Gender, Gender Identity, and Sexual
Orientation
The
world is now opening up to diversity than it has ever done during former years.
As I viewed both videos on “Start Seeing Diversity: Gender, Gender Identity and
Sexual Orientation,” my own social identity lenses are now more clearer in understanding
how important it is to be supportive of
our children in their early childhood development. As an early childhood
educator, I am more aware that homophobia and heterosexism permeate the world
of young children in the language that they use towards each other. If our
children see two boys embracing each other or two girls hugging each other,
they start pointing fingers at them and hurled comments like “gay” and “lesbian”
at these children. The term, “that’s so gay” or “he gay” is the most familiar
term I have heard. The culture of most early childhood centers do not accommodate
all family types either. I have come to realize that when the children in my
center go the dramatic play area, the boys tend to play more as “daddies,” “truck drivers,” and “builders” while the
girls get the dolls and play the “mommies” with ease and comfort. There are not
enough books supporting diversity as well.
It
is against the above-mentioned background that I realize that we as early
childhood educators, as (Pelo, 2008) suggests, need to do more active
intervention work “if our children are to develop positive attitudes about
people of different races and background” (2008). The toy stores and movies
still continue to exhibit “the sex-role stereotypes” of the macho man and
fantasy world of glittering, giggling princesses who are waiting to be validated
by the men in their lives (Pelo, 2008). It becomes imperative that we start or continue
to open up conversations with our families with regard to what is happening in
our societies and around the world as it relates to gender, gender identity and
sexual orientation. When these conversations begin, they will assist us as educators
to provide opportunities not only for our students but also our parents to
explore their ideas on gender identity and sexual orientation. It is my firm
belief that when parents are fully informed on the importance of being
respectful and of valuing everyone regardless of their sexual orientation or gender,
it would not be difficult to help them to understand that their children’s
educational goals would be met even if it is being carried out by a person
perceived as a homosexual or transgender (Derman-Sparks, & Olsen Edwards, (2010).
References
Course Media: "Start Seeing Diversity: Gender"
Retrieved from
Course Media: "Start Seeing Diversity: Sexual
Orientation" Retrieved from
Derman-Sparks,
L., & Olsen Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children
and ourselves. Washington, DC: NAEYC.
Pelo, A. (Ed.).
(2008). Rethinking early childhood education. Milwaukee, WI: Rethinking
Schools.
