I remember having listened to a group of girls when talking
about Justin Bieber and how they liked his songs. Suddenly, another girl, who
was not part of that group of friends, interrupted their conversation saying
that Justin Bieber was gay. The girls rushed to me accusing the other girl
because of she had said a bad word. The girls looked upset and I asked them the
meaning of the word: one of them told me that gay meant not being a man;
another said gay is a bad person who attacks children; finally, the girl who
pronounced the word said it meant handsome guy who moves and dances like a
woman. At the end I realized that each girl had gotten the ideas their
caregivers have expressed to them. I also learned their caregivers do not talk
directly to them about LGBTs, thus their misconceptions are based only on
listening to others’ conversations and creating their ideas with regard what
the others have said.
After having this experience, I headed after work to my
local library and visited two other libraries in different days, looking for
materials related to LGBTs and which could help me to approach the subject in
the classroom. Sadly, there was nothing I could use. I also remember when asking
the librarians for materials related to the topic and the way they saw me made
me feel as if I had offended them or if I had being disrespectful to any of
them.
I have to accept that at that moment I didn’t feel very comfortable
or ready to approach the subject with my classes, but I still felt this was
something I needed and wanted to do, because the values I share as a teacher with
children are the ones they would learn (Pelo, 2008). Sadly, the lack of
materials to approach this subject took me away from my initial intention: to
explain children that every person is different and thus each one deserves to
be respected. As Pelo states,
Certainly, addressing some topics with children like LGBT-ism
is not an easy task, but after reflecting on this topic throughout this and
previous courses, I feel more comfortable if I go through the same experience
with the Justin Bieber. fans.
Pelo, A. (Ed.). (2008). Rethinking early childhood
education. Milwaukee, WI: Rethinking Schools.
