How you would respond to a parent/family member who informed
you they did not want anyone who is perceived (or self-reported)
homosexual or transgender to be caring for, educating, and/or interacting with
their child.
I
would first asked why they have come to this reasoning for not wanting their child
to continue receiving the care he/she may be receiving from the our high
quality trained staff. I would then
talked to the about the services they are paying for and how much our staff participates
in their own workshops and training and the anti-bias curriculum help keep the
center at the 5 star rating it is. I would let them know that the staff that is
hire at this center is qualified individuals who are protected under the Equal
Opportunity Employment Commission, and although I cannot share personal
information about any of the staff , they have the knowledge, skills, and
abilities along with the education to work with all the children.
My
final words would be that they could remove their child from our center if need
be, but are they going to remove their child because of their biases again
homosexual and transgender. I would suggest they visit our local library or
community center where they may get information on homosexuals and transgender.
If you have ever used or heard homophobic terms such as
"fag," "gay," "homo," "sissy,"
"tom boy," or "lesbo" as an insult by a child toward
another child? Or, by an adult toward a child? Describe what occurred. How
might these types of comments influence all children? (Note: if you have not had a personal
experience, ask a family member, friend, or colleague)
There
was a family that lived next door to me that had two kids Mathew (we called him
MackyBoy) and Chiquita (we called her ChiChi). I was around ten maybe eleven
years old at the time. During the summer, we would get up do our chores and
head outside until we got thirsty or hungry then we came home. Grab something
to eat, wash it down, and back out until the streetlights came on. ChiChi would
not play with us girls. She always wanted to hang around the boys. We would
tell her she was just a tomboy that all.
He brother would be in the house baking cookies or doing his nails. We
say he was gay and that is why he acted as he did. We just follow each others
words and laugh about it. At that time in my life, I did not thing it was mean.
Mackyboy
continue his life style until he passed. His lifestyle was not because as kids
we called him a name. He was who he was. His sister ChiChi, she married and had
a nice family, a husband and two girls. Was she still a tomboy? No, she was a
beautiful woman. She lost her life at the hands of her husband. They got into a fight and he let her die. He
would not let the EMS into the home until the police arrived. She bled to
death.
Sandra
