Gender, Gender Identity, & Sexual Orientation

In my personal opinion I feel that homosexuality is still something that is not spoken about in families and is not explained to children at a young age. I feel that adults/parents don’t think this is something that should be discussed with children/ something children need to learn about. My concern is what happens when a child enrolled in a school program, or early childhood center, does have two mommies or two daddies; how will this be brought up to the children so that negative comments/phrases are not being directed towards said child. There are so many different types of families that we have learned about so far in these courses and we, as early childhood professionals need to be aware of the; these families each need to be recognized and spoken about in the classrooms so that all children/families feel welcomed and respected. There are not too many books that depict homosexual families or even manipulatives/toys to have in the classrooms. To be completely honest, I have worked in many early childhood centers/programs and have never seen one poster hung up or one book in the classroom library that depicts homosexual families. Not once have I ever heard a teacher discuss this topic with children or even bring it up to receive information on what children actually know about this topic. I know there are still many adults that do not believe homosexuality is right and this is how you should live your life. If heterosexual couples have the right to be happy than why don’t homosexual couples have this same right?

Every child has the right to see their families honored in their classroom so that they are proud of who they are and where they come from. We need to respect the way others choose to live and conduct their families even if it may not be a way in which we believe or agree in. All we should want is individuals to live healthy, happy, fulfilling, lives in ways in which they choose to best fit their wants and needs. With this being said, heterosexual families should welcome homosexual families or life partners in the fact that they all want what is best for their children. It is important that children receive the correct information when it comes to a homosexual lifestyle and the words in which are derogatory towards same sex individuals. Using and understanding the correct or should I say appropriate terminology, when speaking about homosexual individuals is important so that children do not offend or hurt others when talking to children that may have same sex parents. Having books, poster, and other resources in the classroom will do just this. We need to understand that we live in such a diverse world where there are new cultures, traditions, and beliefs that are introduced to us sometimes on a daily basis. This in turn gives us as early childhood professionals the need to make sure these cultures, traditions, and beliefs are being recognized so that children can develop a positive self-identity that they are proud of and where their families are treated the same as everyone else. As Derman-Sparks and Edwards (2010, p.3) state when speaking about “only a handful of toys, pictures, songs, posters, and the like, depict the full range of family structures” this “invisibility or visibility in the classroom’s physical environment undermines some young children’s positive sense of self, while teaching other children that they are specially deserving”.

Reference

Derman-Sparks, L., & Olsen Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, DC: NAEYC