I applaud those who had the courage to speak up and question whether it was necessary for us as teachers to talk about sexual orientation in elementary school. I recognize it was not easy for people to speak out against proactively teaching sexual orientation to our future students. I would not doubt that some people in class remained more silent on this issue for fear of saying something that would be perceived as inconsiderate or inhumane. Despite fear of rejection, some people did speak up, and I appreciate that because it forced us to explain WHY we should/shouldn’t teach sexual orientation and HOW we should/shouldn’t go about teaching it.
I myself am still questioning HOW to go about teaching sexual orientation. In an effort to be fair I am asking myself how I should present the opposition to homosexuality? This would of course depend on the grade of the students and the context within which homosexuality is presented, but if for example, I am presenting a short history of LGBT civil rights movement, do I merely say that some people including many major religions opposed this movement? If try to explain why the LGBT civil rights movement exists, should I not explain why the opposition exists? How do I as an advocate for LGBT rights pose questions to my class that do not make students or parents feel alienated? In promoting LGBT rights in the classroom, do I not have the obligation to defend people’s right to religious or individual beliefs?
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I know…this is a very touchy subject for many. There are many questions I also still have about approaching this subject gracefully in my classroom. Unless the school that I work for has a set curriculum for such subjects, I plan on approaching sexual orientation very basically while promoting respect and equality for all members of society. Perhaps I while notify the parents to give them a heads up on the topics covered in class so they are aware of the modern application of such subjects in their child’s classroom. (I know subjects such as these were not discussed in previous generations and would not want them to be surprised if their child came home with questions or comments relating to sexual orientation.)
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