Why devote a whole issue of Bright Ideas to gay and lesbian issues? Why should we be concerned about our gay and lesbian students? Most of us working in adult basic education want to make our classrooms safe places for our students -- places where students feel comfortable to learn, to express themselves, to take risks, to feel part of a learning community. By safe we mean more than protection from harm, we also mean places where students can feel that they are accepted, that they can be who they are without fear of attack, ridicule, censure, or recrimination. How far are we from making our classrooms safe for all of our students, and, by extension, making our programs safe places for all of our staff?

Our students bring a range of experiences with them to the classroom; many of our students are victims of trauma and war, cultural dislocation, negative school experiences, discrimination, and racism. We cultivate awareness of students' varied backgrounds; we celebrate multi-culturalism; we embrace diversity in languages and ethnic origins. And most of us, I think, would say that we support inclusiveness and social justice, that we want to make sure everyone has a voice and respect in our classes. While some kinds of hostile behavior and attitudes are obvious in the classroom, others manifest themselves more subtly. Teachers have become more vigilant at addressing racism and sexism as important issues in the classroom, but many have still found it more difficult, or have not thought to discuss homophobia or gay and lesbian issues in their classes. One reason might be that many teachers assume that their students are all straight.

One in Ten
It is currently estimated, however, that about 10 percent of the population in the US is gay or lesbian. Although we might not readily identify our gay and lesbian students or colleagues, one out of 10 people in our programs is likely to be gay or lesbian. Many gay and lesbian students remain silent for good reason. "Coming out," or identifying oneself as gay or lesbian, can mean the loss of a job, loss of family, loss of apartment, social censoring, scapegoating, and physical violence. With increasing incidents of hate crimes directed toward gays and lesbians and with the growth of anti-gay campaigns by members of right wing groups, it is risky to identify oneself as gay or lesbian. Further, some of our students come from countries or states where certain sex practices or same sex relationships are crimes punishable by imprisonment or death. These are good reasons for keeping silent.

Goals
We see this issue of Bright Ideas as part of a process of anti-oppression, "teaching tolerance" work that has been going on in Massachusetts adult basic education for the past few years. Many teachers have asked for resources and strategies for addressing the "isms:" racism, sexism, classism, and homophobia in their classes. In study circles, workshops, and trainings, teachers ask similar questions: What do I say when a racist or homophobic remark comes up in my class? When and how do I introduce anti-oppression materials into my curriculum? Teachers have asked for more resources to develop materials proactively so they can bring in issues of diversity into their curricula. Many teachers also agree that they need more information, dialogue, and reflection on their own belief systems to more deeply understand the complexity of the issues they want to process with their students.

In reflecting on the audience for this issue of Bright Ideas, the advisory board, comprised of gay, lesbian, and straight practitioners in adult basic education, determined multiple goals for a varied audience. For gay and lesbian teachers, we want to send a message that you are supported, valued, and recognized. For straight teachers, we hope this issue will help you to build on efforts many of you have already begun, and to underscore the reality that there are gay and lesbian students and colleagues in your programs, even if they are not identified as such. We hope to encourage you to continue examining hetereosexism and homophobia in your classrooms and communities. We hope to suggest how, from a position of privilege within the community as straight people, you can help become allies of gay and lesbian students and colleagues and help build a more just system for all.

For both gay and straight teachers, we hope that this issue can offer information, teaching strategies, and resources that will make classrooms safer and more inclusive for gay and lesbian students. Some of the readings are directed toward teachers to encourage them to think about their classroom, program, and practice, and some readings are resources teachers can make available directly to students.

The goals may be overreaching in such a short publication like Bright Ideas. But as the advisory group met and discussed and argued and laughed and agreed and disagreed, we kept finding things that seemed important to include. We know some readers will disagree with what we have included here, and we welcome you to write letters to the editor to include your perspectives. We will print them. We view this issue as a starting point. To make use of it, please check out the Web sites, the organizations, and the publications listed in the resources page. Let the work expand!

Stefanie Mattfeld teaches writing at Springfield College. She has taught ESOL and ABE for several years. She can be reached at steftoni2@yahoo.com       Lenore Balliro is the editor of Bright Ideas.