Start Seeing Diversity: Gender, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation

This week’s focus has been on gender, gender identity, and sexual orientation, and how those topics pertain to the early childhood field and anti-bias education.

Homophobia and heterosexism permeate the world of young children through books, movies, toys, cultures, and environments in many covert ways, mostly through the absence of the presence of gay or lesbian couples in children’s media. Though I know several gay and lesbian professionals in the educational field, it is commonly seen as “don’t ask, don’t tell” to the larger community.

The idea of early childhood centers avoiding the inclusion of books depicting gay or lesbian individuals, such as same-sex partnered families, should be treated with an understanding of people’s beliefs, followed by the explanation that gay and lesbian individuals should be afforded the same respect and representation as hetero-sex partnered families. Keeping children ignorant of diverse family structures only perpetuates negative stereotypes and invisibility of the LGBT culture.

A close friend and I were discussing homosexual and transgender persons in the field of early childhood care. She has studied gender issues and culture extensively, and I felt comfortable discussing with her my fear of having discussions about the LGBT culture with parents and families who are prejudice against homosexual and transgender persons, because I do not know how to respond. What do I say? How do I answer their questions? I suppose I would start by respectfully correcting misconceptions, but after that I am not sure how to proceed. My friend shared that, historically speaking, it was not too long ago that interracial marriages were not allowed, and look how far we have come. Is the issue of homosexual partnerships that much different? This is an issue I am still struggling with, because though I do not have bias or prejudice against them, I also do not know how to advocate for them either. It is more the feeling in my gut that tells me it is unfair to deny someone a career based on sexual orientation, just as it is wrong to deny someone a career based on race, gender, diversity, socioeconomic status, or any other identity.

As I continue to learn about biases and prejudice, and have come to the clear understanding that to do nothing in the face of prejudice, bias, and hate is to condone the actions and words that harm. I hope that if I am ever faced with having to speak with a parent or family about homosexual or transgendered persons being in the early childhood community, or any environment, for that matter, that I am able to articulate advocacy and reason.