Carlson Post

Premise
-Gay -Communities
-Lesbian -Priviledge
-Silence -Self- Identity
-Violence -
-Normalization
-School
-Teachers

Arguement
Carlson argues that much like Johnson, there is this akward silence around an individuals sexual preference, whether gay or lesbian, that should be acknowledged rather than ignored. In order to do this, Carlson argues that we need to start to change this in the schools, i'm guessing as far down as junior high schools. We need to set up a new "democartic, multicultural" envirnment that will allow kids to be more aware of this problem, realize that sexual preference should not be looked down upon, and end the silence and violence of gayness in communities across the country, and even the world.

Evidence
"I awnt to suggest taht public schools may play an important role in helping build a new democratic, multicultural community, one in which sexual identity...is recognized..."

"'When i was changing classes I had all the books in my hands looking down and walking up. I'd hear someone mutter 'Faggot' and have my books knocked down."

"It is now estimated taht up to one third of all adolescent suicide vitims are gay, approximately one quarter of all homeless youth in the United States are gay, and dropout and drug abuse rates among gay youth are likewise high..."

I think that there is an overwheleming amount of evidence in this peice that shows how much of a serious problem this is in our community. There are a number of things that stick out to me. Number one is that it shocks me how many people act as though they are "homophobic". I personally think that this is mainly due to how kids view society. I would like to bet that 7-8 people out of ten would have some problem with homesexuality and the majority of these people probably have never met someone who actually is homosexual. The more important thing obviously that sticks out to me is how terrigying it must be to be unsure about one's sexuality. With all the violence and hatred against homosexuals, I would not feel comfortble about being honest about my sexuality either. Because of this, you can see the unbeleviable statistics that deal with drop out rates and suicides. This peice really reminded me of Johnson's peice because they both talk directly about these "touchy" subjects that nobody else wants to talk about.