While reading the article Safe Spaces, it really made me think about all those people we hear about in the news who have committed suicide because they felt unaccepted. One specific memory that stood out to me at the end and that was when a friend of mine from middle school told me he was gay. At the time he was scared of coming out due to the fact that he knew he was going to be judged and treated differently. At the time, we didn't really discuss the LGBTQ community in school, and being accepting of others. He felt unsafe sharing the fact that he was gay at school. There were even moments when others would call him gay as a taunt, and I knew that it hurt him. So I completely agree with the article and believe we need to make an effort in "Making schools and communities welcoming to the LGBT youth". The best thing we can do is start early. I'm also curious to know of any examples anyone has seen of ways the community has tried to teach children about the LGBT community.
Hi Scarlett, its a good question you had. People talk about how we need to make schools and communities welcoming but I don't see many examples of that in schools. In fact at the elementary level where I work, I don't think I have seen any. The examples of teachers in the article were great, I need to stay mindful that this is an important part of a curriculum especially at the elementary level.
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