Safe Spaces: Making Schools and Communities Welcoming to LGBT Youth - Extended Comments Post

In this book written by Annemarie Vaccaro, Gerri August, and Megan S. Kennedy, the authors offer strategies for incorporating LGBT topics into general curriculum. The authors express how vital it is to make sure that the classroom is a safe and encouraging place for all students, no matter their race, gender, or sexual orientation. Within the chapter, there are featured stories about instances where the LGBT community was silenced within the walls of the classroom. Some of the ways teachers handled situations with an LGBT student was mind boggling. The story about Maria, the Spanish college student who identified as a lesbian, and felt that her professor was forcing the heterosexuality norm within the classroom, the authors offered, "Did it always have to be a choice of denying herself or explaining herself" (88) when questioning whether or not Maria should approach her professor about the issue. Another example within the same page was about a student who identified as transgender and wished to be called a different name than was on the roster, and "[the professor] continued to call him the name on the official roster" (88).

After reading Kelsey's post where she admitted she was never taught about the LGBT community and was never exposed to it until her early high school years, I started to think back in my educational background. I can remember there was a girl in my second grade class who I became best friends with, and she had two moms. My mom still tells the story about the first day I came home from this girl's house and said "Mom can you believe how lucky [my friend] is!? She has two moms!". So at an early age I was exposed to the idea of a family that was not the normal heterosexual household.

Starting when I got to high school I joined the color guard activity which is very accepting of the LGBT community. While being a part of this activity, I have created special relationships with people that I consider to be my best friends, and many of them identify as gay. In 2015, I marched in a drum corps and one of my instructors was transgender and she is still one of my biggest inspirations in the activity. Because the color guard activity is culturally aimed towards females, being a male in the activity results in some negative commentary. Throughout high school I was faced with challenges amongst my peers who just did not understand or care to understand why I was spinning flags on a football field. Words such as "gay" and "fag" have been thrown my way for years and I boil it down to ignorance amongst my peers and in society. I would love to play a role in a child's understanding of the LGBT community in hopes of stoping any bullying or negative commentary this community faces.

Because of my experience and ties with the LGBT community I agree with the authors of this book, that it is an essential topic to introduce to children within their elementary school years. It allows them to grow up knowing that there is not only one type of family possible, and allows them to become more accepting of those around them who might be different than they are. I will definitely remember this reading and make sure to incorporate it into my teaching strategies one day.

Here is a link I found to an article that talks about how California is soon going to be incorporating LGBTQ History into their curriculum