鈥淓nglish language arts classrooms can be significant sites for combating homophobia and heterosexism in schools, and reading LGBT-themed literature is one of the best ways to do this work.鈥�
Yesterday 起点传媒posted a new 起点传媒Guideline, , developed by the members of the Gender and Literacy Assembly of 起点传媒(formerly known as the Women in Literacy and Life Assembly (WILLA) of NCTE).
In keeping with the , the new document suggests that in our classrooms we focus on texts representing a diverse range of people including those who are LGBTQ and/or gender non-conforming. The guideline advocates that by doing this we鈥檒l meet all students’ needs and help all students develop complex ways of understanding gender through an 鈥渆quitable focus on issues honoring a range of diverse expressions related to gender and gender non-conformity.鈥�
Caroline T. Clark and Mollie V. Blackburn note in their English Journal article 鈥�?鈥� that while scholars urge us to teach LGBT literature, doing so is not as easy selecting a text with a gay protagonist for a class read. They suggest that heterosexism and homophobia are already part of the classroom, so we鈥檒l need to use a variety of strategies to counter these beliefs as we introduce LGBTQ texts:
- Position your students as LGBT people or their straight allies. They are likely being positioned as straight and/or homophobic in most other parts of their lives (e.g., the English teacher who describes to her students the male protagonist in a story as 鈥渆very girl鈥檚 dream,鈥� or the football coach who refers to his players as 鈥渁 bunch of girls鈥�).
- When students position themselves as homophobic, introduce them to other possible positionings by reading LGBT-themed literature with them.
- Read LGBT-themed literature with students across the school year in association with a variety of topics and units.
- Include a wide range of literature that works to serve as mirrors and windows for diverse students.
- Choose literature that does not just make homosexuality visible, but also shows queer people in queer communities; young people need to know that being gay does not mean being alone.
- Choose high-quality, pleasurable YA literature, and involve students in making those choices.
- Invite a wide range of ways to respond to this literature.
- Work with like-minded colleagues to recognize and challenge each other鈥檚 biases and to support one another to use LGBTQ literature.
- Engage in the perpetual process of making educational contexts more LGBTQ-friendly every day.