All teachers want to make a difference in their students' lives. But that can't be done by limiting ourselves strictly to our subject, and that's why we assume we must express our opinions on social issues. The problem is that simply reproducing the positions that society already accepts isn't enough either.
In all schools, the teaching staff supports measures against bullying and racism. But as soon as we move away from positions that society already accepts, teacher support and involvement in these activities decreases. This is true even in areas where significant progress has been made, such as homophobia.
He invitado en varias ocasiones a asociaciones LGTB a participar en mis clases. Cuentan los problemas que les ha supuesto su orientación sexual en el centro educativo, en la familia o en la sociedad. Las profesoras y profesores de los centros siempre han mostrado su apoyo. A veces incluso han asistido a las charlas o talleres con sus propios alumnos. Y en alguna ocasión me han contado que después de la actividad algún alumno se les ha acercado para decirles lo mucho que les había ayudado la experiencia. Se que muchos profesores tratan el tema de la homofobia en el aula, pero aunque creo que es una forma de discriminación mucho más presente en las aulas que el racismo, el porcentaje de profesores que abordan este tema es considerablemente inferior que los que proponen actividades contra el racismo. Uno de los motivos pudiera ser que las familias se sintiesen ofendidas porque “se está fomentando la homosexualidad en sus hijos”. Cuestionar el racismo no genera conflictos, cuestionar la homofobia, podría generar, al menos, críticas.
I wrapped up the last school day of 2016 (this very morning, December 22nd) with a talk by Óscar, a 22-year-old from Zaragoza who was born with female genitalia. He shared his experience with us. Besides myself, one male teacher and two female teachers attended the talk, with a total of over 100 students. A few days earlier, I had also shown my class the documentary "The Felt Sex" and we had discussed the topic. Both during the talk and the video screening, the students readily accepted the stance of respect for transgender people and showed great interest in both situations. The male and female teachers told me they loved the activity, and they said so sincerely. But although support for these activities is widespread, the activities themselves remain in the minority.
Respect for women is no different. I've never heard a teacher question equality between men and women, but if we stray from that message, we risk diminishing interest. This year, a group of female students from a public high school in Zaragoza proposed to the school administration a poster contest against gender violence on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. The administration (paradoxically led by a woman) decided that "all violence should be questioned equally, regardless of whether it is directed at men or women." In doing so, they are distancing themselves from potential criticism from the faculty and families regarding what could be considered a radical message. But they are also distancing themselves from reality. When a woman suffers violence, it is usually at the hands of a man. When a man suffers violence, it is also usually at the hands of a man. And when a woman suffers violence, it is often because she is a woman. But when a man suffers violence, it is never because he is a man. In Spain, the vast majority of rape complaints filed in 2016 were filed by women. And all those convicted of rape have been men, including the few convictions for rape by men. Therefore, while all forms of violence are reprehensible, they are not all the same. That is why it makes sense to dedicate a specific section to gender-based violence, even if it means risking criticism.
These situations and approaches are replicated and amplified when it comes to animals. No teacher is afraid to speak out against "animal abuse." But by "animal abuse," we only mean the mistreatment of dogs and cats. If a teacher believes, for example, that separating a pig from its mother two weeks after birth, caging it with fifteen other piglets to fatten it up, sending it to the slaughterhouse, and eating it is also animal abuse, that teacher will have very little support when addressing this topic. And some teachers who do consider it animal abuse may avoid addressing the issue, knowing they are alone in this fight.