Addressing Homophobia in our Schools

For another class at Johns Hopkins I had to read the article “Homo High” from issue 37 of Teaching Tolerance magazine. The article studies the creation or proposed creation of high schools in New York, Milwaukee, and Chicago that cater to a homosexual, bisexual or transgender population. In the article the proponents of the high schools argue that the schools create a safe haven for students who feel marginalized or unsafe at mainstream schools. According to the article, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) students are seven times more likely to skip school to avoid being bullied. The creation of “gay-friendly” schools offer them an education in an environment where they feel safe and welcomed for who they are. Opponents of the school argue that these schools do not solve the problem of homophobia or bullying, but rather remove or segregate LGBT students away from mainstream students. Opponents argue that the problem lies not with the LGBT students but with the bullies who harass them repeatedly. They would rather see an effort to eliminate bullying in regular schools than create “gay-friendly” schools to educate LGBT students separately from their heterosexual peers.

I agree that creating “gay-friendly” schools does not solve the problem of homophobia and gender orientation bullying in schools. In addition, by offering schools catered towards the LGBT community, mainstream students will not benefit from being exposed to an alternative lifestyle and the understanding that there is nothing wrong with it. If LGBT students are removed from the general classroom, they will continue to be seen as the other and persecuted accordingly.

However, last year I taught a student who was openly gay and underwent some extremely cruel harassment. As a result of the harassment he missed well over half the school year and was very far behind his classmates at the end of the year. If Baltimore had a “gay-friendly” school he would have had a safe place to go to school and finish his education in safety and acceptance. Unfortunately no such place exists in Baltimore and I am not entirely sure that he is still attending school.

Baltimore is a school district where homophobia and bullying stemming from it are widespread and almost systematic in nature. I think that Baltimore City schools would benefit from both the creation of a “gay-friendly” school and a system wide anti-homophobia and bullying initiative. The “gay-friendly” school would offer a short term solution for students who do not feel safe attending their current school and skip school as a result, while the anti-homophobia and bullying initiative would offer a long term solution by addressing the mindsets and attitudes in our students that a cause the bullying and harassment of their LGBT classmates.

Lies My Teacher Told Me

I recently read James W. Loewen’s Lies My Teacher Told Me for the second time. The book highlights the historical inaccuracies that many American history textbooks include and explains why they are included in textbooks even though they are at best misleading and at worst, factually incorrect. Prior to reading the book, I knew that many textbooks related a simplistic view of American history, but I was unprepared for the depth and breadth of the misconceptions. After my second reading I still was struck by the fallacies that many textbooks propagate, but even more so by Loewen’s explanation for why many historical inaccuracies are included in American history textbooks.

Loewen argues that large textbook publishers write books that will be accepted by state ratings boards and other public evaluating bodies. Some of these evaluating bodies have slightly skewed conceptions of American history to say the least. Many textbooks in the South called the Civil War “the War between the States” or “the War for Southern Independence.” Still other states have passed laws preventing textbooks from including anything but a lily-white version of American history. I find it hard to believe that the groups responsible for choosing the text that thousands of children will use would consciously decide to limit the information that they are given, especially when that version of history might disenfranchise a significant portion of our students.

As a history teacher I have to decide: toe the line and teach the standardized version of American history, or find new texts that examine the “dark areas” of American history. It is a lot more work to go and find new and independent texts, but teaching a whitewashed version of American history is not an option because it is not American history. It would be more similar to teaching “the American Dream” where nothing bad ever happened, no one ever made the wrong decision. Teaching in Baltimore City makes it all the more crucial to introduce our students to a wider version of American history. Many of our students arrive at school already underserved and marginalized; it would be a crime to restrict the information they are provided with in the classroom.