Gayness, Multicultural Education and Community

Gayness, Multicultural Education and Community was about...

• Gayness
• School community
• Democracy
• Privilege
• Power
• Normal vs. Abnormal
• Marginalization
• Culture
• Homophobia
• Homosexuality
• Keeping gayness in it's place
• Invisibility

Argument

Dennis Carlson argues that "gayness" has been kept "in its place" within the school community and maintaining "gayness" is difficult to sustain. Gay people have been identified as the pathological and deviant "Other" and have been silenced,invisible and absent within the school community.

Evidence

1. "Normalizing texts systematically exclude and neglect the culture of those outside the norm for the purpose of ratifying or legitimating the dominant culture as the only significant culture worth studying"(page 236.)

"No state currently recognizes gays and lesbians as a legitimate minority or cultural groups to be considered in textbook adoption or to be included in multicultural education; and a number of states explicitly prohibit teaching about homosexuality"(page 236.)

This quote shows how gayness is kept in it's place through the curriculum's used in schools. The dominant culture which can be categorized as those who are straight are seen as normal, while those who are gay are seen as abnormal and are neglected through curriculum's used in schools because they are not apart of the dominant culture. Gayness is also kept in it's place because in so me states the teachings of homosexuality is prohibited. If gayness is recognized, it is through the health curriculum's where they are associated with having AIDS.

2. " One of the primary means of ensuring that gayness was an invisible presence in the school was through the dismissal of teachers who were found out to be homosexuals"(page 237.)

The school community tried to make gayness invisible by firing teachers who were homosexuals, which also shows how gayness is kept in it's place. According to Carlson, gay teachers were fired because they were seen as a threat to the students and the American way of life. Teachers were seen as contagious. ( Amanda's Opinion: What ignorance!)

3. " One of the effects of this closeting of gay teachers may be an overzealous effort by gay teachers themselves to avoid any class discussion in which gayness may come up, since they presume that to be publicly "out" at school would cost them their jobs"( page 238)

Gay teachers are silenced because of their fear of loosing their jobs which also shows how gayness is kept in its place.

Points to share/ Comments/Questions

I found this article very interesting because in some ways I could reflect on my high school experiences with gayness. At my high school, I knew two male teachers who were gay, but were respected and accepted within my school community. I don't think they've ever told me personally "I'm gay" but it is something that you kinda knew when you met them. This may seem very stereotypical because I judged them based on their appearance and my first impression. But I've seen them both with their partner...holding hands off school grounds. I've also known several high school classmates who were open with their sexuality and were also respected. No one regardless whether they were gay, lesbian, feminine were judged based on their sexual preference. To everyone within my school community the abnormal was also seen as normal.