Bridging the divide one conversation at a time.
Ken Futernick, host of the Courageous Conversations About Our Schools podcast, interviews and moderates conversations between education stakeholders about today’s controversial issues that affect our schools. In his latest podcast episode, a panel of guests talked about how schools can ensure ALL students are well-supported and have a safe place to learn.
Of course, it’s not just during Pride Month that you should add this episode to your listening list, it’s always the perfect time to reflect and explore how our current educational policies, instruction, and discussions affect the LGBTQ+ community.
Ep. 04
How should students learn about gender and sexual identity? What role should schools play?
This episode was released on the Courageous Conversations About Our Schools podcast—a series focused on bringing education stakeholders together to respectfully discuss today's most controversial issues affecting our schools. You may broadcast and Internet simulcast the audio pieces listed below unlimited times for the period of 1 year. You may offer these pieces on your website, as a free MP3 download and stream. You may only with permission edit or excerpt these pieces by emailing ken@schoolconversations.org.
About This Episode:
In the first three months of 2022, NBC News reported that state lawmakers across the US had passed nearly 240 bills affecting LGBTQ students and how teachers are allowed to talk and teach about issues related to gender and sexual identity. By contrast, only 41 such bills were passed in 2018.
These bills and the larger question of the school’s role with regard to gender and sexual identity have generated considerable controversy among educators, parents, and the public at large. On one side are those who believe discussions about gender and sexual identity shouldn’t take place in the classroom. This sentiment was reflected in a statement by one of our guests, Meg Kilgannon, who said, “Let equipped parents have these conversations with their children.”
On the other side are those who believe that as students learn about diversity and respect for others in school, they must learn about differences in gender and sexual identity. Many also argue that LGBTQ students must have a safe and supportive learning environment, especially given the high number who suffer emotionally and socially as a result of bullying and prejudice. As long-time educator, David Thomas expressed, “Parents give us the best that they have, but… for a lot of students who are gay, their first bullies are their parents.”
The central questions guiding this Courageous Conversation are this: What role should schools play regarding policies, instruction, and classroom discussions related to sexual and gender identity? How can schools respect the rights of parents while also ensuring that students are well-supported and have a safe place to learn?
Even though many of our guests didn’t always see eye to eye, they all agreed that more respectful conversations about topics like this need to continue.
Disclaimer:
There will be listeners out there who will want to pull their hair out after listening to this episode. They mind find themselves asking “I can’t believe that person said such and such that was so offensive, and it went unchallenged!” Well, what we would say is that this is just what the beginning of a respectful and civil conversation sounds like. And if those of us here and listeners out there continue to talk and listen to one another, perhaps the conversation will continue, and there will be a chance to challenge one another’s views.
What we do know is this. If we stay put in our own echo chambers or if we shout at and shame one another, we will only become more entrenched in our views, and we won’t solve problems like the one we discussed today. And THAT won’t be good for our schools, it won’t be good for our students, and it won’t be good for our democracy.