Reflection of the article: Coming Out in Middle School by B. Denizet-Lewis (9/23/09). New York Times.
Subjects: LGBT teens and tweens, schools, parents, bullying, personal accounts from tweens and teens
This week in class we looked at outlying tween and teen populations. One of the articles reviewed was “Coming Out in Middle School” which discusses the increasing numbers of adolescents coming out in middle school. In the article, Denizet-Lewis acknowledges trying to figure out how openly gay tweens are faring is complicated to determine. There are a lot of challenges that openly LGBT teens and adults face that are just as difficult if not more so for tweens. The author explores the issue of bullying, the presence of school support, peer attitudes, and family support and attitudes.
Wormeli (2006) very accurately describes tweens as being like a liquid, with a defined volume but no defined shape. All you have to do is look at the warp speed pace of which tween trends change to glimpse a reflection of how quickly tweens themselves change. So how can a tween know what their sexuality is? The author addresses his and others knee-jerk reaction which questions how someone so young can know without a doubt what their sexuality is. When reading this article, I had the same reactive thought and yet after taking a moment to think about it the timing made sense. This is a time in tween lives that is filled with transitions and self discovery. Tweens are at an age where they are just starting to explore their sexuality. Denizet-Lewis states that in gay and lesbian youth reports most youth didn’t self-identify as gay or lesbian until they were 14, 15 or 16, but the mean age at which they first became aware of that attraction was 10. As adults, we need to create positive environments, at school, in the library, and at home that provide information and support.
The library can be a great resource for LGBT tweens and for their parents. At the library tweens and parents can find books, magazines, DVDs and can connect to the Internet. Denizet-Lewis attributes the Internet as well as increasingly accurate and positive portrayals of gays and lesbians in popular culture as one of the reasons that gay and lesbian youths are more resilient, happy and proud. The Rainbow Project, a joint effort by ALA’s GLBT Round Table and the Social Responsibilities Round Table, creates an annual booklist which promotes books for young readers that reflect gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender/questioning experiences. The results of Kaiser Family Foundation Study showed that American youth ages 8 to 18 are spending more than 7.5 hours a day with a smart phone, computer, television or other electronic device. This online connection breaks through the isolation that was previously typical of being young and gay, allowing gay teenagers to find positive information and support (Denizet-Lewis, 2009).
This article focused on what school and parents are doing to (or not doing) to support LGBT tweens. It is not too radical to think that libraries should also be advocating for this outlying group as well as for others. Libraries are in a great position to offer much needed information as providing information is at the core of what a library is.
Reference:
Wormeli, R. (2006). Differentiating for Tweens. Educational Leadership, 63(7), 14-19. Retrieved November 20, 2010 from Academic Search Premier database.
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