Discussing Sexual Orientation and Gender in Classrooms: A Testimonial-Based Approach to Fighting Homophobia in Schools

Three Decades of Research: The Case for Comprehensive Sex Education

“…Curricula designed specifically to reduce homophobia have been found to be successful across grade levels using a variety of approaches both formally within sexuality education and throughout other areas of the curriculum [17e27]. Programs that brought in guest speakers from the LGB community to share personal stories resulted in reduced homophobic attitudes [18,19]. A Quebec study using immediate post-tests and 3-month follow-ups, as well as participant interviews and focus groups, reported on 227 high school (HS) students who participated in a program in which a gay man and a lesbian spoke in their classrooms.…”

“…A Quebec study using immediate post-tests and 3-month follow-ups, as well as participant interviews and focus groups, reported on 227 high school (HS) students who participated in a program in which a gay man and a lesbian spoke in their classrooms. Students exhibited increased normalization of lesbian and gay people, a reduction in stereotyping about gender expression and norms for lesbian and gay women and men, empathy for those who come out, an appreciation for the positive aspects of being lesbian and gay, a recognition that sexual orientation does not have to correlate with sexual behavior, and lower use of homophobic slurs [19]. Strategies that use literature featuring gay and lesbian characters have also resulted in lowered homophobia and homophobic behaviors both at the elementary school level [17] and in high school [20,22,23].…”

“…Reduced homophobic bullying. In addition to reduced homophobic attitudes, research demonstrates that curricula that are inclusive of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and expressions, across areas of study, and most strongly within CSE, reduce homophobic bullying and harassment, and increase safety for LGBTQ students [19,28,29].…”

“…Although research suggests that narrow views of gender and the reinforcement of gender stereotypes in young children can lead to gender-based harassment [32], little evaluation research has looked at efforts to counteract these views. A few smaller studies, including qualitative/ethnographic research and studies looking at short-term or single-dose programs, taken together, suggest that focused efforts to increase acceptance of transgender and gender-nonconforming people can be effective [19,33,34]. Qualitative studies of efforts to expand understanding of gender and gender norms, all at the elementary school level (third to fifth grades), suggest that making children's literature that challenges gender stereotypes available and accessible to students may not be enough.…”

GRIS-Montréal, témoin et acteur de l’évolution des attitudes des élèves du secondaire envers la diversité sexuelle

“…Vingt et un pour cent (21 %) des élèves ayant participé à cette étude estiment que leur manière de voir l'homosexualité ou la bisexualité a changé après leur rencontre avec les intervenants du GRIS. Cinquante-quatre pour cent (54 %) attribuent à l'intervention du GRIS le fait qu'ils utilisent maintenant moins des insultes comme « fif » ou « tapette » et 40 % comprennent mieux les impacts négatifs de ces mots Richard, Vallerand, Petit et Charbonneau, 2015).…”