"Start Seeing Diversity Video" Blog: Gender, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation

Week: 3~Teaching and Diversity CD 6357-1

~Diversity~

Some of the ways you noticed that homophobia and heterosexism permeate the world of young children including books, movies, toys, stores, culture of early childhood centers, and schools

Some day care centers do not display books with gender differences.

Some day care centers do not have male toys in the playhouse area and girl toys in the block area.

Some day care centers have in their infant/toddler area, blue blankets for males and pink blankets for females.

Some teachers do not let males express emotions, and some let females over emphasis their emotions.

Some books do not have pictures of fathers raising children; pictures of males or females in a relationship; men cooking or cleaning; females in male dominant sports such as wrestling, boxing or auto-racing.

In the stores at the mall, there is a huge public display of the girl’s sections in pink and other feminine colors and the boy’s sections display generic colors.

Your response to those who believe that early childhood centers should avoid the inclusion of books depicting gay or lesbian individuals such as same-sex partnered families

I would inquire as to why those who believe that early childhood centers should avoid books with gay or lesbian people/same-sex partnered families; tell them that we are all created equal and why they display so much fear.

I would explore what keeps these individuals in the cycle of ignorance, insecurity, confusion, obliviousness and fear.

I would also hold workshops on gender issues and invite parents who are gay/lesbian/ and that have alternative lifestyles to tell their story.

Boy's set

  Children's Place- Clothing~

I looked up clothing as my anti-bias culture in early childhood. I goggled a popular children's store in almost every mall in America and I came across: "Children's Place" clothing for girl's and boy's from infants to young children. The ad displayed boy's clothing as sports, blue stripes and also pants. 

On the other hand, the girl's clothing depicted dresses, flowers, whites and pinks and sets. As you look at these pictures you can clearly see that there is a social bias for boy's and girl's clothing.

Girl's set

References:

Children's Place, Clothing for children. Retrieved at  http://www.childrensplace.com/

Harro, B. (2010). The cycle of socialization. In M. Adams, W. Blumenfeld, C. Castaneda, H. W. Hackman, M. L. Peters, & X. Zuniga (Eds.), Readings for diversity and social justice (Figure 6.1 on p. 46, 2nd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.

Laureate Education, Inc. (2011). DVD "The Many Ways Families Influence Children"

Laureate Education, Inc. (2011). Course Media: "Start Seeing Diversity: Gender". Author.

Laureate Education, Inc. (2011). Course Media: "Start Seeing Diversity: Sexual Orientation". Author

Maglaty, J. (2011). When did girls start wearing pink. Retrieved from http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/When-Did-Girls-Start-Wearing-Pink.html