I noticed that the group of students they interviewed were from EVC after school program. It sounds so similar with East Village Community School–The school that shares the same building with my placement. If it is this school I am very shocked–East Village is such an inclusive community and that school is pretty progressive. And they are still experiencing harassment and bullying. Then what about the rest of this city? What about other places? It’s sad to think about it.

I also believe that it might be too late to start the gender/sex education in middle schools. If children can get this idea earlier in their life, at least get the idea that some people may not identify their gender same as their physical genders, they will be more open-minded on LGBTQ and they will be fewer issues going on in adolescents’ community. However, I see the major challenge of implementing this sex education are from parents. I have a classmate trying to implement a gender unit in the student teaching placement but ended up by getting a complaint from parents. In Canada, the Ontario school district decided to put sex education in their learning standards but got huge protests from parents. It is extremely hard in real life to practice an education that advocates for LGBTQ groups.

“Intentionally creating LGBTQ-inclusive curricula helps queer students feel safer, more connected and more visible in our schools. Conversely, gaping holes in the curriculum with no LGBTQ inclusion or representation serve to silence and alienate them.” (Goodman, p90)

Goodman, S. (2018). It’s not about grit: Trauma, inequity, and the power of transformative teaching. New York: Teachers College Press.