Unconditional Classrooms: Building Safe Spaces for LGBTQ Students" was the topic of a presentation at the Illinois Education Association-National Education Association's Core Conference at the Chicago Marriott in Schaumburg Oct. 19.
Paul Dombrowski, Palatine District 15 elementary school art teacher and volunteer for Pride Youth; Joe Serio, therapist and manager of child and adolescent services at Kenneth Young Center in Elk Grove; and Erschel DeLeon, Links Pride Youth program director, spoke about ways that teachers and staff can create safe spaces for LGBT youth, and provided background information about the LGBT community.
Dombrowski showed pictures of middle and high school students who committed suicide because they were LGBT or perceived to be LGBT. He also talked about Lawrence King, the Oxnard, Calif., teen who was bullied at school for the way he dressed and was shot and killed by Brandon McInerney after King asked him to be his valentine.
Dombrowski showed a video clip where one of King's teachers expressed anti-gay views, including her issues with the way King dressed while at school. "We wonder why we have issues in our schools where things aren't being addressed," said Dombrowski.
At a recent Pride Youth meeting, Elk Grove High School students shared that one of their classmates shaved part of her hair off and was immediately bullied at school, noted Dombrowski.
DeLeon, who is a straight ally, gave the definitions of various terms used within the LGBT community.
Serio, Dombrowski's husband, spoke about LGBT History Month as well as the lack of LGBT history in school curriculums. He also gave a pop quiz in which he asked questions such as "What were the Stonewall Riots?" and "Who was the first openly gay elected official?"
"For those of you who want to become allies or better allies, we need to make sure that the myths of LGBT students are dispelled," said Serio. Serio noted that some of those myths involve LGBT kids supposedly flaunting their sexuality and that they are too young to know they are LGBT.
In order for adolescents to successfully develop they need love, acceptance and trust, said Serio. He added that, however, the stereotypes that people assign to LGBT peoplesuch as weak, loner, sick, disgusting and brokenhinder LGBT adolescents' successful development. "Understanding the developmental piece is very important so educators can maximize their school environment so it's conducive to the development of all students," said Serio.
Dombrowski, Serio and DeLeon said that some teachers and administrators don't intervene when students are bullied and turn a blind eye to the existence of LGBT students at their schools. In the GLSEN 2011 School Climate Survey, 60 percent of students reported that they heard anti-gay remarks from their teachers or staff members.
Dombrowski noted that Illinois passed an LGBT-inclusive anti-bullying law and said that school district anti-discrimination policies need to include LGBT inclusive anti-bullying language for both staff and students and have procedures and guidelines for reporting harassment/bullying.
The key to creating a safe and inclusive school environment is to intervene immediately when students are showing signs of being bullied or when they are bullied because if you don't stop it you are condoning it, said Dombrowski. In addition, he said it is important to create an LGBT-inclusive curriculum because it benefits all students.
See www.linksyouth.org/LGBTPride/program.html .