How Homophobia Hurts Children: Nurturing Diversity at Home, at School, and in the Community - Book Review

Sex Roles: A Journal of Research,  Nov, 2003  by Amy M. Rees

• E-mail
• Print
• Link

How Homophobia Hurts Children: Nurturing Diversity at Home, at School, and in the Community. Jean M. Baker, New York, Harrington Park Press; 2002. 224 pp. $49.95 (hardcover), $24.95 (paperback).

How Homophobia Hurts Children provides an immediate challenge to the silence surrounding issues of heterosexism and homophobia in children's lives. The mere title of the book opens the door to discussion of a topic normally steeped in silence--sexual orientation is not only an adult issue but one that affects children. In a society that sexualizes love and attraction and also tends to fear viewing children as developing sexual beings, this book provides an important education for the reader. The overall theme of the book is that in our current atmosphere of homophobia, the estimated 10% of children who will grow up to identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered are growing up in a hostile, damaging environment. "Long before they have any real understanding of what the word means, gay children have already been instilled with the belief that to be gay is something terribly unnatural and shameful" (p. xiii). Baker describes this environment and makes a strong case for creating atmospheres at school, in the community, and at home that are at minimum tolerant and ideally accepting for all children because we don't know which children are gay.

Baker uses interviews with youth participants in gay/straight alliances, interviews with gay adults, her own experiences as a mother of two gay sons, and selected literature to provide comprehensive cover-age of the issues facing gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered youth. The strength and absolute must read portion of the book is those chapters that directly and concretely outline ways in which parents and teachers can support LGBT children and adolescents. She presents a well-rounded picture of the difficulties that LGBT adolescents face, and makes sure to attend to the positives of being gay in the chapter titled "Transcending the Stigma."

The book begins with a general introduction that describes our homophobic culture in the United States, its impact on all children, and the role of parents, churches, and schools. The next few chapters cover myths, coming out, and identity development. This is followed by two chapters for parents, including the parental coming out process and suggestions for parents on how to create an atmosphere of acceptance. Five chapters provide excellent in-depth coverage of school issues including survey-supported evidence of harassment, intimidation, and violence against LGBT adolescents. Uncensored personal quotes are included from individual high school students. Their stories elicit an emotional understanding of the extent to which students are terrorized that leaves no room for denial or minimization of the problem. This is followed by an important chapter on the positives of being gay and the ability of sexual minority youth to develop healthy positive identities. The adolescents and adults she interviewed identified a number of positive aspects in their own development as a result of being gay or lesbian in an unaccepting world including greater compassion and acceptance of others, awareness of other oppressed groups, a greater self-awareness, and an internal sense of self-worth. The remaining chapters deal with a variety of topics including legal and societal barriers and transgender youth. Important but seemingly misplaced chapters for mental health professionals and the story of the accomplishments of an enlightened mayor are also included. The finale of the book is a chapter on "tipping point" theory that leaves the reader with a feeling that small individual actions can have a positive impact at a societal level.

The book is written for parents, teachers, and others who work with or influence the lives of children. It is an excellent resource to learn about the issues facing gay and lesbian youth, how to support them, and how to change homophobic environments. In general, there is a relative lack of attention to bisexuality. However, transgender identity and transexuality are well covered. The book is very readable for a nontechnical population. A minor critique is in the general lack of definitions and the unexplained interchange of the terms homosexual and gay and the use of the term gay at times to represent gays, lesbians, and bisexuals. A general definition of homophobia is missing. Given the negative connotations now attached to the term "homosexual" as a personal descriptor, a consistent use of alternative terms and a discussion on the issue of using affirmative terminology could have been useful for the reader.

The book is not geared toward the experienced mental health professional. Although it contains relevant selected research literature, it is used to support acknowledgement of issues and changes in our social environments rather than as an empirical, comprehensive literature review. There is a single three-page chapter for mental health professionals that contains basic information typically included in graduate programs as part of diversity and ethics training. The book could be useful for undergraduate and graduate students in education, human development, psychology, and social services in conjunction with more professionally oriented materials. In particular, this book is limited in its review of the literature about the origins of sexual orientation, and it includes some material that could be misinterpreted. For example, there has been a trend in some recent literature to link child-hood gender nonconformity and later sexual orientation. However, this is based primarily on the results of a few studies that do not adequately form a research base to support the causal or even predictive nature of the link. Baker does address research validity concerns appropriately but briefly. Professionals trained in research who are familiar with this literature and well versed in theories of social construction of gender and sexual orientation can critically evaluate the evidence. However, the primary audience for this book is teachers, parents, and beginning professionals who are not likely to have a grounding in the research.