There is one experience
that I remember that happened to a family at the preschool where I work. I know
this happens all of the time. I heard it
from a family in my classroom. While having a conversation with one of the two
moms in this same sex relationship, she shared with me that it is obvious that
they are targets of oppression. Lesbian and gay couples are not represented in
any application forms and school paperwork. The paperwork asks you to fill in
information regarding mom and dad. What if there are two dads or two moms? What
if the family makeup is not the norm? It may seem like a small thing but it
does show bias, prejudice and oppression.
This specific incident
diminished equity for lesbian and gay families as they are the victims of invisibility.
It makes families feel not included and not recognized. They are not being
respected and not being seen. The paperwork makes the assumption that all
families consist of a mom and a dad. It sends a negative message to any family
that does not fall into the norm.
Before this incident, it
would have never occurred to me. It is part of a much larger problem. It made
me feel sad that any family would feel discriminated against. I felt empathy
for this family as I know that there are so many issues that same sex couples
have to deal with that heterosexual couples do not even have to think about. There
are so many diverse and unique families. It is not just about ethnicity,
language, income level and religion. It is also about family makeup. All
families want and should feel included and not made to feel invisible.
In this situation, in
order to make a change that would be equitable, the school enrollment forms and
paperwork would have to reflect a growing and diverse population. In this case,
what would need to happen is that the school administration would have to be
willing to reflect a changing population by saying Parent One and Parent Two. The
school would need to make an effort to include all families.
Hi Lisa,
ReplyDeleteI believe paperwork such as you referenced is not just oppressing gay or lesbian families but also single parent households as well. In my area paperwork is labeled as parent name and/or guardian rather then placing emphasis on gender or title of parent. I am actually surprised to hear that such labeling still exist specifying mom or dad. Thanks for sharing such a perspective on that, as I too could have overlooked it as it is apart of my norm not recognizing my norm is not like others.