Talking Points #3

Dennis Carlson, "Gayness, Multicultural Education, and Community"
Kaitlyn Paolino

1. "Public schools are being drawn into the battle brewing between "new right" fundamentalists and progressives in America culture as older forms of community and family are beginning to disappear and cultural diversity is increasing." (233)

I believe this is true. As time goes on, cultural diversity is increasing quickly. Today, there are all different types of families...not just the two loving parents and 2-3 children who are perfectly behaved. Times are changing and public school have to decide if they publicly accept homosexuality. This decision will be difficult and there might never be a solution because of people who still don't accept homosexuality. Although there may never be a clear solution people need to work together and show equality towards everyone because we are all people.

2. "I want to suggest that public schools may play an important role in helping build a new democratic, multicultural community, one in which sexual identity (like other markers of difference including class, gender, and race) is recognized, in which inequities are challenged, and where dialogue across difference replaces silencing and invisibility practices." (233)

I believe that this could happen. If we teach our students throughout their schooling that everyone is equal and despite differences we are all people who want similar things in life, I believe a change could happen. I actually think it has started. This is because in my own experience from high school, everyone was really accepting of others. We had multiple people who ended up "coming out" in high school and everyone accepted them and treated them like they treated them before they came out. Furthermore, this does relate to Delpit and the Silence Dialogue, everyone deserves to be heard and hopefully we can start doing that.

3. "...the dominant idea of community in America was represented by what I will call the normalizing community. Within normalizing communities, some individuals and subject positions (i.e. white, middle class, male, heterosexual, etc.) get privileged and represent as "normal" while other individuals and subject positions (i.e. black, working class, female, homosexual, etc.) are dis empowered and represented deviant, sick, neurotic, criminal, lazy, lacking in intelligence, and in other ways 'abnormal.'" (233)

This quote relates to S.C.W.A.M.P and how throughout our society the white middle class men represent normal. How is this fair? Who gets to say who is normal? I keep saying, we are all people who want similar things. How in society where we can love and accomplish so much...hate so much? Sadly, this quote is true. However, there have been steps in the direction but not as many for homosexuals. My generation is the one where homosexuals fight for their rights, similar to when the Black and women did in previous generations. Hopefully, people will show equality and openness and maybe we could all get along.


This was definitely an interesting piece to read. It opened my eyes even more to the total inequality and privilege people in our society show. I believe that schools and educators should work on showing equality for homosexuals and also for opening discussion on it in class. If no one talks about it, how will there be a solution as Johnson wrote in his reading. Furthermore, I believe society is coming along and opening their eyes a little more to the fact that homosexuals may be different in one way but are the same in another. Moreover, within our media we are seeing more and more popular gay and lesbian characters and I definitely think that is helping move our society in the right direction.