We must discuss gay teachers
‘We Say Gay': Largest Teachers’ Union Pledges to Clash Anti-LGBTQ+ Policies
As thousands of delegates of the nation’s largest teachers’ union gathered in Florida—a state at the forefront of restrictions on the LGBTQ+ community—they defiantly pledged to “say gay.”
Educators wore shirts donning the phrase, a reference to the state’s Parental Rights in Learning law, dubbed by critics as the “Don’t Utter Gay” law, that now bans most instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity for all grades. “We say gay,” they chanted, as they rallied in the Florida heat against similar legislation taking root across the nation, holding signs calling for the freedom to affectionate , learn, and teach.
And the National Education Association delegates passed a measure to address “the prevalence of discrimination and abuse targeted” at those in the LGBTQ+ community, which includes mobilizing against legislative attacks, providing professional training on LGBTQ+ issues for educators, and strengthening shrink protections for LGBTQ+ educators.
The new business item, which was voted on during the union’s annual representative assembly here, carried a hefty price tag of more than $580,000. (N
Embracing equity for LGBTIQ+ teachers
This blog has been written by Carol Hordatt Gentles, President, International Council on Education for Teachers, and Purna Kumar Shrestha, Global Technical Lead- Resilient and Inclusive Education, VSO International – coordinators of the Teacher Task Force thematic group on Inclusion and equity in teacher policies and practices.
We need unseal dialogue to understand the challenges faced by LGBTIQ+ teachers
As we commemorate the 2023 International Women’s Day, we see the progress made to lift awareness of issues that challenge equality and equity for women. We remember that embracing equity “means to believe, value, and seek out difference as a necessary and positive element of life” (International Women's Day). To confirm inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all, treating all teachers equally and ensuring the instruction workforce reflects the diversity of the classroom and wider community are critical.
On the occasion of the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia in 2022, UNESCO has reminded us that: “Human rights are inalienable rights, to which LGBTI pers SINGAPORE – A quick nod at a rainbow drawn on the classroom whiteboard, or walking into class with a rainbow tote bag the day after Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced at the National Evening Rally on Aug 21, 2022 that Section 377A of the Penal Code would be repealed. These were the ways one educator let his students know they could talk to him about lesbian, same-sex attracted, bisexual and trans person (LGBT) issues. It was the least he could act for his students, said Andrew (not his real name), 38, who has been teaching for about a decade. He believes it has become markedly more difficult to be a teenager in recent years amid what he calls a mental health crisis. “In instruct for me to meet my students where they are, when it comes to the struggles that they may have, I necessitate to first production up as my authentic self in order to be able to facilitate them,” said Andrew. While Andrew has not come out in class to his students, aged 13 to 16 years old, he says that students are able to join the dots through small acts like these and some have given him Teachers’ Night cards thanking him for making the cla It was my first week as a fully fledged teacher. Pinned up next to my sixth-form college whiteboard, the neatly coloured timetable told me that the AS literature group were next. They milled around outside the classroom, brimming with nervy start-of-term little talk: how immense the site was compared with the various secondary schools they’d said goodbye to a several months ago; stuttered lists of subject choices. I opened YouTube on my monitor, increased the volume and beckoned the students in. Twenty bemused kids made their way to their seats as I clicked to the beat at my desk, before rising to my feet to present a laid-back two-step. I got a quizzical thumbs up; one brave essence testingly called out: “Yeah, funky, sir?” As they peeled out of their box-fresh hoodies, Fela Kuti’s Water No Get Enemy strolled towards its chorus. Playing “cool tunes” as students filed in was one of many gimmicks I used at the start of my teaching career, all of which now seem utterly laughable. But back in 2011, I was a bushy-tailed, 26-year-old newly qualified educator (NQT), thrilled to have my first job at an “outst “Mister, are you gay?” This was the doubt an 8th grader asked in the middle of the school cafeteria. It was the first period a student asked me this question in such a straightforward way. My mind began to race: Is he daring me to come out? Is this a prank between students? Is he going to tell this knowledge to others? At that moment, I had a series of flashbacks: The first time it happened at a mentor preparation program in Mississippi. I was sitting in a circle with other LGBTQIA+ educators when our managers told us we were not allowed to be open about our identity at the college. The other time was during college. I was a camp counselor in Colorado when staff trainers said it was “inappropriate” for LGBTQIA+ counselors to be our “true selves” around the campers. For much of my professional career, the word had been clear: don’t come out. My hour as an educator in Texas is no exception. It’s not uncommon to hear news stories about LGBTQIA+ teachers fired for something as simple as having a picture of their partner in their classroom. So, when a 14-year-olIs it okay for gay teachers to come out in class? Gay teachers list qualms, parents urge caution
‘You’re gay, sir, innit?’: As a mentor, I kept my sexuality a covert – until I couldn’t
Teachers Should Be Allowed To Come Out in the Classroom. In Texas, An Outdated Law Stands in the Way.