Professional Resource

PROFESSIONAL RESOURCE:
Rofes, E. (1989). Opening up the classroom closet: Responding to the educational needs of gay and lesbian youth. Harvard Educational Review, 59, 444-453.

Eric Rofes is a gay community activist and an author, who explores how the educational needs of gay and lesbian youth are addressed in schools. Rofes argues that there has been a denial throughout the United States about the existence of gay and lesbian youth and that it has taken place because, “their voices have been silenced and because adults have not effectively taken up their cause” (Rofes, p.3). He continues by saying that this youth issue is not a part of the “greater community agenda”. While Rofes claims that gay and lesbian youth are not addressed in educational settings or the community, I also feel that gay and lesbian youth are not represented in children’s literature. This absence in school, community, and literature settings perpetuates the silence that Rofes discusses in this article of gay and lesbian youth.

Rofes explains that professionals who work in schools know that it is becoming more difficult to ignore gay and lesbian youth and the issues that surround it as time continues because of the increased visibility and outspokenness of this group. Therefore Rofes indicates that it is necessary for programs and initiatives to be in place that address this group. In addition, I feel that a piece of these programs and initiatives needs to be the education through literature and that this literature needs to begin at a relatively young age.

Los Angeles and New York have created two programs in an effort to address the special needs of gay and lesbian youth. The Los Angeles Unified School District has put into place Project 10, which includes the four components of, education, school safety, drop-out prevention strategies, and support services. One of the educational components of the project is the “…expansion of school libraries to include positive materials on homosexuality accessible to teenagers” (Rofes, p.4). Although there are other crucial parts of the program, I find this part of the program extremely important and beneficial because it allows for teenagers to read about and see people like them in literature. Literature is such a powerful device and therefore it is necessary for youth to find themselves through literature. It is a necessary component to this program because students are able to identify with characters in the literature they read. When this group has people they can relate to, they can often feel less alone in terms of their self identities. In addition, I think it is crucial that this program is pushing libraries to include this community on the shelves and it is the reason I have chosen the topic of GLBTQ for this project. Gay and lesbian youth need to be represented through literature whether they identify as gay or lesbian or they have a parent, friend, or family member who identifies as gay or lesbian. The awareness this program will bring to libraries is the first step in having quality GLBTQ literature less absent for children and teens.

The Harvey Milk School in New York is a part of a larger organization called The Institute for the protection of gay and lesbian youth. The school went through many difficulties as it became part of this program, being called a “gay” school. However, it recognized the need for this type of program for their gay and lesbian youth and continued on through its struggles and controversies. This school does not have as clear of terms as Project 10 includes, but is again represented in this article to show examples of how gay and lesbian youth voices are being heard.

Rofes explains that there are several factors that continue to create barriers for our gay and lesbian youth. Some of these barriers include, “…a lack of courage from adults of all sexual orientations, a lack of information available to the public about the needs of these young people, and the failure of school systems to confront controversial matters, especially in the area of youth sexuality” (Rofes, p. 7). I agree with these barriers that he lists and feel that a starting point to break these barriers is through literature. Not only is literature a powerful tool in schools but it provides a medium through which dialog can then be opened about controversial issues, especially sexuality. Courage from adults, particularly teachers and librarians, can occur by providing this literature for these groups of students so they too feel that their voices are represented. Rofes states several things schools need to change in order to support gay and lesbian youth completely. One of these changes is, “school curricula will need to be integrated to include the historical contributions of gay men and lesbians, as well as literature that reflects the experiences and culture of lesbian and gay writers” (Rofes, p. 9). This mention of literature is an important piece in helping to assist gay and lesbian youth because it will provide them with familiar and relatable experiences and cultures. Rofes article is powerful and one that provides concrete examples that encourages the dialog that surrounds sexuality to be opened throughout the nation.