The Complex World of Gay Educators

GLSEN Education Director Aimee Gelnaw recently participated in a discussion on BAM!Radio about the varying levels of security LGBT educators feel in their schools, and the reality of current local nondiscrimination policies actually being enforced within those schools.

While there is no law that prevents educators from being open about their sexual orientation or gender identity/expression, its sensitive nature alone makes it terrifying for some educators to rely on a nondiscrimination policy or the administration to enforce that policy, making 'don't ask, don't tell' an "unwritten rule" in education.

Aimee emphasized the necessary passing of the national Employment Nondiscrimination Act to ensure that all workers, including LGBT educators, can enjoy the same opportunities that other educators have, such as having photos of their spouses on their desk or allowing their families to attend school events.

"I see schools as a microcosm of society. We need to prepare our children for the larger world that they're going to grow up into and work in...they need to understand how to interact with differences and how to see each other as individuals and as contributors to a whole," Aimee said.

Click here to listen to the discussion in its entirety.