Promising Practices

Encouraging Pre-Service Teachers to Address Issues of Sexual Orientation in Their Classrooms

Walking the Walk & Talking the Talk

Laurie E. Hansen

Introduction scribe ways that teacher educators can en- do speak up often give up in the face of courage future teachers to address LGBT defensiveness and obliviousness from their Imagine this scenario: A high school issues in their own classrooms. The Gay, White peers (Delpit, 1988). marching band has just finished a long Lesbian, Straight Education Network’s In my experience teaching multicul- day of summer practice. The drum majors (GLSEN, 2008) ThinkB4YouSpeak Edu- tural education and cultural diversity dismiss the students by grade level—first cator’s Guide served as the framework for courses, I have found it to be the case that the seniors, then the juniors, and so on—as the activities that I have implemented in some students are silenced and others are each class shouts a group cheer. When it is undergraduate (e.g., K-12 Multicultural quite vocal. While some students from di- the juniors’ turn, several students shout, Education, Issues in K-12 Education) and verse racial, ethnic, cultural, linguistic, re- “one-two-three-FAGGOTS!” The music graduate-level (e.g., Foundations of Diver- ligious, and/or socioeconomic backgrounds teacher is out of earshot several yards sity and Equity) courses for pre-service do speak up in class, they run the risk of away and neither the student leaders nor elementary and secondary teachers. The “putting themselves out there” only to be the parents who are standing there say activities described here have been used dismissed, ignored, or challenged by White anything in response. The next day when effectively with classes as small as 25, and students with little awareness of White the teacher was told about the incident and as large as 140 students. privilege or systemic societal inequities spoke to the students who had initiated the (McIntosh, 1988). cheer, they stated that they “didn’t mean Indeed, White pre-service teachers it in a negative way.” Multicultural Education may use “tools of Whiteness,” such as fear Unfortunately, scenarios such as this and LGBT Issues of people of color, deficit understandings of one are all too common in U.S. schools, As a teacher educator, I am aware of students from communities of color, and a making for a hostile environment for the need to incorporate issues of sexual “Whites as victims” narrative to maintain many lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgen- orientation and gender identity into my and defend their hegemonic understandings der (LGBT) students. In a recent national undergraduate and graduate-level multi- of race and power in U.S. society (Picower, school climate survey, nearly three-fourths cultural education and cultural diversity 2009, p. 204). Similarly, students may have of LGBT students aged 13-20 reported courses. When I began teaching at the uni- developed “tools of heterosexuality.” frequently or often hearing homophobic versity level in 1999, scant attention and Given this background knowledge, I ex- remarks such as “fag” or “dyke” at school page space was devoted to LGBT issues in pect students with diverse views on sexual (Kosciw, Greytak, Bartkiewicz, Boesen, the textbooks available for me to use with orientation and gender identity to be simi- & Palmer, 2012). Even more prevalent my students. larly hesitant to share out in a large class was the negative use of the word “gay” in Indeed, in a content analysis of teacher dominated by “traditional” social norms. I expressions such as “that’s so gay.” preparation textbooks, Young and Middle- have found that while many students will However, LGBT students reported ton (1999) reported that only two of the not share their perspectives out with the that teachers and staff rarely intervened seven multicultural education texts in- whole class, they are willing to write about in response to biased and derogatory com- cluded discussion of LGBT issues. Today, them as individual reflections or discuss is- ments based on sexual orientation, sexism, the coverage of these topics in textbooks sues in small groups. Thus, I designed class or gender expression. This was true even in has improved, but still tends to be limited. sessions to provide a range of opportunities cases when the adults heard the remarks Thus, as teacher educators, we must for students to participate in ways in which firsthand. And although non-LGBT stu- bridge this gap by relying on related diver- they could feel safe and also be heard. dents may believe that expressions such as sity concepts to help us plan instruction. “you’re so gay” and “no homo” are innocuous, As anyone who has taught a course on Preparing Teachers to Be Advocates over 90% of LGBT students reported that multicultural education knows, teaching for LGBT Students they feel bothered or distressed when they about issues of discrimination, racism, hear such comments (Kosciw et al., 2012). bigotry, power, and privilege to a mix of The high school band scenario high- The purpose of this article is to de- students from so-called majority and mi- lights the importance of preparing teachers nority groups is challenging. Laurie E. Hansen is a lecturer to address anti-LGBT slurs as they occur Too often, students of color are silenced in the School of Education and, more importantly, preventing the in university classrooms by students from at the University of California, Irvine, occurrence of such incidents in the first the dominant White culture; those who Irvine, California. place. Unfortunately, issues of lesbian, gay,

WINTER 2015 51 Promising Practices bisexual, and gender identity are often discussion of LGBT issues with pre-service Pre-service teachers who are doing excluded from multicultural education, or middle and high school teachers. fieldwork or student teaching may find are not seen as social justice issues in K- The Education Digest includes con- that their school sites have resources 12 school curricula or pre-service teacher densed versions of previously published as well, including established GSAs. In education (Hyland, 2010; Mayo, 2013; articles on a variety of topics that cor- addition, national organizations provide Sherwin & Jennings, 2006). respond well to issues related to LGBT free resources to help teachers prepare In-service teachers may be aware youth. For example, Holladay’s (2011) piece for issues of LGBT and gender identity. that some of their students (a) identify as on cyberbullying provides background For example, the Teaching Tolerance web- LGBT or are questioning, (b) have parents related to bullying in general, Reis (2009) site—http://www.tolerance.org/—includes who identify as gay or lesbian, or (c) have examines the question of whether or not articles, teaching activities, and blog fo- experienced, witnessed, or perpetrated adults should encourage LGBT students rums that address LGBT concerns. Some homophobic bullying at school (Puchner & to “come out,” and Underwood (2004) dis- of the many resources available for educa- Klein, 2011). However, teachers may feel cusses the legal obligations that schools tors on the GLSEN website—www.glsen. ill-prepared to discuss these issues with have to protect LGBT students. org—are back-to-school guides, links and their students and may thus avoid such information for upcoming events, research discussions, thereby inadvertently silenc- Critical Thinking Related to the Readings reports, public relations materials, and ing their students (Puchner & Klein). One of the challenges that university teaching materials. Nevertheless, it is clear that teachers, faculty face is how to encourage students to especially those in secondary settings, think deeply about the issues addressed in Creating a “Safe Space” for Discussion will encounter LGBT students and the the course readings, and more specifically, University campuses may have LGBT challenges they face, and thus they have how to encourage students to complete the resources to support faculty in their own a responsibility to become educated on readings prior to class. It is well known teaching and professional growth. For these issues (Zacko-Smith & Smith, 2010). that many undergraduate students do not example, both of the universities where I Teacher educators can help future teach- complete the assigned readings and are teach offer workshops for faculty to pre- ers along this journey of awareness and thus underprepared for class discussions. pare them to create a “safe space” for all of advocacy. Although graduate students may be more their students. Universities also have GSA likely to do the required readings, they may clubs that faculty can join. Such training Setting the Stage need assistance in focusing on key points and active participation can help faculty to Readings that the instructor wishes to emphasize. lay the foundation for acceptance in their Tomasek (2009) provides an extensive own classrooms. There are a number of readings that list of reading and writing prompts that Creating a safe space for sharing ideas instructors can assign to students to prime “promote critical out-of-class reading” and and perspectives and asking questions them for in-class discussion and activities can be used effectively with the readings is essential for multicultural education related to LGBT issues. For example, in a related to LGBT topics (p. 127). Some of courses, because class discussion often book chapter titled “Queer Lessons: Sexual the prompts help students to identify the involves controversial, “hot button” top- and Gender Minorities in Multicultural key issue(s) of a reading, such as “What ics. Thus, faculty can facilitate discussion Education,” Mayo (2013) describes the his- problem is the author identifying?” or “For of safe space ground rules the first week tory and overlap of LGBT movements with whom is this topic important and why? (p. of class and then go back to these ideas multicultural movements, discrimination 129). Other prompts require students to often. Although undergraduate students of LGBT people, and ways to improve make personal connections or interpret are adults, they at times react with imma- education for students of all sexual orien- the evidence provided/argument made in a turity to serious problems posed by their tations and gender identities. reading, challenge an author’s assumptions, peers. For example, students may laugh Similarly, a chapter in a book by Kop- or make inferences about what they read. out loud in response to other students’ pelman (2011) titled “Heterosexism: Trans- descriptions of situations in which they or forming Homosexuality from Deviant to LGBT Resources others have been the target of demeaning Different” provides an historical overview racial or other slurs. Asking students to put of myths about and cultural bias against Teaching about issues of sexual orien- tation and gender identity in multicultural themselves in the shoes of K-12 children homosexuality, institutional discrimina- serves as a reminder that they are held to tion of LGBT students in schools, and the education courses serves a dual purpose: (a) to prepare future teachers to address a high standard of anti-bias language and movement for equal rights and status for behavior. all Americans. These two chapters provide these issues with K-12 students; and (b) to send the message that university faculty Faculty can ask the class to brain- a good foundation for discussion, especially storm ways that teachers might encour- in undergraduate courses. are supportive of their own LGBT students. Thus, one of the first tasks for faculty can age elementary, middle, and high school For students enrolled in teacher prepa- students to increase their compassion for ration programs, Quinn and Meiners (2011) be to share campus and other resources with their students. peers in ways that require maturity and provide an overview of the historical back- understanding. Instructors can guide stu- drop of teacher education and the struggle For example, the university may have an LGBT resource center or a chapter of a dents toward safe space-friendly rules, such for social justice of LGBT people. Nieto and as GLSEN’s Sample Ground Rules, which Bode (2012) describe a case study of a high Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA). Faculty can take some time at the beginning of class to include “Respect Others,” “Speak from the school student who identified as lesbian, ‘I’,” “Ask Questions,” “Respect Confidential- and provide commentary and reflection review the information and materials avail- able on resource center or club websites. ity,” “Share ‘Air Time’” (Gay, Lesbian, and questions that can be used to initiate a Straight Education Network, 2008, p. 8).

MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION 52 Promising Practices

Initiating Discussion gay,’ ‘no homo,’ or the word ‘gay’ in general people might feel when these words are of Sexual Orientation and Identity used in a negative way among my peers;” used to describe their identity in a negative and “I have personally used terms like way. 60-Second Pair Share and Listen ‘faggot’ and ‘dyke’ with my peers” (GLSEN, To warm students up to thinking 2008, p. 17). Changing Language and Behavior about gender and sexual identity issues, In response to each statement, stu- faculty can ask students to engage in a dents physically stand at various points of “From Bystander to Ally” GLSEN Activity 60-second pair share and listen (McIntosh, the continuum that represent their opin- For this activity, instructors read a 2012). In this activity, adapted for this ion. After all of the statements have been scenario aloud to the class that describes a topic, students form pairs and then take read, students return to their seats so the hypothetical incident in which a middle or turns describing in 60 seconds his or her class can engage in discussion. Students high school student heard hurtful language first awareness of gender identity, how it can first be asked to turn to a neighbor (i.e., “you’re such a retard”) and no one evolved, and is currently constructed. The and share their thoughts about the ac- responded to stop the behavior (GLSEN, goal of this activity is to have students tap tivity. Questions to encourage discussion 2008, p. 27). Instructors can ask students into their prior experiences in their own might include: How did you feel as you to reflect on this scenario and think of a identity formation, to share their thoughts were standing in response to the state- time when they have heard something that with another student, and to listen to ments? Do you think everyone was hon- made them feel uncomfortable and neither someone else’s perspective. est in their responses to the statements? they nor anyone else responded. When one partner is talking, the other How did the statements themselves make Students write down a brief descrip- partner must listen only without provid- you feel? What were your thoughts as tion of the scenario on an index card and ing any verbal feedback. This is more the statements were read aloud? After then exchange cards with another person difficult than it sounds! Sixty seconds can students have discussed their ideas with at their table or near their seat. Pairs of seem like a long time to the speaker and neighbors, several students can share out students read each other’s cards and then the listener may be tempted to interrupt. to the whole class. discuss: (a) what the people in the scenario After 60 seconds, the pairs reverse roles. should have done instead of standing idly It is important that faculty direct the “ThinkB4YouSpeak” GLSEN Television Ads by; and (b) why they think no one in the students to refrain from commenting on There are a series of three television scenario did or said anything to stop the their partner’s experiences and instead ads created by the partnership between behavior. After the pairs have had time to describe their own experiences. This is not GLSEN and The Advertising Council that discuss, ask some of the students to share easy for students, some of whom may wish can be ordered for free though the website out what they talked about with the whole to validate or otherwise respond to their www.glsen.org. Each ad runs 30 seconds class. partner’s ideas. and features a scenario in which teens After the class discussion, show the This strategy ensures that every use the phrase “that’s so gay” when they students GLSEN’s (2008) list of “10 Ways student in class has the opportunity to mean that something is dumb or stupid. to be an Ally” on a large chart paper or speak uninterrupted and every student In each ad, a caring adult points out that the projector screen. Have volunteers read has the exact same amount of time—very the phrase is insulting. each of the ten items aloud to the whole egalitarian! It also provides students with There are also similar ads that class. Next, write two headings on the the opportunity to hear another person’s were created in partnership with the board: bystander and ally. Ask the students perspective in a safe space, that is, with National Basketball Association (NBA) to brainstorm individually or with a small one other peer as opposed to in front of an and the GLSEN Sports Project (see e.g., group, reasons for why people do not stand entire class. Instructors can repeat this http://sports.glsen.org/game-changers/ up for other in situations like these. process, but replace “gender identity” with nba-glsen-and-ad-councils-official-think- Record students’ ideas on the board “sexual identity.” This activity allows stu- b4-you-speak-psa/). At http://www.think- under the heading, bystander. Ask the dents to begin thinking about gender and b4youspeak.com/ there is a live feed that students to brainstorm ideas for what is sexual identity as these concepts relate to shows the number of times the words, “fag,” needed for people to shift from being by- themselves and who they are. “dyke,” and “so gay” are used on Twitter on standers to allies. Record students’ ideas a daily basis. Students can view the ads on the board under the heading, ally. A Building Awareness and Twitter counter and then discuss them nice way to wrap up this class discussion of LGBT Issues at table groups. The GLSEN ThinkB4You- is to ask small groups of students to work together to brainstorm ways that K-12 “Where Do I Stand?” GLSEN Activity Speak Educator’s Guide provides a list of 11 question prompts that can be used to teachers can be effective allies for LGBT For this activity, post a sign that initiate the table group discussion. students. Record each groups’ ideas on the says “strongly agree” on one wall of the board. classroom and another that says “strongly The History of Hurtful Words The final list should include key disagree” on the opposite wall, thus mak- ways that educators can support LGBT ing a continuum. Explain to your students The ThinkB4YouSpeak Educator’s students. These include: (a) being a vis- that you will read a series of statements Guide (GLSEN, 2008) provides definitions ible ally, such as displaying a safe space to them aloud. For each statement, ask of the words, “lesbian,” “gay,” “bisexual,” sticker or poster in your classroom; (b) them to think about “Where do you ‘stand’ “transgender,” “questioning,” and “queer,” supporting students who come out to you, in response to anti-LGBT statements?” as well as histories for the words, “faggot,” as by listening with empathy and caring; Examples of statements included, “I often “dyke,” and “gay.” Students can read the (c) responding to anti-LGBT incidents, hear the phrase ‘that’s so gay,’ ‘you’re so definitions of these terms and discuss how such as language and behaviors as they

WINTER 2015 53 Promising Practices occur; and (d) supporting GSAs, by becom- students who are involved. The guide also ground, and online an “uncool” thing of the ing a member or founding a GSA club on describes the factors that help a teacher past. your campus (GLSEN, 2011). to decide whether to educate publicly (i.e., immediately) or in private (i.e., later; References “Taking it to the Street”: GLSEN, 2008). The goal is to determine what is best for the targeted student Delpit, L. D. (1988). The silenced dialogue: Power Encouraging Teachers and pedagogy in educating other people’s and meet his or her needs first. Faculty to Use GLSEN Materials children. Harvard Educational Review, can initiate role-playing scenarios with 58(3), 280-298. My GLSEN Lesson Plan future teachers to help them prepare for Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network Ask students to read through the situations in which they must intervene (GLSEN). (2008). ThinkB4YouSpeak educa- ThinkB4YouSpeak Educator’s Guide to address anti-LGBT slurs. tor’s guide: For discussion and addressing anti-gay language among teens. New York: (GLSEN, 2008), choose one of the six activi- Final Reflection Author. ties described in the guide, and write a les- Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network son plan based on the activity that they can Individual Quick Write (GLSEN). (2011). Safe space kit: Guide to use with their own Grades 6-12 students being an ally to LGBT students. New York: in their subject area. Students can upload As a final activity, instructors can ask Author. their lesson plans to the course website, students to respond in writing to a prompt Holladay, J. (2011). Cyberbullying: The stakes so that others in class can read them. Or, that encourages reflection, such as: (a) have never been higher for students—or students can briefly present their lesson What were your initial attitudes toward schools. The Education Digest, 4-9. Hyland, N. E. (2010.) Intersections of race and plan ideas to the whole class. LGBT people and have they changed as a result of class activities? Why did your at- sexuality in a teacher education course. Teaching Education, 21(4), 385-401. titudes change or why didn’t they change? How Will I Be an Ally to LGBT Students? Koppelman, K. L. (2013). Understanding human (b) What did you learn from these class Explain the importance of teach- differences: Multicultural education for a di- activities? How will what you learned verse America. Boston: Pearson Education. ers having a plan to address anti-LGBT impact you as a K-12 teacher? (c) Will you Kosciw, J. G., Greytak, E. A., Bartkiewicz, M. language and behaviors. For example, implement some or all of the activities we J., Boesen, M. J., & Palmer, N. A. (2012). if a teacher has not thought about how participated in, in your own class? Why or The 2011 National School Climate Survey: he or she will handle these issues when why not? or (d) What challenges do you The experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual and they arise, they may not know what to foresee in addressing LGBT issues as a transgender youth in our nation’s schools. New York: Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Edu- do or say when the time comes. Having a teacher? How do you plan to handle these cation Network. plan helps reduce fear and apprehension challenges? that teachers might have in dealing with Mayo, C. (2013). Queer lessons: Sexual and In response to a quick write, one of my gender minorities in multicultural educa- situations that arise in their classrooms undergraduate students wrote, tion. In J. A. Banks & C. M. McGee Banks or somewhere else on campus, such as the (Eds.), Multicultural education: Issues and Through today’s lecture, I learning the halls or lunch tables. perspectives (pp. 161-175). Hoboken, NJ: importance of thinking before speaking. Ask students to work in small groups John Wiley & Sons. I have always considered myself a strong to discuss concrete ways they can be allies McIntosh, P. (1988). White privilege: Unpack- supporter of the LGBT community and ing the invisible knapsack. Independent for LGBT students. Have groups record I felt that today’s discussion made me a School. their ideas on chart paper and then share stronger supporter of their cause. I believe McIntosh, P. (2012). Knowing and doing: The out with the whole group. Then, as indi- it is important to make children in K-12 transformational journey of using privilege viduals, have each student write down aware that bullying in no way solves any to weaken privilege systems. Presidential problems, but instead creates them. I feel his or her personal plan to address LGBT invited session at the American Educational that educators and those that are poten- issues, including incidents of bullying or Research Association Annual Meeting. Van- tial role models to the younger generation students coming out or questioning their couver, BC, Canada. should be allies, not bystanders when it own sexuality. Meiners, E. R., & Quinn, T. M. (2010). Doing comes to bullying. and feeling research in public: Queer or- Zero Indifference ganizing for public education and justice. Conclusion International Journal of Qualitative Studies GLSEN has published an educator in Education, 23(2), 147-164. resource that helps teachers address The ideas presented here provide a Nieto, S., & Bode, P. (2012). Affirming diversity: how to end name-calling in schools and starting point for implementing rich and The sociopolitical context of multicultural is excerpted in the ThinkB4YouSpeak meaningful class discussions and engaging education. Boston: Allyn & Bacon. Educator’s Guide (GLSEN, 2008, p. 35). activities to help future elementary and Picower, B. (2009). The unexamined Whiteness This section of the guide provides teach- secondary teachers build their own aware- of teaching: How White teachers maintain and enact dominant racial ideologies. Race, ers with concrete ways to address nega- ness of LGBT issues and prepare them to address ALL students’ needs. Through this Ethnicity, and Education, 12(2), 197-215. tive language and behaviors of any kind Puchner, L., & Klein, N. A. (2011). The right work, teacher educators and K-12 teachers in schools. First, the guide suggests that time and place? Middle school language teachers should not avoid or excuse inci- can help to minimize and hopefully elimi- arts teachers talk about not talking about dents, nor should they be paralyzed by nate anti-LGBT language and behaviors sexual orientation. Equity & Excellence in fear in such situations. in their schools. Education, 44(2), 233-248. Further, the guide provides a two-step Who knows? Perhaps the next genera- Reis, B. (2009, February). Making sense of the suggestion for intervening: (a) stop the tion of K-12 students will make anti-LGBT senseless: The murder of Lawrence King. The Education Digest, 17-22. behavior immediately; and (b) educate the slurs in hallways, classrooms, on the play-

MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION 54 Promising Practices

Sherwin, G., & Jennings, T. (2006). Feared, Underwood, J. (2004, December). Legal protec- tion, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. forgotten, or forbidden: Sexual orientation tions gay students must receive. The Educa- Zacko-Smith, J. D., & Smith, G. P. (2010, Fall). topics in secondary teacher preparation tion Digest, 16-26. Recognizing and utilizing queer pedagogy. programs in the USA. Teaching Education, Young, A. J., & Middleton, M. J. (1999, April). “It Multicultural Education, 18(1), 2-9. 17(3), 207-223. never occurred to me that I might have a gay Tomasek, T. (2009). Critical reading: Using read- student in my K-12 classroom”: An investiga- ing prompts to promote active engagement tion of the treatment of sexual orientation with text. International Journal of Teaching issues in teacher education programming. and Learning in Higher Education, 21(1), Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of 127-132. the American Educational Research Associa-

WINTER 2015 55