A response to John J. Guiney Yallop’s article “What are the benefits and challenges of teaching about social justice for bisexual, gay, lesbian, queer, transgender, transsexual, and/or two-spirited people?”

Yallop’s article really brought into perspective how little students might learn about the LGBTTTIQ community from their parents or home life. I was surprised to learn that a grade 6 boy would not know that people with alternate sexualities and genders are part of the everyday population we encounter in schools. This gap in students’ knowledge could be filled by teachers – while it is a huge task, it could also be very rewarding.

The other thing that surprised me was how Yallop said that he was “summoned to the principal’s office and asked to give the principal and vice-principal an outline of (his) plans for the Pride Week unit.” It seems to me that this gesture is mistrusting of a teacher’s capabilities and discretion in dealing with a sensitive topic. I doubt that principals request social studies teachers to report to them before they teach a unit on the Holocaust – so why the extra step for Pride Week lessons? I believe that if parents are worried about their children learning about LGBTTTIQ rights, then they should home school their children. Acceptance of LGBTTTIQ peoples is supposed to be a part of Canada’s national identity, and it should be taught in school.