Gayness, Multicultural Education and Community

Gayness, Multicultural Education and Community by Dennis Carlson

What:
Carlson uses this article to show how people that are gay and "gayness" have been silenced by the "normalizing community". On page 233, he describes normalizing community as the idea of community in America where "some individuals and subject positions get privileged(i.e., white, middle class, male, heterosexual, etc.) and represented as 'normal' while other individuals and subject positions (i.e., black, working class, female, homosexual, etc.) are disempowered and represented as deviant, sick, neurotic, criminal, lazy, lacking in intelligence, and in other ways 'abnormal.'"

Carlson goes on to say that "Public schools have often promoted this type of 'normalizing'... community... based on defining a cultural center or 'norm' and positioning class, gender, race, and sexual Others at the margins." Carlson is arguing that these normalizing practices are difficult to sustain and should be changed. He suggests using public schools to help build a "multicultural community, one in which sexual identity (like other markers of difference including class, gender, and race) is recognized, in which inequities are challenged, and where dialogue across difference replaces silencing and invisibility practices. He is arguing that we need to discuss and recognize differences particularly related to gayness and sexual identity. Then we can use dialogue across difference to avoid the continued marginalization of those not labeled as "normal".

So What:

Carlson gives us some good reasons to care about these issues. He points out on page 239 that up to one-third of all adolescent suicide victims are gay, approximately one-quarter of all homeless youth in the the United States are gay and dropout and drug abuse rates among gay youth are also similarly high. These rates are very disturbing especially since numbers of gay youth are much smaller then 1/4 to 1/3 of our total numbers of youth. Carlson also draws attention to the intimidation that many gay teachers and students feel (P. 238). This may often result in gay teachers to avoid class discussions regarding gayness for fear of losing their jobs. Carlson says that abuses and oppression continue "because gay teachers and students operate in an environment where they feel afraid to stand up for themselves, and because any discussion of gay people continues to be absent in the curriculum so that homophobia is not interrogated."

Now What:

On pages 248-9, Carlson includes several steps that he thinks we need to take in order to reduce and eventually eliminate this oppression against gays. He implies that schools need to respond to the existence of "out" gays-both students and teachers. Secondly he emphasizes the need to help gay youth. He also advocates for inclusion of gayness in the curriculum. He then goes on to say that "we need to hold schools accountable for failing to meet the needs of these youth."

On page 251 Carlson indicates that at a minimum, multicultural educators need to involve students in talk about gay identity while discussing human rights and caring for others including gays within community. Carlson would like to see democratic multicultural education directed toward helping youth build connections and alliances with others who face a variety of cultural struggles. Ultimately he concludes that a "democratic multicultural education must become a dialogue in which all 'voices' are heard and all 'truths' understood as partial and positioned." (p.252) He says that the purpose of classroom discussion isn't to achieve a "true" or "objective" reality but to clarify differences and agreements and work toward coalition-building across differences and build relationships based on caring and equity.

My reactions:

This article raises significant issues. Some of Carlson's suggestions are very controversial. I find that Carlson brings up some valid concerns but I wonder about the implications and effects of his recommendations regarding curriculum changes. I agree that we need to build a caring environment where the human rights of all groups of people including gays are protected. As a Christian, I desire to follow the example of how Jesus models compassion and advocacy for social justice. He calls his followers to "love your neighbor as yourself." On a practical level this means that I need to listen to the concerns of others including people who are gay, respect them, and value them. In a democratic multicultural educational environment it is certainly a good idea for us to discuss relevant human rights issues and caring for others. I also think it is important for gay students as well as students from other cultural minorities to have opportunities to talk with counselors and get help as needed.

In regards to the curriculum, on initial consideration, I agree with the decision of the New York school board to reject the rainbow curriculum. I am not aware of the specifics of this content, but am concerned as a parent, because I don't think first graders are ready to discuss many of these types of issues. The title Heather has two mommies sounds like it will raise many questions and issues that my children may not be ready to explore at such a young age. If they have classmates and/or friends who actually have two same sex parents, then it becomes a topic of necessity but we still need to exercise caution in our approach.

I am also concerned that the Rainbow curriculum did not involve community-based dialogue. Dialogue is essential to prevent resentment and strong reactions from concerned parents whether or not they are familiar with or fearful of gay issues. We need to increase dialogue and productive discussion rather then just implementing untested administrative mandates.

However, Carlson does raise a good point about publishers and curriculum writers avoiding gayness to marginalize and preserve the status quo(p. 236). I am not in favor of over-representing gayness in our discussions of English literature or history, but I do believe that it is appropriate to include these references or discussions when it is relevant to our subject content.

For example On page 236, Carlson brings up the tendency of English literature anthologies to go out of their way to avoid acknowledging the gayness of some famous writers such as Walt Whitman, James Baldwin and Gertrude Stein. It is dishonest and contributes to negative bias to edit our educational texts in such a misleading manner. When gayness is an influential theme in the works of writers like Whitman, then it is appropriate for students to be aware of Whitman's gayness in a respectful manner that gives appropriate coverage to Whitman considering the significance of his work in relationship to other writers." I also agree that we need to promote the protection of minority rights and individual freedoms of all minority groups including people that are gay in an age appropriate context. Students need to discuss caring for others and respecting the differences of others including those who are gay. If students are old enough to tease students about gayness or show hostility towards others because of race, gender, sexual identity, etc., then they are old enough to discuss issues of difference and the need to respect and care for one another and learn to bridge across differences. At this point, students need to seek to understand and listen to each other.

This is a complicated topic and their are many other potential variables that can and will influence the appropriate level of discussion both in the community at large and within various multicultural educational settings.