Sexuality is a personal matter — and it's one that often takes some time to truly figure out. As the years have gone on, more terms have been created to help individuals find a way to label their sexuality in a way they feel comfortable with. It's a huge step forward from the past, when being gay was unfortunately viewed negatively.
People are far more open these days, which is incredible. Now more than ever, people are realizing that sexuality isn't a choice. But that doesn't mean that people's sexual preferences should be broadcast by a professional (or anybody) without their consent. Especially when the professional involved is a fifth grade teacher.
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Fifth graders are likely still unsure about whether or not they're into boys, girls, both, or neither. Aside from sexuality, it's generally a fragile time for them anyway. For many, it's the final year before middle school, when peer judgment is especially brutal. But grade doesn't matter. What this teacher did to an unnamed student is just cruel.
Jezenia Gambino, the student's mother, was outraged when she learned that her daughter had been singled out in class. A rumor was going around that Jezenia's daughter was dating another girl in the school. The gossip got so bad that the girl's teacher decided to openly discuss it during class — which is a complete mistake.
"The rumor was that my daughter and another 5th-grade little girl were dating," Jezenia told WPTV. "She asked them … if they were dating as a couple together and she asked them in a way that they felt they were in trouble." Jezenia only heard about the issue after her daughter received a text about it that made her upset.
The situation was awkward and off-putting, but it also put Jezenia's daughter's friendship with the other girl in jeopardy. "She wasn’t sure if they should hang out together anymore because of what happened in school," she said. "She didn’t want anyone to think they were gay." Good friends are hard to come by, which makes this situation even harder to deal with.
Jezenia contacted the Florida Department of Education, which looked in the matter. The teacher admitted her wrongdoing but was let off with just a verbal warning. Jezenia, on the other hand, now has to navigate the traumatic situation with her daughter and try to fix the damage that this teacher caused.
Her daughter is now finishing off the year in a homeschooling program. She's too embarrassed to go back to school based on how her teacher acted. It might seem like a severe consequence to the problem, but teachers are people we're supposed to trust and confide in if there's an issue. Whether or not this girl was gay or straight is none of the teacher's business.
It seems that instead, the teacher was more invested in the school gossip. For behavior like that, a verbal warning might not be enough. There's a good chance for Jezenia's daughter to develop anxiety or depression over the situation, as sexuality is such a sensitive topic. It's a big reminder that words make a huge difference.
The school board claims that it took the incident seriously. The district reportedly admitted that it takes all forms of sexual harassment seriously, stating that it "will not tolerate sexual harassment or any other form of illegal harassment by any of its employees, students, volunteers or agents." But that doesn't really fit in with the action that it did take. The teacher shouldn't have necessarily been fired, but she could have offered a sincere apology and a promise to be more understanding.
It's important for teachers everywhere to support their students. They need to be on the lookout if they think a student is being hurt or abused and take action from there. Singling them out, or accusing them of being lesbians, in front of the class is something that should never happen. While there's nothing wrong with being gay, it's still a rough point for fifth graders.
It seems as if these two girls just had a close friendship, which might be on the rocks based on a situation they had no control over. But even if they were trying to figure out their relationship — as many people realize they're not straight during puberty — that's on them. The teacher should be there to guide the way, or offer support only when asked.
This isn't the first time an incident like this has happened. Back in 2010, a teacher from the Bronx reportedly forced one of his students to out himself to his crush. Jared Alessandroni, who was 29 at the time, was bullying a 9-year-old named James Pastrana, who identified as being straight at the time.
James had a crush on another girl in the class, but his teacher tried to force him to tell his crush that he was actually gay. "I was so humiliated," James told the New York Post. "It started to spread around the whole class and then everyone wanted to call me gay." That wasn't the only allegation against Jared, who eventually left the school.
In 2009, a student named Alex Merritt had similar issues in high school. While he had no social issues or problems before, plenty of students mocked him for possibly being gay. Two of those bullies was reportedly his teachers. Both Diane Cleveland, a social studies instructor, and Walter Filson, a former cop who taught a course on law enforcement, were listed as being two who helped these rumors spread.
Alex had to leave the school district because of the taunting. His social studies teacher, on the other hand, had to spend the remainder of the fall semester simply reflecting on diversity. It doesn't sound like a fair punishment whatsoever, especially since there were reportedly just five days left of the semester to begin with. Did she learn from her mistake?
According to Newsweek, she kept her job but eventually ended up taking a leave of absence due to the press surrounding the story. Both students and gay-rights supporters were quick to try to have her fired based on the alleged abuse. "The insinuation that I'm homophobic, that I'm a bigot, bothers me to no end," she reportedly told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. No matter what, all of these instances need to serve as a lesson — teachers should try to make students feel included, and they shouldn't attempt outing someone, especially at school among all of their peers.
