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Teachers who react to homophobia

Discussion in 'Current Events, World News, & LGBT News' started by CrystalCat, Oct 1, 2009.

  1. CrystalCat

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    Today in my AP US History class, two girls were keeping track on how many questions they got right. So another girl ( J ) from across the room commented after one of the other girls yelled "6". J said 'You guys are still doing that? You're so gay!' and my lovely teacher then said, in the most serious tone i've ever heard from this guy (he jokes around alot and reminds me of a 5 year old) "Hey, listen, that's offensive and we will never, EVER use that phrase in my classroom, do you understand me" and he then winked at me ( i sport a rainbow pin on my bagpack) This honestly made my day, and even gave me motivation to read the textbook assignment he gave my class. Just thought i'd share and ask, has any of your teachers ever actually done something when someone says a comment like "that's so gay" "no homo" "fag" "dyke" or anything like that.
     
  2. Mysterons

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    No, actually I heard several teachers use phrases such as "that's so gay" and the likes.
     
  3. endless poetry

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    usually, teachers always yell at ppl who say homophobic comments when it`s so loud they can hear it.

    as early as gr 5 we had lectures about not using words out of context. . .
     
    #3 endless poetry, Oct 1, 2009
    Last edited: Oct 1, 2009
  4. joss22

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    My English teacher won't tolerate it at all, her best friend is a lesbian, and so if anyone were to make a homophobic comment (which is somewhat rare in my school) she would definitely snap at them. Our health classes make it very clear on their stance on homosexuality, and how they will not stand for homophobic remarks and the like.
     
  5. Pepsi

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    My english teacher last year was very against anyone saying anything offensive. Of course the only offensive things ever said in that class were about homosexuals and the bunch so yeah she used to say something bout that.
     
  6. shimmersky

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  7. notquitebutch

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    A teacher of mine did it once, but not very forcefully. I did email him to thank him, though, because I figured if he saw that the effort was appreciated, he'd keep it up. He did, and he got stricter about it as time went on.
     
  8. Time

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    I had an English teacher in 8th grade that is by far my favorite teacher I've ever had. Besides the fact that she was a really good teacher, she was very non-judgmental and made sure early on that she wouldn't tolerate offensiveness or narrow-mindedness in her classroom. She's the only teacher I've ever been able to talk to one-on-one about sexuality and fully come out to. She was amazing. :slight_smile:
     
  9. beckyg

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    Kudos to great teachers who don't let this kind of anti-gay crap go on in their classrooms!
     
  10. punkrocker99

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    The english teachers and art teachers in my school are really pro-gay because some of them run the GSA (so it makes sense lol) but not the male teachers..

    I've never had anyone say anything homophobic that the teacher actually heard though. You guys are lucky if in Canada and NY teachers take a stand against that.
    Even though I live in RI on the east coast it's not exactly welcoming towards gay people.
     
  11. Our speech and debate teacher is awesome. Somebody said 'that's so gay' and I've never seen him get so mad! I started yelling at the kid (it was in a loud debate-type discussion so it wasn't out of place) and mid-sentence the teacher interupts me and goes off on him.

    Also, I don't know if anyone remembers but there was an article posted a while ago (maybe by Becky?) about a school who elected a gay prom king and Fred Phelps went to protest, so a bunch of students went and protested agains Phelps? That was fairly close to us and my music teacher got a call from her daughter who was actually at the protest. So then she started talking about it to the class and made it very clear that she dislikes Fred as much as the rest of us. :slight_smile: Then, as I was walking out because I had to leave early, she gave me a giant hug. That was when I first realized that I was probably out to my teachers.
     
  12. -Michael-

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    The term 'how gay' is thrown about a LOT in my class.

    My teachers just laugh.

    I don't mind when people say it.
    But i can imagine if someone did they could be offended.

    My college is all about diversity aswell.
    so it's a bit ironic
     
  13. Greggers

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    Well i went to a Christian Highschool and half the teachers would join in "debates" (really more like village witch hunts minus the forks and flaming objects) saying that homosexuals are evil and should not be allowed to be christian, or alive. Not really joking on any of that. The other half either avoided the subject or thought you could only be a celibate gay christian who lives in the mountains helping disabled children to make up for your dirty thoughts.

    So its not hard to jump to the idea they would not do much about a student saying "thats so gay". I dont think *they* ever said it, but that phrase was used about as much per hour as the word "like" was used in the entirety of Clueless and Mean Girls combined. I literally had one friend at the time who used it like punctuation. Much worse words like fag were often used too.

    Now for the "happy ending" to this sad and depressing story that is my childhood. University. Its a small uni in hick-town B.C, but its actually very amazing. Rainbow flags dress the walls of the popular A building lounge, as well as a poster of two men kissing permanently stuck behind a glass exhibit down the hall from the lounge. I call it my Rainbow Sanctuary. Its amazing how less i find people calling things Gay. The first year students fresh from high school sometimes use it, but i would say its down a good 95%.

    I was in English the other day and the topic of language came up. Pejoratives to be exact. Words that are used in a harsh or negative way that don't mean that in their original context. Of course the example of "gay" came up. My prof seems to be a VERY open minded lady. I even wrote for my first writing how the word "Church" has changed meaning for me. I used the fact my pastor preached against atheists and homosexuals in his sermons and how after that i never saw "church" as a safe place anymore.
     
  14. werekid

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    wow i never heard of a teachers say that
     
  15. Just Adam

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    i never really heard or atleast cant remember any anti gay slurs at school...im sure there are some teachers i can think a few who would of joined in... but equally i know many that would of thrown kids out of the class for such things... :slight_smile:
     
  16. Eleanor Rigby

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    Two years ago one of my pupils used the french equivalent of fag in class.
    I said that this kind of words won't be tolerate in my class, nor at school. And I used that occasion to explain my youngest pupils what homosexuality is and that every kind of love is respectable.
     
  17. ArcusPuer

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    my friends ap latin teacher once said to the class when someone said "that's so gay"
    "NO! you never use that phrase! you don't know who you're hurting and you get people into bad habits!"

    she, who happens to be my favourite teacher, then went on to tell the story of how she had been hanging out with a group of friends for ages who all used that phrase so she got into the habit of it, then she said it once in front of her gay friend who said to her "i cannot believe you just said that"
    She said how you totally forget that you're singling out a minority group when you say it.

    so her message was.

    DON'T! coz it'll end badly with your friends, which don't have to be gay to get offended.
     
  18. RainInAfrica

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    I was sitting in English and my English teacher was saying how, in the past, if you were left handed they thought you were the devils spawn etc. I then said what were you if you were ambidextrous, He replied, jokingly and with a chuckle, Gay. :***::***::***::***:
    I gave him a look which could burn thru' concrete, then on the corridor, in a big group of people, i shouldered the living shit out of him. Which I've seen him do to people in my class before as a joke ! :***:
     
  19. Markio

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    I read a book called One Teacher in Ten, in which multiple LGBT teachers talk about their experience. I highly recommend it to anyone LGBT or interested in teaching.
     
  20. GhostDog

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    !! I need to read that book!

    Thanks for the recommendation. =D