Post #5

Blog Post 5:

Rofes (2005) makes clear distinctions between liberal and radical conceptualizations of addressing homophobia and heterosexism in k-12 schools. Discuss these distinctions with examples from schools you attended. How does Rofes (2005) discuss childhood? What do the liberal and radical distinctions of addressing homophobia and heterosexism have to do with contemporary understandings of childhood? What do you believe and what is your vision for the school where you hope to be teaching in the next four years? (250 thoughtful words).

In all of the schools I have attended in the past, all of them were open and accepting of students who were LBGTQ. Of course, there were those few people that would make the bad remarks and make the whole group look bad, but as an overall group, my city was very accepting. Though we did not have support groups at the high school, such as a Gay Straight Alliance group, people were comfortable to be who they were. Just looking back at all the increasing number of people who came out from my freshman to senior year, it was clear to see that we grew in acceptance over the years. People were comfortable to be who they really were, walk around with their partner in public, and just openly discuss their sexual orientation.  In his work, Rofes describes childhood as a sort of terror because of how much children are taken advantage of. Kids are very impressionable at a young age, and because of that, rarely are able to make their own decisions. Childhood is also a time for learning though; because of how much they do not know, kids experiment and try all these different things out. Through these trials, they learn about themselves and more about the world they live in. I believe that the liberal and radical distinctions of addressing homophobia and heterosexism help prove the point that not all kids are going to fit into the same cookie-cutter mold. Everyone is different in their own ways, and childhood is when people really start to find out about who they really are. Rofes feels that homophobia is at too high of a level still and even though people try to stop it and because more accepting, children are still harassed and mocked for being who they really are. If and when I begin to teach, I hope to work in a community similar to my own where even if someone does not necessarily agree with your choices, they will support you for the person you are. In the end, I believe that it is all about respect and love. To be a good Christian, one of the mottos we are taught to live by is to treat others in the way we would want to be treated. God created everyone in love, no matter if they are a different sexual orientation than we associate with, and I would hope my school would understand and follow that.