Talking Points #3

Dennis Carlson, " Gayness, Multicultural Education, and Community"

Premise

• politically correctness
• gayness
• school systems
• sex education
• facts
• misconceptions
• secret lives
• openess
• hate
• misunderstanding

Author's Argument

Carlson argues that the public school systems in America should put forth a larger effort to educate children about different sexual orientations rather then ignoring the issue all together.

Evidence

1. "Public schools in particular have often promoted such "normalizing" conceptualizations of community that are based on defining a cultural center..."(page 233) Carlson is saying that school systems simply want to promote an image of normalcy on all children. He is saying but what if the child isn't normal? as in he is gay or lesbian. Then the child feels singled out and odd because he does not fit their "normal" community.
2. "At the level of state educational policy, it is noteworthy that no state currently recognizes gays and lesbians as a legitimate minority or cultural group to be considered in textbook adoption or to be included in multicultural education."( page 236) Carlson points out that school systems are ignoring the issues of homosexuality all together and therefore the kids are not becoming educated and exposed to the lives other people live. If a company can't put it in a text book then the teachers are not expected to teach it.
3. "For the time being, at least, this means that the public schools are caught in a dilemma over gayness, unable to please anyone, and unable to act without inviting attack from one side or the other." (page 249) Carlson is aware that many people have not been taught about homosexual lifestyles and that they sure do not want their kids taught about it either. But what he is saying is that both sides need to budge a little bit in order to make understanding each other and learning about each other an option. Simply ignoring it is just letting the problem become larger.

Comments

I found this article especially hard for me to read. I couldn't really understand what he was saying while I was reading it but after I finished the article it clicked as to what point he was trying to make. I believe in gay marraige and I believe in what Carlson is saying about how children need to be taught about homosexual lifestyles and differences. By just ignoring the problem it is making it worse and more and more children are feeling like outcasts. Though I do not think the words lesbian and gay should be introduced to a first grader, it should be encorporated into the sexual education departments curriculem.