`Oh No Not the Gay thing`.

28/11/09 10:12:46
NEED MORE INFORMATION?
This pack is just one way to start thinking
more positively about lesbian, gay and
bisexual people and to make sure that
homophobic bullying is tackled at school.
There’s loads more you and your school can
do to ensure that all young people get the
best possible education and start in life.
Stonewall’s Education for All campaign
provides advice, support and resources to
schools and education professionals like
you to help them tackle homophobic
bullying effectively.
For more information call us on:
08000 50 20 20 or email
education@stonewall.org.uk
Alternatively write to us at:
Education for All, Stonewall, Tower
Building, York Road, London, SE1 7NX
You can find us online too. More
information about how we can help
you, as well as PDF copies of the leaflets
in this pack can be found at
www.stonewall.org.uk/educationforall
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So, you’ve read the introduction to this series and
hopefully you’re convinced of the benefits not only to
the lesbian and gay pupils in your school but to the
atmosphere of the school as a whole of taking on ‘the
gay thing’.
That doesn’t mean becoming a gay campaigner,
it just means addressing the fact of life that some
people are gay, lesbian or bisexual.
Gay people are part of the world – and part of
your school – so to ignore them and ignore prejudice
against them helps perpetuate a culture of bullying
against lesbian, gay and bisexual students.
Invisibility is one of the main issues around
homosexuality, with gay pupils never hearing
anything positive about gay men and women. It’s not
just about positive role models, it’s about isolation. By
simply mentioning ‘the gay thing’ when appropriate,
you make gay pupils feel included and demonstrate
to your class that being gay is no big deal and that
gay people are the same as everyone else.
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Learning about other countries
where things are done
differently and people think in
a different way is eye-opening
for many pupils. As well as
asking how to get to the
library and how to talk about
their weekend, pupils learn
that other people can seem
different and that’s OK.
Exciting even.
The transference of this
into attitudes about gay
men, lesbians and bisexuals
is obvious, so although it
may seem that while you’re
teaching the imperfect
indicative there are not many
opportunities to tackle ‘the
gay thing’, the important
message that different cultures
are valuable and interesting
certainly gets through to gay
and lesbian students while
creating an atmosphere in the
classroom that accepts – even
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celebrates - difference.
Because gay and lesbian
young people often feel a
conspiracy to ignore them, and
because teaching languages
often relies on a cast of
characters – whether it’s Mme.
Lavisse or Juan, el camarero
– this is often a great way to
casually introduce gay and
lesbian faces into lessons.
Stonewall_Leaflet_MODLANG_FINAL.indd 2
WHAT THE
CURRICULUM SAYS:
The curriculum makes it clear
that one of the targets for modern
languages is to help pupils in
‘recognising that there are
different ways of seeing the
world and… appreciate different
countries, cultures, communities
and people. By making
comparisons, they gain insight into
their own culture and society’.
Although that might be referring
to France and Germany, it’s obvious
that it’s introducing the concept of
valuing difference.
The curriculum also suggests that
the target language be used in
conjunction with topics and issues
which are ‘engaging and relate
to other areas of the curriculum’.
Discussions around ideas of
equality and social justice are
always lively and will provide an
ideal opportunity to expand your
students’ vocabulary.
EXPRESS YOURSELF
A key message from the curriculum is
that students should be aiming towards
using a modern foreign language to
‘express thoughts, ideas, experiences
and feelings’. That means that a modern
language lesson is one of the few places
in school where a pupil can talk about his
or her life, so it’s important to make sure
everyone has the vocabulary they need.
That could include everything from
basic fact-giving…
U describing family members and
considering that some of them might be
gay or in same-sex relationships: ‘Le mari
de mon oncle s’appelle Keith’ [‘My uncle’s
partner is called Keith’ for instance]
U a description of famous people to
practice features and adjectives e.g. ‘Beth
Ditto es cantante lesbiana americana con
el pelo negro’. [‘Beth Ditto is an American
lesbian singer with black hair’]
…to more personal information…
U reasons why you like a certain celebrity:
‘J’adore Will Young, le chanteur gay,
parce qu’il est beau et très sexy.’ [‘I love
Will Young, the gay singer, because he is
good-looking and very sexy’]
U hopes for the future: ‘In der Zukunft
möchte ich einen netten Mann
kennenlernen und eine eingetragene
Lebensparterschaft eingehen’. [‘One day I
would like to meet a nice man and get a
civil partnership with him’]
DISCUSSION
At higher levels, modern languages
students are expected to be able to
discuss current events but it can be
a struggle finding a subject that is
genuine and yet excites a real desire
to communicate. The subjects of social
justice, equality and the role of women
are always sure-fire hits. Now, the idea
of civil partnerships, which are becoming
more recognised across Europe and
the rest of the world, can join those
discussions.
The subject of attitudes towards
homosexuality is also a lively one – and
relevant bearing in mind the mayors
of both Paris and Berlin are openly gay
as is Guido Westerwelle, the German
foreign minister. It’s also one that needs
to be closely managed if it is not going
to become a platform for some pretty
unsavoury views.
CULTURE
The culture of a country where the target
language is spoken is often the most
effective way of provoking a real interest
in that language as well as fulfilling the
curriculum’s demands of helping students
‘appreciate different countries, cultures,
communities and people’.
Spain’s favourite filmmaker Almodóvar
deals with gay themes in a hilarious
way, while as far as gay students
are concerned, the one thing that will
enthuse them to actually choose to read
– maybe even in the target language - is
to indicate that certain writers are gay or
lesbian or have written on gay themes,
from Cocteau and Colette through to
Thomas Mann’s short and manageable
German classic Der Tod in Venedig.
28/11/09 10:13:09