By: SC

In reply to Heather.

This is so true. It can’t just be one teacher, or the gay teacher, who stands up for queer kids, because the backlash from parents, other staff, and even kids, can be toxic.

What we need is a cultural shift from every adult within the schools. They need to consistently enforce a zero-tolerance policy of gender- and orientation- based bullying.

On one hand, it doesn’t seem like this should be so difficult, since I assume most schools already have a zero-tolerance policy for bullying based on things like race or disabilities. But on the other hand, many teachers do still police gender and sexuality in ways they probably aren’t even conscious of (making kids line up by gender, telling girls to sit like “ladies,” saying things like “just ignore him, he’s just teasing you because he likes you,” or encouraging the little romances that spring up between girls and boys.)

For the queer teacher, confronting the other heterosexist adults as well as the students is exhausting, isolating, and potentially dangerous. I don’t think we should put this burden solely on her or him.