Gender, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation

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.

 

I see homophobia in stores. Toys-R-Us’s website clearly identified boys’ toys and girls’ toys. This limits kids’ options on what toys to want and how to play and implies that playing with toys of different genders is bad or weird. I also see homophobia in the older Disney Princess movies. Princesses are usually beautiful girls who don’t voice their opinions if they even have them. They are beautiful and do housework without complaining, until they are saved by a Prince. However, I see changes in more recent kids’ movies. Fiona in Shrek fights against enemies with martial arts and makes a very deliberate choice to remain an ogre, which is considered ugly even though she could have remained a beautiful woman. The main characters in Chicken Little and How to Train a Dragon are not strong or powerful but end up becoming heroes because they care for others, and are smart

 

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 explain that our job is to provide children with environments that help them to build high-esteemed identities and to become people who respect various kinds of people. To do so, we need books depicting gay, lesbian and same-sex partnered families because it makes them visible in their world which raises awareness. Hiding that there are gay and lesbian people gives children biases that people who are not heterosexual are abnormal or less important. I would also explain that awareness does not increase the rate of children’s becoming gay or lesbian as adults.