Talking Points #3

Gayness, Multicultural Education, and Community

by Dennis Carlson

Carlson argues that sexual identity should be recognized within our schools and that gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgender people should no longer be viewed being something "other" than what is "normal."

• "This cleansing of gayness from the literary canon is often defended as an effort to maintain the reputation or 'good name' of authors by not 'outing' them."

I chose this quote because of the use of the word "cleansing." "Cleansing of gayness." Wow. The message Carlson is sending is quite strong. As if gay people need to clean themselves of the theoretical dirt that is gayness. Also, it is unnerving to think that the information that such people as Walt Witman and James Baldwin being gay is thought to be strong enough to actually ruin their "good name."

• "These abuses get tolerated because gay teachers and students operate in an environment where they feel afraid to stand up for themselves and because any discussion of gay people continues to be absent in the curriculum so that homophobia is not interrogated."

Here is yet another strong word Carlson uses to make his point clear. "Abuses." Gay students and teachers are being abused because the schools are silent about their gayness. Students are not taught about homosexuality in the schools, and so their ignorance leads to persecution, all the while the educational system is tolerant of their "abuses" because to alleviate the problem is to confront the issue. And when the issue is gayness, they fall silent.

• "...a democratic multicultural education must become a dialogue in which all 'voices' are heard and all 'truths' are understood as partial and positioned."

I think what Carlson is saying here is that in our democratic and multicultural society, we need all 'voices' to be heard within our educational system. Our schools have got to accept the responsibility of educating our boys and girls about diversity (all kinds, not just ethnicity or social status but sexual identity as well) so that when they become young men and women, they will be more able to accept the world and all of the wonderfully different people in it, for who they really are.

This was sort of difficult for me to read compared to the previous readings. I found myself having to read and reread a paragraph over again to fully comprehend it at times. But I really liked how Carlson used those very strong words that seemed to have a message within a message for the reader to think about. It reminded me of how Johnson had argued that naming things as they are is vital to identifying, and ultimately solving, the problem the particular word is associated with. I also strongly agree with Carlson in his argument that homosexuality and other sexual identities should have a "voice" within the educational system to better inform students about the "truths" surrounding them, and to provide safety and understanding among gay students and teachers, so that they may feel comfortable enough to be themselves without fear of persecution.