First of all we must realize that though they are not visible, we do indeed have students who are lesbian or gay in our classrooms. We should be careful of activities which ask students to talk about romantic relationships, thus forcing them to come out against their will or lie about their sexual orientation. If the topic of homosexuality does come up, either as a planned discussion or accidentally, we need to ensure that negative comments about gays and lesbians are kept to an absolute minimum. We should never ask students what they think about gays, just as we would never ask them what they think about African Americans, Asians or any other minority group. The other problem which can be addressed easily is the issue of exclusion of gay and lesbian examples in teaching materials.
Students are sensitive to the images they see portrayed in textbooks and other classroom materials.
For teachers who feel uncomfortable bringing up the topic of homosexuality for discussion, the subtle inclusion of gay and lesbian characters in examples, handouts or textbooks, will allow gay and lesbian students to feel that their teachers will be supportive and helpful if they wish to discuss issues related to their sexual orientation. Gays and lesbians who are harassed often report that they are afraid to tell anyone for fear that they will meet with an unsympathetic response and perhaps be further harassed by those who they had hoped would help them. Sending out subtle messages to gay and lesbian students that we as teachers recognize and accept their existence will allow them to feel safe in approaching us and talking about issues which concern them. Inclusion of gay and lesbian characters in our ESL materials and textbooks also allows other students to begin to notice that heterosexuality, while perhaps the majority in romantic relationships, is not the only possibility, and that gays and lesbians are in fact a part of the multi-colored fabric of our lives. We need to be sure that the diversity which our students see around them is also reflected in its full spectrum in our classrooms.