After reviewing the videos, I was reminded of the importance of being open minded to issues regarding gender and sexual orientation. While I am aware of both of these topics, I have yet to see a push to educate young children about sexual orientation. Many of the books and materials, including many of the curriculum that we use do not incorporate differences such as differences in sexual orientation. Gender, on the other hand, is discussed and gender roles are identified and incorporated in the curriculum. In my opinion, it is more difficult for children to understand the differences in sexual orientation when it often goes against what they learn about typical gender roles.
When discussing the issue of avoiding books that depict gay or lesbian couples, I would think it would depend on the situation. Many people have very strong opinions on this topic. If materials were presented that depicted gay and lesbian couples, there may be a very strong opinion against such books. If this is the case, it may do more harm than good to have these materials in these classes. However, the main purpose of books is to help with the education of children. Therefore, I would not necessarily avoid a book because it depicted gay or lesbian couples if I thought it was relevant to the topic being discussed.
