In a world that is continuously evolving in it's attempt to recognize that families come in multiple shapes and sizes, it can be difficult to realize that progressiveness is slowed by individuals who do not understand or "approve" of the diverse families we see. I am lucky enough to have witnessed the inclusion of marriage equality in the United States within my lifetime and almost every student I have taught thus far has never lived in a world that banned gay marriage. While there is still debate and issues that range from state to state, my hope is that my generation and the generations that follow will be even more accepting so that these issues no longer happen.
However, I do realize it will take time and effort as the media and society we currently live in shy away from homosexuality, even when it comes to material for children. Media catered to children always displays a mother and father, usually from the same race and culture interacting with their child. Besides a few progressive commercials like Campbells with two fathers, children are only witness to heterosexual relationships in the books they read, the movies they watch, and the tv shows they are glued to. Even with Disney movies which show a majority of orphaned children or a parent that dies, it is almost always a mother and father parental unit. There has never been a Disney movie that displays a homosexual character, besides the release of the new Beauty and the Beast movie which hinted at one of the minor characters displaying homosexuality. This alone caused an uproar within the parenting communities with many parents saying they will never allow their child to see it. This instills the same bias as parents who do not want their children associating with other children from different races. Our society does not cater towards the LGBTQ as they are afraid of what the backlash will mean for their businesses. This means that we have children who grow up thinking their friends with homosexual parents are not like them and should not be treated as such. It is up to us as anti-bias educators to instill a love and acceptance for all people from all walks of life.
