Teachers' Sexuality in Educational Contexts

Teachers' Sexuality in Educational Contexts
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How, Why, and Where Teachers' Sexuality Matters in Educational Context
According to Foucault (2019)   in the past, most individuals assumed that all people were heterosexual, and this led to the assumption that the biological sex of an individual was a sufficient parameter to determine their sexuality. However, in the modern world, sexuality is more than an individual's biological sex and danger. As Aronson (2020) depicts, sexuality is about an individual's sexual orientation, not the organs they were born with. Consequently, depending on where and when, the sexuality of a teacher has portrayed a matter of concern (Hatzenbuehler, 2019). A teacher is accorded the role of educating students about different matters in society. Consequently, society strictly scrutinizes the words they use, how they dress, and their life choices compared to other public servants. Thus, the paper will discuss how, why, and where teachers' sexuality matters in an educational context.
To begin with, the reason teachers' sexuality matter in an educational context is because they are deemed, moral guardians. Unlike other public servants, teachers are seen as exemplary beings who teach their students morality. In most cases, society views an individual as a moral being because they are heterosexual in this context (Bi et al., 2020). In an educational setting, the students are said to learn how to conduct themselves by hearing and seeing what the teacher does (Zebracki, 2020). Therefore, due to the exemplary role accorded to a teacher, their sexuality is a matter of concern. An example is when a teacher is gay, and they are teaching a group of young boys. If the teacher is to discuss his sexuality with the students, then society may assume that he is influencing them to be gay. Additionally, most schools are still embracing the traditional family setup exclusively (Hall, 2019). Most textbooks only depict a family setup as being composed of a father, mother, and children. Therefore, when a teacher is gay, the parents and other significant stakeholders assume that the teacher is unfit to teach their children.
The other reason why teachers' sexuality may be a matter of concern is that there are still a significant number of parents in societies that are homophobic. According to Hatzenbuehler (2019), California's electorate voted some decades ago, and the main agenda was to pass Proposition 6. Proposition 6 was meant to ensure that gay and lesbian teachers were barred from teaching in public schools. It would also forbid teachers from talking or even insinuating that there is anything positive that can be yielded from homosexuality. Although the proposition failed in 1978, a significant number of people supporting it indicates that homosexuality is still not accepted in some societies. Therefore, a teacher's sexuality becomes a matter of concern when teaching in a society where parents are homophobic. While teaching children whose parents may abuse various drugs and/or engage in other reckless behavior, teachers are still required to be exemplary in their actions (Aronson, 2020). Thus, they are judged on how they conduct themselves inside the school and even outside of it. Furthermore, most people assume that since teachers may stay in the same areas as their students, how they conduct themselves outside school should still be scrutinized. Consequently, when a teacher lives in a society where people assume heterosexuality is the only norm, their sexuality tends to be questioned.
Furthermore, how a teacher's sexuality matters in an educational setting are determined by the state in which they teach. According to Zebracki (2020), in a few states, the Equal Protection Clause has been introduced to ensure that educators, despite their sexuality, have protected their rights. However, this is not the case in some states, where teachers are discriminated against because they are gay or lesbian. In some societies, the teacher may lose their credibility with the parents and even the school board for claiming to be gay. Individuals who work in public schools may also lose their jobs due to their sexual orientation (Bi et al., 2020). Hence, depending on what a given society deems as right or wrong, a teacher's sexuality may be an issue of concern. Additionally, an educator's sexuality matters in a society where homosexuality is considered unprofessional conduct. In some states, voicing one's sexuality is deemed professional, while in others, it is claimed to be unprofessional for a teacher, leading to discrimination (Bracho, 2020). Hence, when teaching in a region where homosexuality is deemed wrong, teachers claiming that they are not heterosexual are deemed unprofessional conduct.
Moreover, where teachers' sexuality matters depends on the kind of school they teach. When teaching in a public school, various rules are set which may limit who teaches students depending on their sexuality. However, this is not the case in some private schools. Thus, a teacher's sexuality in a public school is a source of concern because society has a say in who they believe is suitable to teach their children (Preston, 2020). Additionally, when teaching young individuals, especially those below the t...