Dear Editor:
The British Columbia Ministry of Education should update their intermediate elementary curriculum to include lessons on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues.
Presently, there is no requirement that elementary teachers teach their students about LGBT issues at all. It is not until Grade 6 that students are required to learn about stereotypes and discrimination. Even then, it is only suggested that teachers discuss sexual orientation with their students (British Columbia Ministry of Education, n.d.).
Five percent of Canadians identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (Carlson, 2012). This means that there are probably children in all schools that have family members or friends that are LGBT, or may be LGBT themselves. That is why students need to be introduced to LGBT issues starting in the intermediate grades.
Students may begin to wonder about their own sexual orientation, and that of their friends and family members as they enter puberty. But if children are only being taught from a young age about heterosexuality, then children in the LGBT community will probably feel alienated, confused or depressed. Children need to be taught about respect and tolerance and that all kinds of families are normal and acceptable - not just those families with a man and a woman as parents.
Incorporating LGBT content in the intermediate grade curriculum may help to reduce bullying in schools. Fifty-nine percent of LGBT high school students report being verbally harassed, compared to seven percent of non-LGBT students (CBC News, 2010). LGBT students are bullied more than those that do not identify as LGBT.
Introducing LGBT material at a younger age can teach all students to be more accepting. Harassment or bullying does not suddenly appear in high school. Stereotypes and discrimination develop over time. Students who are taught in elementary school to be tolerant and respectful of individual differences will be better equipped to handle the challenges of life.
In British Columbia, LGBT youth are seven times more likely to commit suicide than heterosexual youth (McCreary, 2008). These high suicide rates could probably be reduced if students were introduced to LGBT content earlier in elementary school. LGBT youth would not have to feel so isolated, depressed or be bullied so often.
All students would be taught that people who identify as LGBT deserve to be treated the same as everyone else. The curriculum should be updated to give students knowledge so they can make informed decisions.
There will always be those opposed to LGBT content. However, changing the curriculum does not have to mean changing family beliefs. It is up to parents to teach their children what they want.
This is not about schools trying to teach students to think a certain way. It is about all schools teaching tolerance and respect. Students need to be given information that allows them to make informed decisions for themselves and how they act around other people.
Including LGBT material in the intermediate elementary curriculum is about recognizing that all people are equal and should be treated that way.
Mercedes Shilling, SFU student
