Queering Our Schools 3/20

Both “RI Laws and Policies” and “Queering our Schools” argue that students, specifically transgender and nonconforming students, should have a space where they feel welcome and supported without any discrimination, and that school is safe to attend. All students need a supportive environment if they want to succeed academically.

There is an idea in both readings that not only should students feel safe, but staff and adults in the building do as well. Rhode Island law names:  “RIGL §16-2-17 Right to a safe school asserts that each student, staff member, teacher, and administrator has a right to attend and/or work at a school which is safe and secure, and which is conducive to learning, and which is free from the threat, actual or implied, of physical harm by a disruptive student.” Feeling safe is a basic human right. This applies to both physical and psychological safety.

In “Queering our Schools” the idea is that if the adults are safe then the students are safe. At a conference in Milwaukee, the participants were discussing teachers coming out, and the article said that the conversations kept going back to kids and school being safe for them. The editors were hesitant to this approach: “But no number of classroom discussions about gender stereotypes and homophobia will create a nurturing environment if teachers and parents are afraid to come out. A school that’s a protective community for LGBTQ adults is a school that’s going to be safe for kids” (24). But is that always the case?

I raise that question because at my school, we have many LGBTQ staff members, including our principal. Two of our staff members are married, and they proudly display their pride flags, and “love is love” decor. I believe they undoubtedly create a space for students- but I do not think our school as a whole is welcoming. “Equally important is empowering students to participate- at school and in the community- in organizations fighting for all kinds of social justice, including gay/straight alliances” (24). Our principal has routinely denied students and staff from running and starting a GSA club at my school. She told our LGBTQ staff members that next year the club can start- but the past two years has been a no. So, while our staff might feel supported and safe, is that setting an example for all students? 

The idea of starting the club also made me think maybe there are more students who need that support and community than I realized. 

The article explains the story of Jody Sokolower, who called the teachers union because she was accused of “talking about her sex life” when she came out to her class of students. The article explains that “her district rep immediately promised that the union would fight for her, and sent letters to that effect to the principal and to Jody’s file. That backing was enormously important, both emotionally and practically. Union support is critical” (24-25). What happens if you work at a charter school, or private school that is non unionized? Where or what resources are you provided with? Are you afforded the same protection and safety? 

The video  Woke Read Alouds: They, She, He Easy as ABC connects further to psychological safety. You can show someone respect by making them know you care about who they are. You connect to the whole person. The kids in the story loved themselves and felt good when they were treated right. RI and federal laws try to cover this. In class we talked about Title IX with an emphasis on the sports lens, but the reading focused on the policy as a whole and RIGL §16-38-1.1 states in part that  “Discrimination on the basis of sex is hereby prohibited in all public elementary and secondary schools in the state . . .” The state statute is essentially a restatement of the federal Title IX.” Rhode Island does not allow for any discrimination against students. This, hopefully, with specific teachings, helps provide another level of safety for students.

Another way for students to feel included, safe and welcomed in education is through the curriculum. “Queering our Schools” says “a social justice framework demands an approach to curriculum that integrates queer people—their problems, history, struggles, and contributions—into day-to- day curriculum, K–12, across the subject areas” (25). The curriculum I use tries to do this. While most of the actual curriculum and activities completed do not focus on those areas, there is additional guidance I am provided in the teacher guide to make and find ways to be more inclusive. An example of this, below, is when students start to learn the process of mitosis.

✱ ATTENDING TO EQUITY

The NGSS refers to the cell at the beginning of the cell cycle as the parent cell and the two cells at the end as daughter cells. This language could reinforce gender binary thinking and you may want to consider how to best represent these relationships. For more resources see:

https://www.genderinclusivebiology.com/

By providing me with ideas and resources on how to bridge inequities members of the LGBTQ community might face, I in my teaching can help make them feel more welcome and safe. Switching some of my practices could be a reason a student who originally did not want to attend school because they felt uncomfortable, decided to show up. If every teacher and every curriculum instituted this guidance, support could increase drastically.

“RI Laws and Guidance” states on page 9 “discomfort is not a reason to deny access to the transgender student” and "Queering our Schools” names “none of this is easy. But every step leads to the next one.” While these are not the same concepts and ideas we learned about and discussed in class- with the reading “colorblindness is the new racism” which is aligned to race- the bottom line remains the same: in order to create safe spaces where all students feel welcome, there needs to be a conversation. Dialogue needs to happen in all facets of the education system if there wants to be progress. Teachers, school administration, families and students all need to be in compliance with the laws, and everyone needs to get comfortable talking about uncomfortable and hard things.