Talking Points #3 Dennis Carlson "Gayness, Multicultural Education, and Community

Quotes-

     "Gay people for the most part been made absent, invisible, and silent within this community"(Carlson 233).

       This is one of Carlson's quotes in the beginning of the text. I chose this because I think it really starts off the articles and gives a good explanation of what the article will be about. It is true that in this article it will talk about being gay and the affect it plays in the community and the education point of view. It will show how it takes toll and just how much of an affect it has in and out of the schools. They want to talk about ways of normalizing school districts in order to make it more open to gayness. This will allow for some to maybe show their true colors and allow them to come out and speak clearly and loudly for who they are and what they beleive in. That is why I felt that this quote was a good way to start off the article and clearly explain what the article was about to talk about.

     "Specific techniques and apparatus's of power that have been employed in the school to keep gayness "in its place" as an invisible presence" (Carlson 236).

        This just show what they will go through to bring normalization of this issue into the schools. They will use three different techniques in order to bring normalization. They are gayness in the curriculum, the "closeting", and the verbal and physical intimidation of gay teachers and students. Just by these three things is what they beleive will bring normalization to school. It doesn't matter their race or ethnicity, or even how they were raised. As I was reading for articles online about this I came upon a different type of blog and in which a catholic girl, going to a catholic school became a lesbian and she was not afraid to show it as she blogged about it : http://open.salon.com/blog/nyctheaterqueen/2010/09/03/with_great_gayness_comes_great_responsibility.
This just shows how normalization is starting to come into play and how they are trying to improve it in the school systems and education sides of things as well.

     "Popular culture may represent identity, but identity also is represented in corporeal form" (Carlson 244).

       This is referring the culture now more than before. The popular culture has much more than just identity. This is what I feel is trying to be said through this quote. Identity plays a major role in normalizing communities. It allows for the people to be viewed by themselves or within the community. Some communities are different than others. Some are for, and some are against normalizing communites. This is where the normal and abnormal comes into play. One is for, and one is against it. Just by identity is show how each culture, or community is represented and through this quote I feel shows it clearly.