally.
- Include anti-gay bullying in anti-harassment
policies. Reporting forms should be available
for students and staff and a process should be
in place to monitor for both repeat harassers and
repeat victims.
6Teaching Ideasfor Early Childhood Education
- Using Multiculturalism to incorporate gay/lesbian
issues especially when discussing differences in
families. By doing this children will become
understanding and aware of others. - All families are special. Discuss variations in
families by creating a class picture/collage.
- Having students share stories about their
families.
- Have GLBT parents/family members as class
visitors.
- Read Ashas Mums. How do you think Asha feels
when the teacher told her she cant have two
moms
7Teaching Ideas for Middle School
- Incorporate sexual orientation topics when
discussing groups of people who have been or are
oppressed in our country.
- Brainstorm list of common myths/beliefs of
homosexuality and research their accuracy
- Have students read Anita Kings A Stride Towards
Freedom speech and Brian McNaughts essay Dear
Anita (a letter by a gay man arguing that gay
teachers should not be kept out of the classroom)
and have students write a letter from King to
McNaught about gay rights - Research other oppressed groups and
compare/contrast the experiences to GLBT groups
8Teaching Ideas for Middle School
- Incorporate sexual orientation when discussing
people/minorities that have contributed to our
country. Read lit that includes GLBT characters.
- Discuss how the Civil Rights Movement acted as a
catalyst for the GLBT Movement. (Dr. King
organized boycotts with a well know Bayard Rustin
a prominent gay male) - Make a poster of a GLBT individual that have
contributed to our society.
- Make a survey interviewing students and staffs
views about GLBT people
- Make a chart/graph that illustrates students
beliefs at the beginning of the unit and at then
at the end.
9Why teach about sexual orientation
- Education should be seen as the vehicle for
equality and for participation in a democratic
society. Reiko Liu 10th Grade English Teacher
- 10 of students are GLBT
- GLBT students have a right to read about
characters they can relate to or help them
develop self esteem
- 92 of LGBTQ students in middle and high school
report hearing homophobic remarks. 1 in 5 of
these students heard these remarks from staff or
faculty - Such teaching may help to prevent homophobia and
reduce the incidence of physical violence
experienced by gays and lesbians. (Reiss p.344)
10Quotes
- Respecting the stories of faith and religion
told by others is just as vital in our
multicultural world as respecting stories of
race ethnicity gender sexual orientation and
class difference.I Know Lots of People Have
Those Thoughts They Just Do. Kazemak Francis
E. Journal of Adolescent Adult Literacy 45 no.
5 Feb. 2002 - Good teaching in this area should
enablestudents to become better informed about
peoples sexual orientations it should help them
better to understand each others positions and
it should allow them to clarify their own
values. (Reiss 343) - Name-calling bullying and harassment on the
basis of sexual orientation and gender identity
are really quite serious and present issues in
middle schools and high schools across the
country. Student Silence Fights Harassment of
Gays - April 17 2007 www.courant.com/features/lifes
tyle/hc-silence.
11References
- Anthanses S. (1996). A gay-themed lesson in an
ethnic literature curriculum Tenth graders
responses to Dear Anita. Harvard Educational
Review v66 no2 231-256. - CasperV (1996) Toward a most thorough
understanding of the world Sexual orientation
and early childhood education.
- Reiss M. (1997). Teaching about homosexuality
and heterosexuality. Journal of Moral Education v
26 n 3 343-352.
- Reese Shelly The Law and Gay-Bashing in Schools
Education Digest May 1997.
-
- Fight Hate and Promote Tolerance
www.tolerance.org
-
- Harvard Family Research Project
www.hfrp_at_gse.harvard.edu
-
- Reproductive Rights Professor Blog
www.typepad.com
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- Student Silence Fights Harassment of Gays
www.courant.com
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- Sexuality Information and Education Council of
the United States www.siecus.org
- National School Climate Survey (New YorkGLSEN
2003)