Creating Safe Spaces

"Safe Spaces" - Vaccaro, August, Kennedy (2012)

“Unfortunately, many adults engage in subtle types of harm, sometimes without knowing it. For instance, most adults unconsciously perpetuate heterosexism; heterosexism is the assumption that everyone is or should be heterosexual.” (Introduction)

This is something I heard all the time growing up, especially from close friends and family members. I used to dread holidays because of the most popular question, “So, do you have a boyfriend?” and statements like, “You’re such a great girl, the boys must love you!” It was not until I began seeing myself represented in the media through LGBTQ+ icons such as Sara Ramirez  Callie Torres on Grey's Anatomy and Mary Lamberts queer anthem,
She Keeps Me Warm, did I really start to learn to accept myself and feel a sense of belonging. 

“Most educators do not set out to marginalize LGBT youth. They simply follow paths of least resistance...LGBT students need advocacy and protection, not neutrality…The idea is that tolerance will grow as students gain appreciation for difference. We can learn from each other and enjoy each other’s way of being family. So far, so good -- until the family is two moms and their children or two dads and their adopted daughter. Such families rarely make the circular cut -- they are invisible.” (pg. 84-85)

When reading this, especially that fact that queer students are seeking advocacy and protection instead of neutrality, I immediately thought of Armstrong and Wildman, “Colorblindness is the New Racism,” because if we are seeing everyone as neutral with no difference in sexuality is very similar to claiming to not see color. In order to create change, we need to begin to acknowledge differences among each other in a positive way.  

“We contend that including LGBT people and issues in the curriculum is an important first step toward creating safe spaces for LGBT youth. We say first step because, as educators, we know that visibility and normalization alon cannot transform our schools into safe and affirming spaces. Educators also need to teach students to critically examine all texts for bias, whether in the form or LGBT exclusion or negative stereotypes.” (pg. 94)



This last quote perfectly summarizes the beginning of a solution to create increases visibility for queer folks and, in turn, create safer spaces in our school systems. Whether the biases are intentional or not, there is no doubt that they exist. 

In this text, Vaccaro, August, and Kennedy argue that educators can create safe spaces for their students, through communication and curriculum. In order for these two tools to be successful, we need to start talking about diverse experiences and accepting the experiences of others that are in the minority in terms of gender, sexual orientation, and identity.