Homophobia and Teaching

     Today we discussed the relation between sexual orientation and gender.  In my own personal experience in schools, I have not so much witnessed bullying of homosexual students as I have simply the awkwardness that inevitably seems to accompany the discussion of sexual orientaion.  Culturally, I know that we tend to address this issue with a fair degree of trepidation mainly because a great majority or Canadians, regardless of their own personal beliefs, simply do not want to offend those who engage in such activities.  However, this awkwardness usually carries an underlying tension between those who simply view it as wrong and those who approve of it or indeed practice homosexuality.  And thus, in the classroom, I have noticed discussions of this nature often seem to carry an extensive effort to justify the equality of the different sexual orientations in an attempt to minimize this awkwardness.  I think that although prejudices against homosexuals, in my experience, are often not stated by students in schools, they are quite prevalent, and indeed visible through the cliques that emerge: some people simply refuse to associate with people of a homosexual orentation.
     I would strongly agree that males tend to be more homophobic than females.  I believe that this is greatly a result of gender roles in society.  Men are practically indoctrinated from their youth that masculinity involves strength and a lack of public displays of emotion.  As homosexuals of both sexes are generally portrayed as more materialstic, soft and emotional, essentially a stereotypical perception of femininity, it is perfectly understandable that men should be more repelled by the notion than are girls, as it is a much greater deviation from the gender identity they are trained to possess.  However, homosexual females do not display much deviation in behaviour from that expected of their gender, which makes it much easier for the population to ignore this deviation from the norm.
     I would think that regardless of their personal convictions, teachers should encourage acceptance of individuals who display homosexuality.  I also believe that teachers need to make a conscious effort to ensure that any biases that they may or may not possess in regards to the matter do not in any way influence the way that they treat students who they know to be homosexual. It is important to remember that these students, regardless of their sexual orientation, are students with their own personalities, talents, challenges and potential, and that it is so vital that they are treated with respect simply on the basis of their shared humanity.  In my opinion, proactively ensuring that your students are aware that you disapprove of discrimination against homosexuals  often does a great deal to prevent the issue of homophobia from becoming prevalent in your classroom. 
-Rachel