ELIMINATING HOMOPHOBIA IN
THE EDUCATIONAL WORKPLACE

Does our educational institution recognize that there are gay, lesbian and bisexual people among the administrators, faculty, staff, student body and parent populations?  How are these individuals recognized?

What is the experience of gay, lesbian and bisexual staff members in our institution?  What is their assessment of the work atmosphere?  How do homophobic attitudes and behaviors affect their ability to be effective educators and members of education teams?

Is there a general assumption in this institution that people who work here are heterosexual?  How do we think it feels to be gay and have people assume that we are heterosexual?

Is there a policy that specifically prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in the hiring and promotion of staff?

What local, city, or state policies regarding gay, lesbian and bisexual educators exist in your state/district?

What anti-harassment/verbal abuse policies exist in your area?  Do these policies include harassment over sexual orientation?  What channels would be followed in reporting this behavior?  What consequences might the complainant expect?

Is there a grievance procedure endorsed by your association that a gay or lesbian employee could access?  How safe, reliable and trusted is this procedure?

What support can gay, lesbian, or bisexual employess expect from the Association if they are the targets of homophobic or harassing behavior?

What steps are we willing to take to guarantee that no discrimination exists in  the educational workplace?

How would you respond to an administrator or parent who was irate about discovering that a teacher was gay or lesbian?

Would a person who acknowledges being gay be hired in your school district?  Could an experienced teacher acknowledge being gay and keep his or her job?  What impact would involvement in gay issues have on a person's job?

What guidelines are offered to resident and visiting educators regarding the appropriate and inappropriate use of language (spoken, written or visual images) to avoid communication that might be racist, sexist, homophobic or otherwise discriminatory?

Ideally, what training should be provided to administrators and educators on the issue of sexual orientation?  How could this topic be incorporated into existing or future training programs?  Would we be willing to advocate for such training?  Who would be best qualified to conduct such training?

Source:  PFLAG-Milwaukee, WI