Katelyn Cleveland A Content Analysis Exploring Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Topics in Foundations of Education Textbooks Before

reading this article, content of textbooks never really seemed important. I always thought that books were just written to explain facts, not giving any thought to other things we learn from these textbooks. The article was a review of textbooks from foundation classes for teacher prep programs. These foundation courses are where future teacher are first exposed to diversity topics and views on many issues. It is their first exposure to factual information about sexual orientation and gender identity. With this being said, this is the perfect place to begin to introduce LGBT issues. Without these students are being taught about these issues properly they go out into the real world unprepared to deal with and address LGBT students and families. These teacher programs take some responsibility in shaping our future teachers and how they deal with issues. The course begins shaping a teachers view and how they deal with future students and families. The way these textbooks place information or dont place at all, teaches us how these issues are dealt with. The article is about research that was done with these textbooks. They looked at how the information is placed and the way they present it. One of the themes that was looked for throughout the books was LGBT Parents and families. They found that only five of the books talked about LGBT parents and families. Also, there are no photos of LGBT families in the books at all. Another theme they looked at is discrimination and harassment against LGBT people. They found that all eight books talk about LGBT students in relation to harassment and risk of. In one of the books it was said that a lot of teachers do nothing when they witness harassment. The other popular theme was LGBT identities and Experiences. They found with this that a lot of the time when LGBT is mentioned, the book talks about

them as hapless victims. Five of the books only talk about the risk factors that are a part of LGBT. They portray them as high risk. In some situations there are things that relate to homosexuality but by the way that the book addresses it, we being to associate with negative things. For example, a lot of textbooks include information about homosexuality with information about AIDs and HIV. By doing this we are helping by supporting the stereotype that all gays are sick or that only gay people can get these disease. Heterosexuals began to view homosexuals are dirty and contagious of their disease and have no concern of them being able to catch it any other way than a homosexual. By LGBT issues not being included in these courses it begins to create fear and intimidation that make teachers not comfortable including LGBT issues. By the way the author includes topics, it sends a certain message to the reader. In most ways the author presents the information it is supportive of heteronormative assumptions. This causes it to seem like heterosexuality is the only real sexual orientation and homosexuality seen as not normal. In some books they chose to just ignore the topic and not mention it at all. When this is done it is shown that it is a secretive subject that is not easily discussed. While in other books, when LGBT is included with information about AIDs and other high risk factors, it causes LGBT youth to be stigmatized by association. There are also other books that do not define sexual orientation and gender identity it allows people to think that these words do not relate to them at all. One of the biggest problems in my opinion is the exclusion of these issues. By not including this information, we are giving these future teachers the assumption that it is not important or anything that needs to be discussed. When we dont include information like LGBT history, we make it seem like they had no past and is not a normal thing.

I think that we are making progress in some situations, but not enough. These teachers are the ones that are going out teaching our future leaders. They are giving their views on every issue. This is the person that they are getting most of their information from. If they dont know how to deal with LGBT students and families how can we expect the students to be able to grow up and deal with it.