'I'm Aaid to Return to the Classroom': A Gay Teacher of the Year Speaks Out

Contents:

• ‘I DON’T WANT TO TALK TO THE GAY ONE’: LGBTQ TEACHERS SAY THEY ARE FIGHTG ERASURE THEIR OWN CLASSROOMS
• BEG GAY AT SCHOOL REMAS DIFFICULT FOR TEACHERS
• GAY TEACHERS SHOULDN’T HAVE TO HI WHO THEY ARE
• ‘I DON’T BLAME ANY TEACHER FOR NOT G OUT AS GAY’
• ‘I’M AAID TO RETURN TO THE CLASSROOM': A GAY TEACHER OF THE YEAR SPEAKS OUT
• A TEXAS TEACHER FAC LOSG HER JOB AFTER FIGHTG FOR GAY PRI SYMBOLS SCHOOL
• THE PLIGHT OF BEG A GAY TEACHER
• GAY SUBSTUTE TEACHER SAYS HE WAS FIRED AFTER HANDG OUT PRI BRACELETS TO STUNTS

‘I DON’T WANT TO TALK TO THE GAY ONE’: LGBTQ TEACHERS SAY THEY ARE FIGHTG ERASURE THEIR OWN CLASSROOMS

A high school assistant prcipal, Cz has faced cricism om other school admistrators the unty for beg an out gay tor. But wasn’t until this school year that a parent me to her school’s office and said, referrg to Cz, “I don’t want to talk to the gay one. Florida’s HB 1557, lloquially known as the “Don’t Say Gay” law, which kickstarted a trend of attempted legislative bans on discsn of LGBTQ topics schools, was expand April to rtrict some discsns of genr inty and sexual orientatn public classrooms om krgarten to 12th gra.

BEG GAY AT SCHOOL REMAS DIFFICULT FOR TEACHERS

And though he matas his optimism the classroom wh his young stunts, the realy of beg a gay teacher a polil climate that’s bee creasgly hostile toward LGBTQ people n be much more challengg, even dangero, he said.

He’s psed lsons after overhearg a stunt e the term “gay” a pejorative way, takg time to addrs the stunt and their qutns about the word. Last year, after Florida troduced what crics lled s “Don’t Say Gay” legislatn, several other stat followed su and filed siar bills that affect whether teachers n e pronouns or nam stunts ask them to e. Many ment to thank her for her ndor or wonr how their high school years uld have been different havg an out gay teacher like her.

GAY TEACHERS SHOULDN’T HAVE TO HI WHO THEY ARE

NBC News reported on two teachers Florida and Kentucky, rpectively, the latter of whom was named Kentucky Teacher of the Year 2022, who qu their jobs after some parents and muny members cricized them for beg out gay men and sharg tails about their personal liv wh stunts.

Other queer and trans teachers, particularly after Florida passed s “Don’t Say Gay” bill last year, have said they no longer feel supported or mentally healthy enough to ntue teachg, acrdg to reportg om CNN affiliate WPTV. Durg Kristal Torr’s sophomore year of high school, she transferred om an all-girls Catholic school to a ed public high school.

‘I DON’T BLAME ANY TEACHER FOR NOT G OUT AS GAY’

Sanford, a teacher who was openly gay. “I grew up an upper middle class, relig area Oh where didn't really feel like gay people existed. I had iends theater who were gay, but I didn't see any exampl of what life would be like as a gay adult.

It wasn't until I was llege and had profsors who were gay that I really had any picture of what was like to be a gay adult a regular relatnship wh a fay. "I didn't have a teacher who I knew intified until my sophomore year of llege.

“This year I've been very openly out wh stunts, but a lot of that was motivated by my first year of teachg where I was tryg to bat issu of homophobia and transphobia. ” I did a home vis where I spoke to the mom and I remember tellg her that I was actually gay and I thk really helped her and ma her feel more relieved. “When I was workg rporate, I was out and unapologetilly gay.

‘I’M AAID TO RETURN TO THE CLASSROOM': A GAY TEACHER OF THE YEAR SPEAKS OUT

When Jonathan beme a teacher, he wanted to be open about his sexualy, but a school where sual e of the word "gay" as a put-down was mon, he wasn't sure if was a good ia. About a year to his time at the school, a group of female pupils asked if he was gay and he said 'y' first thgs were fe, and Jonathan felt he was able to help pupils who were qutng their own sexualy. But the homophobic language ntued – some of which was directed at him personally.

A TEXAS TEACHER FAC LOSG HER JOB AFTER FIGHTG FOR GAY PRI SYMBOLS SCHOOL

I had to challenge homophobic language each and every lson. "Jonathan left the school a year later, and says the homophobia he experienced was part of the reason for his parture.

His experienc echo the fdgs of a rearch report rried out earlier this year by the gay equaly anisatn Stonewall, The School Report, which found that 96% of gay pupils had heard homophobic language such as "poof" or "lezza" at school – behavur that often go unchallenged by teachers.

THE PLIGHT OF BEG A GAY TEACHER

Acrdg to equaly mpaigners, havg openly homosexual teachers n provi both gay and straight young people wh role mols, but all too often they lack the support they need om senr learship teams and lleagu. Sue Sanrs of Schools Out, a chary that promot equaly for LGBT people tn, timat that as few as 20% of gay teachers are "out" to their pupils.

GAY SUBSTUTE TEACHER SAYS HE WAS FIRED AFTER HANDG OUT PRI BRACELETS TO STUNTS

"The legacy of Sectn 28 – the ntroversial legislatn that banned the "promotn" of homosexualy schools – lgers on, even ne years after s removal, says Streetg, pecially given how many current teachers traed and first tght that Dellenty, the puty head of Aled Salter primary school south-east London, whose succsful anti-homophobic bullyg programme has attracted the attentn of the Department for Edutn, says fear of backlash, and a lack of trag, are the ma reasons behd some school lears' unwillgns to support LGBT teachers and tackle homophobia. Outright prejudice, along wh a ntug misnceptn society that lks gay men workg schools and paedophilia, n also play a part, he says.

"Heads are worried that parents and ernors will thk they are promotg homosexualy. After some ial "uurgh" nois, they began their own dialogue about what beg gay meant, wh one girl explag to her classmat that simply meant "a man and a man" stead of a man and a woman, rells a few months later, problems began to surface. "Trag has a val role to play, says Dellenty, who has been workg wh the Natnal College for School Learship (NCSL), the profsnal velopment body for heads, cludg liverg a workshop for school lears on overg the issu that prevent them om rpondg to homophobia.

"You have a much easier relatnship wh stunts when they feel you have a human si, and if you don't tell them you're gay 's really difficult to talk about your life, bee you n't jt talk about your hband or wife, " he the ndns need to be right, says Suran Dickson, whose anisatn, Diversy Role Mols, works wh schools to unter negative stereotyp.