Homosexuality in Schools

Homosexuality in Schools

Imagine yourself walking through the hallway, all of a sudden, you see two girls kissing. How would this make you feel? Maybe you should picture yourself as a parent, would you be okay with your child learning about homosexuality from a teacher? For many students and parents, homosexuality is a controversial issue that may be discomforting or inappropriate due to their religious beliefs or period. It could also lead to discrimination and bullying. This simply shows the negative impact it has in schools.

To start off, one of the many problems homosexuality being discussed in school can lead to is discrimination. Many students will judge or discriminate against homosexuals or LGBT students due to their sexual orientation. According to, What Should Schools Teach About Homosexuality?, “On January 1, 2008, a new law took effect in California. The law, called the California Student Civil Rights Act, prohibits public schools from discrimination based on sexual orientation.” Basically, this law required that no one may be negative toward a person due to their sexual orientation, and they may not be excluded from any school-sponsored activities because of their sexual orientation. This may have helped a little in the state of California. GLBT students were treated badly for too long. The Article also states, “more than 91 percent of GLBT students say they hear homophobic slurs, or expressions frequently… and more than 64 percent of GLBT students say they feel unsafe at school because of their sexual orientation.” In the end, this law caused more discrimination against them due to parents and students religious and moral beliefs. Although the Bill of Rights gives everyone the right to free expression, schools have the task of protecting the youth. Freedom of expression backfires in educational settings, illustrating the challenges school officials face in allowing open discussion while maintaining a positive learning environment. If homosexuality is supported in schools, then people who are opposed to homosexuals or GLBT students should also be supported, leading to a greater issue.

Secondly, GLBT students have to deal with bullying and torture which often leads to greater issues. A book, Tommy Stands Tall, illustrates how a senior in high school almost committed suicide, for being bullied about his sexual orientation. It is more likely for GLBT students to attempt suicide than other teens. They also miss more school due to bullying from other kids. Students who are bullied feel depressed, have greater anxiety, and mental health problems. These issues can also affect a student’s work ethic and grades. All of these help the risk of a student “dropping-out” become greater. Not only do they get bullied at school, but get bullied online. They often have to deal with name-calling such as, “fag” or “homo” (Velasquez, Tommy Stands Tall.) They could even be physically assaulted by other students due to their sexual orientation. Homosexuals or LGBT students also live in fear of exposure. They know if their sexual identity gets out in the open it’ll only make kids meaner and situations worse. The school environment becomes more hostile and they’re not accepted. Not only do they have to deal with students from school but they have to deal with receiving acceptance from their parents. If homosexuality isn’t discussed or involved in school it could reduce or even prevent bullying.

Next, parents have a big impact on what they want their children to learn about homosexuality. They disagree that there is a place for teaching sexual orientation in a school curriculum. The article, What Should Schools Teach About Homosexuality? states that, “Sexual orientation is a controversial subject, they say, and it should be up to the parents to teach their values to their own children.” Another article, Homosexuality, Opposing Viewpoints, explains how most parents do not want sexuality to be discussed in school, and many will remove their children from school rather than expose them to this situation. GLBT students are also against other students and parents religious beliefs. Religion can be taken serious in many families, they want to protect their