Apparently one way to solve anti-gay school bullying is to teach students that gays are just like everyone else? That’s the solution being put forth by Stoke Newington, a British high school, which claims lessons on important historical gay figures “more or less eliminat[ed] homophobic bullying.”
Music teacher Elly Barnes said she developed the lessons with colleagues five years ago, after she became concerned about pupils using “gay” as a derogatory term. Now the school plans to extend the scheme by teaching hundreds of teachers how to “educate and celebrate” being gay. Ms Barnes aims to “eradicate homophobia from all schools” by giving staff the confidence and resources required to tackle the prejudice.
“Many schools haven’t even begun to deal with homophobia,” she said. “Some still think being gay is illegal in parts of the country. By looking at famous LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender] people in history, we’ve changed opinions and we have had a number of pupils come out. “We have also changed the language used in the school. I used to hear the word gay used all the time as a derogatory term. Now we hardly hear it.”
I’m not academia expert, but I’m pretty sure that when schools started using texts that revealed African-Americans were more than cotton pickers in U.S. history, and Latinos more than border crossers, they too experienced a surge of respect.
How novel: Teaching kids, in school, that LGBTs are responsible and admirable members of society sends the message that calling Billy a faggot on the monkey bars isn’t just unacceptable, but weird. Meanwhile, teaching students that homosexuality is an illness, as one Polish textbook does, sends the message queers are there to be ridiculed for their sickness.
Now if only American schools would correct their own textbooks. [This Is London]
Avenger
I don’t want schools teaching kids homosexuality. They can do that bull in the UK, but keep it out of the US.
Soupy
But with some lessons, you would be a better homosexual.
Pitou
@Avenger: Maggie Gallagher or Tony Perkins you are! Don’t you have some bible to hump, or a space-ship to catch or something?
I hate to disappoint you, but homosexuality is ALREADY being taught in schools here in the U.S. You really ought to give up your 1940’s fight and embrace the fact that we already teach your kids, and serve them lunch, or help them cross the cross walk, or will arrest you for beating up your wife and kids, or will be the EMT’s that try to save your pathetic life, or the doctor that will finally pronounce your stupid ass dead.
Hopefully the last one won’t come for a long, long time and your Idyllic America will be the land of the Gays. We’ll be married and recognized by the Feds, and we’ll be on the Supreme Court, and maybe even the White House.
You mark my words, Avenger, Your day will come, and hopefully before then you’ll have embraced the facts that you can not change! Don’t like it? Move to Uganda you ignorant fuck!
Amy
In every class, there is always a person or two who refuses to pay attention to the lesson being taught.
I think we just found that person.
As far as what that school in London is teaching, it seems to be working. Anything that keeps kids from hating on each other and KILLING EACH OTHER is a good thing. Sorry you don’t see it that way.
And you do realize that pointing out one school’s textbook errors means nothing about the whole of the US.
Shae
How call ALL articles on this website have a snarky bitchiness to them? …. im sticking with http://www.towleroad.com