Safe Schools Seminar

I attended the Safe Schools Seminar and watched the video "for the Bible tells me so". I learned so much from attending the seminar. I really enjoyed the discussion, because I was able to hear different people's views and think about the issue in different ways. The video was also very eye opening. It was shocking to me to see the lengths that people would go to make their beliefs heard, even though it might have hurt others. Also, I was surprised at some of the reactions from parents with gay children. As someone in my discussion group said, "My parents would give up the bible before they gave me up." This view is shared by my parents, and it was shocking to see that obviously, some parents did not agree with that view. I was surprised at the strength of the people in the film, especially the man who became the first gay bishop of his church.

I did a lot of thinking about the video and how it could affect my future, or how it affects me or my beliefs now. I wonder, where have we gotten our ideas about what is normal? How would it feel if you felt a certain way that was condemned by society and by your friends and family? I can't even imagine the pain the families in the movie went through, whether they were the gay person trying to come out or the family members trying to support their loved ones while maintaining their beliefs.

The segment of the video where the popular parenting book author was talking was shocking to me. It is so damaging, as the American Psychiatric Association stated, to try to force people to bury their feelings or conform to something or someone that they aren't. I was so upset to hear that a gay teenager commits suicide every five hours. With statistics like these, I don't understand how people can be so closeminded. Don't we want happy, healthy children in our communities? How can we stifle their true personalities and drive them to feelings of dispair and hopelessness so that they end their lives? I hope that society's perception of gay people and gay rights becomes increasingly tolerant so that we see statistics and suicide rates drop. We are all people who have the right to life, and I think everyone should do their part to preserve that right for everyone, even if it means supporting them in something that they don't necessarily believe is right.

Something I would have liked to see, or that I think would be beneficial for future teachers, would be to hear about students that came out in a community. I would like to hear about how schools, parents, and other students reacted, whether the reactions were positive or negative. I would also like to think about appropriate teacher roles in these situations. I want to create a safe community for all of my students without affecting the beliefs of any of them, no matter how conservative or liberal they are. I also want to make sure that my classroom atmosphere doesn't affect student learning in a negative way.