Safe Spaces (Reflection)

In this reading, my eyes were completely opened to something I have never thought of before. To start off, I would like to give a quote that stuck out to me while I was reading and perhaps sums up the entire reading into a few sentences. "If our homes are incubators, keeping our children safe as they grow into the patterns of family life, schools are 'outcubators'- places that introduce new ways of thinking and behaving." (page 84) I found that this quote was perfect and so relevant. In today's society, we see the idea of a 'perfect' or 'normal' family depicted through advertisements, magazines, paintings, movies, and many other ways. Typically you see or think of a woman, man, and children when you hear the word family and marriage. In reality, our society should welcome any form of relationship and family whether it be gay, lesbian, or bisexual. In this particular article, the writers are educating readers on why and how teachers should incorporate the topic of LGBT into their classrooms. As a future educator, I have never really thought about how I would introduce the topic of LGBT into my classroom. This is a topic I am very passionate about. Last year, in my human rights class, many of my papers and presentations revolved around LGBT. As a straight person, I think it is crucial to know and learn about the LGBT community. I know many people who are gay, lesbian, or bisexual and it pains me to see them have to hide their sexuality around family, friends, and especially in school. 

I went to Pilgrim High School in Warwick for my entire high school career. We welcomed the LGBT community and had a club for those who are part of that comity and also for those who are straight. Many people became involved which was great. I had never heard of a big issue with any discrimination against those who are LGBT. But, in 2012, there was a student mural being painted by someone who I was graduating with. The mural was suppose to depict the life of a man, which included a young child in school growing into a man marrying a woman. This is where the problem arose. As you can see in the mural below, the man is with his wife and his child with wedding rings above them. The painting was almost completed until a faculty member said that it may offend those who live alternative lifestyles, which is very true. Once again here is an example of how easily the 'normal' life of a man and family can be represented. After a lengthly debate, the decision was to paint over the family portion of the mural and be done with it. My high school got backlash for this and the story was featured in many newspapers and on the news. I found this to be very surprising as my high school community was very open and welcoming to those of the LGBT community. 

Here is the controversial student mural.

Questions/Comments/Points to Share:

Obviously the conversation about LGBT is an ignored or avoided one. Many people become uncomfortable when they hear the words gay or transgendered. Why? Why is it that in 2014, there is still controversy and discrimination to those who are in the LGBT community? It is hard to wrap my mind around why some of us care about other people's sexual orientation. There is no reason for the news to be covered with stories about an actor, athlete, or musician 'coming out'. It is time to stand up for what is right.