Why I Never Use the Word Homophobia in the Classroom (Part Two of a Series on the Pedagogy of Creative Writing)

I’m not an activist. I’m a teacher. Both require some manipulation to yield the desired results. One of those things necessitates an avoidance of a perfunctory embrace of good manners.

Was really intrigued by this blog post today. I am both an artist and an activist, though I don’t consider myself to be much of a writer at all. How funny is it that I’m putting down 1500-2500 words a day and I’m not a writer? Over lunch the other day with a friend, who is really a writer, I talked about using this year of blogging to “find my voice” and learn to write better. So, maybe I am a writer, and am not yet convinced I do it well enough (yet).

As an activist, I am keenly aware of words and the power they carry to sway ideas and opinions. I like to think that the role I play is to counter the language and word images produced by those who seek to diminish the value of my life as a gay man. but I am not blind that I am just a susceptible to adding too much spin on something. Is this the difference between creating fiction and articulating reality?

That’s the sort of talk I want to happen. I’ve made choices in my life. I don’t always know what ones are good, what ones are bad. But I’ve made choices. One of those includes creating a classroom which is full of useful conflict, a decent amount of tension, and the freedom, as long as its done with tact and sincerity, to say what we feel we shouldn’t. To hell with safe spaces!

As an activist, I have a very different goal, to make more space safe for living breathing real people, so are we- the writer and myself fighting each other? Not really. Her space is actually just another color of safe. Rather than quiet the action within, she works to make sure there is enough padding, that no one gets hurt from the actions within. Like when they put mats down for the dancers on Dancing with the Stars as they start to learn to do lifts. The dancers must take risks and try things, so the space  is set to accommodate this though the addition of a safe landing. but here was the statement that really captured me:

Nothing represents anything else. That makes students nervous. “These are just ideas that came from my soul,” they will charmingly say.

I’m still pondering it, yet the first thing to mind is that as an activist, don’t I take the position that everything thing is representational? Wow. Much to think about, let alone the idea of ideas or images coming from the soul.

Check out the blog and I hope you enjoy as much as I did! But let me know what you think, Leave a comment!

Pansy Poetics: Why I Never Use the Word Homophobia in the Classroom (Part Two of a Series on the Pedagogy of Creative Writing).