Chapter 7: Beyond Tolerance: A Place for Acceptance of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered People in Our Schools

In this chapter, the authors discuss the need to extend the concept of social justice and multicultural education to create school and classroom environments which are safe places for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered (GLBT) youth. The authors argue for the importance of addressing issues related GLBT youth in social studies teacher education. Social studies classrooms, especially, must be places where differences are valued and social justice for all students is supported. And yet, for the most part, the experiences of sexual orientation are little explored in teacher education.

Homosexuals are arguably the most hated group of people in the United States. While other minorities have gained a modicum of protection and acceptance, homosexuals remain essentially outside the pale. In their public lives, few Americans any longer use words such as “nigger,” “kike,” “gook,” or “wop.” Yet, “faggot,” “fairy,” “homo,” arid “queer” are used by many without hesitation. Picking on persons because of their ethnicity, class, religion, gender, or race is essentially taboo behavior, but adults and children alike are given license to torment and harm people because of their sexuality. (Unks, 1995, p. 3)