Kaos GL Association Union & Education Working Group gathered together with Eğitim-sen (Education and Science Worker’s Union) LGBTI+ Commissions in İzmir.
Source: [We’ll] keep defending LGBTI+ students against discrimination in education! (Eğitimde ayrımcılığa karşı LGBTİ+ öğrencileri savunmaya devam!) Kaos GL, April 16, 2019, http://www.kaosgl.org/sayfa.php?id=28075
Kaos GL Association Union & Education Working Group gathered together with Eğitim-sen (Education and Science Worker’s Union) LGBTI+ Commissions in Izmir.
Kaos GL Association’s Union & Education Working Group had the first meeting of the new term in Izmir. On April 13th – 14th, a series of anti-discrimination and awareness-raising events were organized and the host of the union meeting in Izmir was Eğitim-sen Izmir 2nd Branch LGBTI+ Commission and Genç LGBTI+ Derneği (Young LGBTI+ Association).
In addition to the participants from Izmir, union workers and educators from Ankara, Istanbul, and Nicosia, Northern Cyprus attended the meeting and plans for the new term were discussed.
Seçin Tuncel of Kaos GL stated that they got the chance to meet with various teachers, LGBTI+ activists, and union workers from Izmir and other locations, and added that union meetings are empowering:
“These meetings show us how well we can heal each other in this tough political environment. For instance, teachers who became distant with the union activities can narrate their activist acts and the work in their region through these meetings; the experiences are mutually shared.”
During the workshops hosted by Genç LGBTI+ Derneği on Sunday, April 14th, Seçin Tuncel shared the “LGBTI+” definitions and Remzi Altunpolat talked on “Discrimination and Heterosexism in Education”.
Barış Azar of Genç LGBTI+ Derneği shared their work titled “LGBTI+s’ experiences in dormitories”.
Following from the studies conducted with school counsellors at Genç LGBTI+ Derneği, the topics of what causes the sexist and heterosexist content in education to develop and how it is reproduced were discussed with the guidance of physiological counselling and guidance experts. It was recorded that the elements causing this content to develop are curriculums, course materials, teachers, students, school administrations, and regulations.
While the teachers were sharing their own experiences, the problems children who don’t follow gender roles experience and how these affect their development were talked about. What can be done in pre-schools, primary schools, secondary schools, and high schools was discussed.
The actions for the new term were discussed and planned under the coordination of Kaos GL Union and Education Work Group. The event program planned by Istanbul Eğitim-sen 3rd Branch LGBTI+ Commission for the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia on May 17th was discussed. Also, the studies and work on the students who are exposed to discriminatory implementations in education were conferred and children’s literature & books were examined.
Lastly, the Union and Education Working Group discussed the fact that the topics of gender and LGBTI+ should be included in sexual education, multi-cultural education, inclusive education, and peace education discussions and programs.
Against discrimination in education
School counsellors and psychological counselling & guidance department students from different parts of Izmir attended the forum hosted by Eğitim-sen Izmir 2nd Branch LGBTI+ Commission on Saturday, April 13th. The needs and the problems of the LGBTI+ students and the anti-discrimination education policies were conferred during the forum.