OP moved to “Old News” (Article dated 19 January) ~ MJM
A Seattle high school teacher is in the middle of an ever-brewing controversy after reportedly berating a student for identifying himself as “straight.” According to the teacher, he felt the term was “offensive” because it implies that LGBTQ people must be “crooked,” and now the student’s mother is upset.
As reported by Page Six, the unidentified Chief Sealth International High School student’s mother filed a formal complaint naming Ian Golash as the teacher, who also chairs the social studies department.
According to the mother, Golash gave students a “Social Identity Wheel” worksheet at the beginning of the year and asked them to reflect on various identities – including race, ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation. When her son labeled himself as “straight,” Golash reportedly told him it was “offensive” to do so.
“It is completely inappropriate to dictate what terms a student can and cannot use to identify themselves with,” she wrote in an email to the school.
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