Creating Safe Space

Keeping Students First

The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who dont do anything about it.
Albert Einstein

TABLE DISCUSSIONS
BEFORE What do you know about Gay-Straight Alliances and supporting gender diversity and sexual minorities?

DURING Reflect on the understanding that all students have the right to a safe and inclusive school environment. Sexual minority and gender variant youth continue to experience discrimination, prejudice, and abuse within school systems that have the responsibility to provide for their care and education (EGALE, 2009). What does this mean for the work we do?

 Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transsexual Trans gender Intersexed (Allies) Two Spirited Queer is positive! Children of the Alphabet

LGBTI

SOME DEFINITIONS
Gender identity Sexual orientation Sexual identity Sex Homophobia Heterosexism

THE SECRET

LEVELS OF HOSTILITY
that LGBTI YOUTH EXPERIENCE

1. Religious hostility 2. Family hostility 3. General hostility

RELIGIOUS HOSTILITY

IN RURAL SASKATCHEWAN In 2011... At a LUTHERAN school..

 Historical Geographical Poetic Legal War stories Love stories Priestly Devotional Wisdom Exhortional Prophetic Teaching Legal-briefs Inspirational

Bible as a Library

What lens do you use?

What lens do you use?

Exodus 21:7 Selling daughters into slavery is sanctioned

Deuteronomy 22:13-21 If it is discovered that a bride is not a

virgin, the Bible demands that she be executed by stoning immediately. Leviticus 11:6-8 touching the skin of a dead pig makes you unclean what about those Riders?? Mark 12:18-27 If a man dies childless, his widow is ordered by biblical law to have intercourse with each of his brothers in turn until she bears her deceased husband a male heir.

Foundation Myths
Racism
Noah, a man of the soil, was the first to plant a vineyard. He drank some of the wine and became drunk, and he lay uncovered in his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. Then Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and walked backwards and covered the nakedness of their father; their faces were turned away, and they did not see their fathers nakedness. When Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his youngest son had done to him, he said, Cursed be Canaan; lowest of slaves shall he be to his brothers. He also said, Blessed by the LORD my God be Shem; and let Canaan be his slave. May God make space for Japheth, and let him live in the tents of Shem; and let Canaan be his slave.

Heterosexism
Then God said, "Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth." {27} So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. {28} God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth." God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good.

(NRSV Genesis 9:20-27)

Genesis 1:26-28, 31a (NRSV)

Male/female binary Exclusive heterosexism

Male XY Female XX

FAMILY HOSTILITY

GENERAL HOSTILITY

HETEROSEXISM

HOMOPHOBIA in schools

Those who were affected reported

Emotional upset affecting concentration It caused me to hate going to school so I started to skip classes to get away from it causing me to miss important information. (Female, 19, grade 12, public school, lesbian, school has no GSA) Because it is very hard to concentrate when all you hear is Look at what the faggot is doing now and Oh, he is so gay or You are too gay to even function and everything people ever say about you is negativeI dont even like going to school anymore it has gotten so bad. (Male, 16, grade 10, public school, bisexual, school has GSA, active member
USED WITH PERMISSION

DON COCHRNE AND MELANIE MORRISON

Those who were affected reported

Well, I feel the need to stay home. Its safe from prying eyes inside my house. When atschool, I become afraid to answer questions. I dont like bringing attention to myself for fear of backlash. (Female, 17, grade 12, public school, bisexual, school has GSA, active member)
I

hate the people there; I hate the atmosphere; I hate the teachers for not doing anything; I hate the students for encouraging it; and I hate seeing it happen all around me no matter how hard I try to stop it. Im sick of being made fun of and it seems that if I go to school, thats all that is going to happen. (17, grade 12, female bisexual, school has GSA, active member

Those who were affected reported

the complete heterosexism and occasional digs on queers are really hard to ignore. It's very frustrating when what you love to do ignores your presence. (Female, 17, grade 12, public school, bisexual, school has GSA, active member) No one would wrestle me because of what they heard. (Female, 16, grade 11, separate school, straight, no GSA)

I quit participating in the sports that I loved to do. (Female, 19, grade 12, public school, lesbian, school has no GSA)

Those who were affected reported

Concentration: It really puts you off, emotionally. I mean, just the word harassment can tell you that. Being harassed is really, really upsetting and sometimes you can't concentrate on anything else for days. (Female, 17, grade 12, public school, bisexual, school has GSA, active member) Of course, after you are harassed, you are down on yourself and it gets hard to concentrate. (Male,18, gay, school has GSA, active member)

JAMIE HUBLEY
He just wanted someone to love him. Thats all .Jamies Dad

COMMITTED SUICIDE Oct. 14, 2011

.....develop the leadership skills and resiliency necessary for LGBT kids to become change agents in their schools, families, and communities

"Camp is 4 days, and the other 361 belong to the community, whereby youth deserve support everyday.
Dr. Kristopher Wells co-founder Camp fYrefly

How important were GSAs in the lives of students?

It is very important because the GSA made me see that it was ok to be the way I am. It was ok to love who I wanted to love and I always knew that there would be people standing by to help me face the many trials that come with being a GBLT youth. (17, female bisexual, public school, school has GSA, active member)
I feel that if I need to discuss something relevant to this topic that I won't be judged negatively in this space. (16, female bisexual, public school, school has GSA, active member)

How important were GSAs in the lives of students?

This is very important to me because I don't want to lose
someone I care about. These clubs make people feel safe and to educate. Without these places, I feel GLBTQ people may feel unwanted or abnormal. (18, female bisexual, public school, school has GSA, active member) I really wish we had a GSA or human rights club because I think it would make the school a safer place. It would be very important to me because I have been harassed a lot at school. (15, female bisexual, separate school, school has no GSA)

"The trouble is that once you see it, you can't unsee it. And once you've seen it, keeping quiet, saying nothing, becomes as political an act as speaking out. There's no innocence. Either way you're accountable." Arundhati Roy

TABLE DISCUSSIONS
Safe and accepting schools, within a Student First approach, are about providing support for students, families and school staff. It is also about asking ourselves what difference will GSAs make for the safety and well-being of all of our students? Research indicates that the three most significant factors in building healthy and resilient school communities for GLBQT youth are identified as: Development of policies on inclusion Professional learning and awareness building Active and visible GSAs or associated support groups in schools

Comments Questions? Thoughts