Dennis Carlson: Gayness, Multicultural Education, and Community

Carlson writes to suggest that public schools play am important role in helping build a new democratic, multicultural community, one in which sexual identity (like other markers of difference including class, gender, and race) is recognized, in which inequalities are challenged and where dialogue across difference replaces silencing and invisibility practices. In other words, Carlson wants to bring diversity to the classroom with no oppression or discrimination. I feel it is important to recognize homosexuality as well as different cultures among race and gender. Although, gayness is still a question of scientific or biological concern this subject contributes to the development of critical thinking skills in the classroom. We need to realize that gay and lesbians contribute tremendously to our society in many ways, therefore we have to understand that it exists. If we discuss gay and lesbian topics, we need to try not to be offensive as we would not want to oppress the gay and lesbian student. We need to keep in mind that humor directed at gay or lesbians in the classroom should be discouraged. The public schools have an open range of many races and cultures as well as gay and lesbian backgrounds, therefore the subjects can only contribute to the development of a better understanding of these different cultures. As we have read in Mcintosh about the oppressive and unconscious that whites are thought to think of their lives as morally neutral, normative and average. The gay and lesbian community want to be considered equal or to be more like "us." We don't want them to be a part of the "silenced dialogue" as we have read in Roberts Lakes and Delpit's articles.
Vocabulary: Homophobia-fear, dislike or hatred of lesbians and gay men. Discrimination against them.
When entering the field of teaching, we can't assume that our classrooms are heterosexual. We need to be careful of stereotypical terms when discussing homosexuality. Faggot, or queer can be insulting as well as nigger, or honky. "As we enter into language we must simultaneously negotiate the crude classifications which are imposed upon us and create our own identities out of the twisted skins of our backgrounds" (1990, 13).