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Jacqueline Boomer

Ms. Mantlo

English 4

February 28, 2017

LGBTQ Representation

The LGBTQ+ community faces discrimination everyday in schools and the workplace.

Whether its from ignorance on the subject or simply just homophobic people, many people in

the community live their lives every day in fear of facing ridicule from their peers. Nobody

should ever feel afraid to go to their jobs or to school just because they are different. There are

still states that refuse to put laws in place to protect people in the LGBTQ community from acts

of violence and injustice from the public. The community continues to receive backlash because

of the way society misrepresents them in the media. There have been cases where teachers have

lost their teaching license for being homosexual or even just appearing to be in a homosexual

relationship. Still there are many schools across the United States that will not incorporate

LGBTQ topics and issues into their cirriculum because they still considered to not be the norm

when in all reality there are millions of people who are openly in the LGBTQ populace. The

LGBTQ+ community faces discrimination through misrepresentation, lack of equal protection

and jobs available for them.

In The Gendered and Heterosexist Evolution of the Teacher Exemplar in the United

States it discuss the challenges that LGBTQ+ teachers face in the workplace and address the
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efforts being made to change society's idea of the LGBTQ+ community. It also addresses other

issues that the community faces from the public in different situations and the laws or lack of

laws in place for protection. There are many examples where out teachers or teachers who

even seemed to be in a homosexual relationship had their teaching license revoked. There 31

states in the USA have little to no laws in place for protection against gendered bullying. Most

professions are gendered, however, few professions are as gendered and as publicly scrutinized

in the United States as teaching. (Khan,17) The sucide rate amongst the LGBTQ community is

steady and rising due to the homophobic and transphobic bullying. And the people who are

causing these senseless deaths face, in some situations, no repercussions for their actions. The

lack of response from the public even further shows the LGBTQ community how unequally they

are being treated.

"Incorporating LGBTQ Issues Into Family Courses talks about the issues schools have

with teaching about LGBTQ content and incorporating LGBTQ issues into family courses. Most

people have no knowledge on the subject so therefore cant form a proper opinion on how they

feel. One of the arguments for why they don't teach about LGBTQ is because they are afraid it

may further aid people who are homophobic and they might become hostile towards other

students who are apart of the LGBTQ community. Inclusion of LGBTQ content in college

courses is also believed to increase students tolerance of diverse sexualities and gender

presentations (Kuvalanka, 700) In the article it talks about a study that was preformed on a

college level to see what issues they would face with including LGBTQ topics and issues. The

results showed the four main struggles were; religious beliefs, students who didn't want to share

negative viewpoints, the thought that covering LGBTQ topics is unnecessary, and lack of
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comfort with transgender issues. The end results of the study showed the need for more support

to find out how to properly incorporate these issues into educational courses.

"Achieving Trans Representation in the Workplace" is about the struggles trans women

have getting jobs in today's workforce. According to the recent study "A Broken Bargain for

Transgender Workers," the national unemployment rate for trans people is double the rate of the

general population, and that number is even greater for trans women of color. (Reyes) Many

gender nonconforming people face employer discrimination and have even been fired in some

cases due to their gender identity. The Trans Employment Program is helping with rsum

reviews, legal counseling, career coaching, job referrals, and advice on hostile work

environments and transitioning on the job. They are also offering legal counseling and guidance

for job seekers and speaking with employers to try and solve this ongoing issue. The lack of

representation and visibility further supports transphobia and in turn continues the cycle of

unemployment for non-binary people.

Work Cited

Kahn, Michele, and Paul C. Gorski. "The Gendered and Heterosexist Evolution of the Teacher
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Exemplar in the United States: Equity Implications for LGBTQ and Gender

Nonconforming Teachers." International Journal of Multicultural Education 18.2 (2016):

15. The Gendered and Hetero Sexist Evolution. Eric.ed.gov, 2016. Web.

http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1104923.pdf

Kuvalanka, Katherine A.1, Abbie E.2 Goldberg, and Ramona F.3 Oswald. "Incorporating

LGBTQ Issues Into Family Courses: Instructor Challenges And Strategies Relative To

Perceived Teaching Climate." Family Relations 62.5 (2013): 699-713. Education Full

Text (H.W. Wilson). Web. 22 Feb. 2017.

http://eds.b.ebscohost.com/eds/detail/detail?sid=a61188ce-fbb1-4e72-84bb-

0ccacb066679%40sessionmgr104&vid=0&hid=122&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdm

U%3d

Reyes, Pilar. "Achieving Trans Representation in the Workplace." Eastbayexpress. N.p., 25 Oct.

`2016. Web. 22 Feb. 2017.

http://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/achieving-trans-representation-in-the-

workplace/Content?oid=5016228
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