Blog: Gender, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation

“Start Seeing Diversity Video” Blog: Gender, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation”

Actually I have had the experience of working with someone who other perceived to be ‘gay’. This person was my assistant in the classroom. The parents and other colleagues thought because of the way he wore his clothes and his action made them believed that he was gay. I had to have a meeting with several of the parents to reassure them that he was hired based on his credential and not what his sexual preference was. One of the parent even had their child transfer into another program because she just didn’t feel comfortable with her son been in the same classroom with the assistant. Another parent took their child out of the program because she did not want the assistant taking her child to the restroom. This situation made me uncomfortable because I felt as if I was placed in the middle of other people opinion of my assistant. I had to set aside my personal opinion or views about what I thought about him and just address him a professional manner.   

The term ‘fag’, ‘gay’, ‘homo’, ‘sissy’, ‘tom boy’, or ‘lesbo’are all terms that have been used or heard for as long as I can remember. Children as young as pre-school age sometime uses the term ‘gay’ or ‘faggy’ to their friends in the classroom. So there is some indication that the words are heard within their home environment. Several years ago I recalled a certain little girls who would always call one of her friends a ‘faggy’ that made him very upset each time the child said it to him. So I asked the child where did she hear that word from and that she was not to call her friends by the name that was given to him by his parent. She indicated that she hear her uncle saying it at home.