Dennis Carlson

1."Gay people have for the most part been made absent, invisible, and silent within this community and at the same time represented as the deviant and pathological Other". pg 233

Gay people have been portrayed as "deviant" when they should be seen as no different then anyone else. I do not understand why people are judged for reasons they cant control. You cant pick who your parents are, and you cant help who you fall in love with.

2." At the level of state educational policy, it is noteworthy that no state currently recognize gays and lesbians as legitimate minority or cultural groups to be considered in textbook adoption or to be included in multicultural education; and a number of states explicitly prohibit teaching about homosexuality.

I think that it is sad that just because you like the same sex you loose out on different things. Same sex can not get married, be put on the same health plan, they loose out on tax benefits. Being homosexual shouldn't automatically legally forbid you to marry the person you love. I look forward to homosexuals to have equal rights in the eye of the law. I personally was never taught about homosexuality in school.

3." We cannot and should not attempt to impose "politically correct" beliefs on students; but we have a responsibility as public educators in a democratic society to engage them in a dialogue in which all voices get heard or represented and in which gay students and teachers feel free to "come out" and find their voices." pg 252

With my a major in education I feel that children should be able to ask questions freely about any matter. I want to be able to give an answer that is not bias. I would not want to discurage anyone from feelings they have. I also think that schools should introduce homosexuality to students around the age of puberty. Students that may have different feelings shouldn't be outcasted. Everyone has a voice and they should be heard. There should be no "politically correct" way of life.

I enjoyed reading this article. It made me think about how I was never taught about homosexuality, race, religion, well diversity at that matter. I also never really knew anyone in same sex relationships. It wasn't until I was in my first year of college and a bartender that I met all sorts of different kind of people. They have the same feelings that anyone else has but they feel that they need to hide their sexuality, because some people just cant see that not everyone likes the opposite sex. I kind of snooped around and found out that my best friends brother was gay. He still hasn't come out and said it. His family knows but does not speak about it. I realized after high school that most people keeps their true feelings secret until after high school.