Introduction
The gay community has been facing tremendous challenges in gaining social acceptance and challenging cultural biases in order to be provided with basic human rights, including the right to personal dignity. In “Private Love Public School: Gay Teacher Under Fire,” her thought-provoking and touching account of the events that transpired in Grand Rapids in the 1960s, Christine A. Yared communicates the need for acceptance of same-sex attracted people, as well as the LGBTQ+ community, in general. The book condemns aggression and homophobia that were rampant in the U.S. at the time and was actively promoted in media. While the instances of personal interactions between Gerry and homophobic community members demonstrate egregious absence of tolerance, these are the examples of discrimination entrenched in legal and social institutions that the novel proves to be the most concerning issues.
Discussion
“Private Love Public School: Gay Teacher Under Fire” contains quite a range of descriptions of discrimination promoted against homosexuality and violence based on homophobia within society. However, among the ones that are the most visible and most offensive, the protagonist’s interactions with the legal system, state-funded policies, and media propaganda represent the worst offenses against the idea of equality. For instance, the attitude toward homosexuals in the healthcare sector becomes evident in its atrocity as Gerry considers the possibility of death: (Yared, 2020). Specifically, the fact that a gay person was not allowed to make decisions regarding the management of their health is apparent in the novel: “a gay person’s parents or siblings held the legal right to make end-of life decisions” (Yared, 2020). The scenario involving the possibility of one’s needs and desires regarding ones’ own body not being recognized after being incapacitated and unable to make decisions personally is truly shocking and devastating.
Another obvious instance of homophobia and a prejudiced thinking displayed toward gay people is expressed clearly as Yared mentions the letters that Gerry receives from the school as his homosexuality is disclosed. Namely, the nature of the letters and their core intention represent a hurtful attempt at dehumanizing him and belittling his accomplishments as an educator and a community member: “Praying for you… in your dealings with the homosexual teacher” (Yared, 2020). Furthermore, the specified letters indicate that his attackers seek to dehumanize him in order to mark him an easier target for homophobia-driven hate: “The wicked freely strut about when what is vile is honored among men” (Yared, 2020). Specifically, the quotes referring to the Bible simply that Gerry’s personal life deviates from the socially prescribed norm and, therefore, must be corrected or condemned otherwise.
Remarkably, the community manages to represent the specified effort as appositive course of action, which is a particularly nauseating part of the plot. Specifically, instead of expressing their aggression and discomfort indiscreetly, the authors of the letters put an intendedly thinly-veiled idea of penance and conversion therapy as their idea of being charitable to Gerry, who has gained their respect for his teaching accomplishments. Failing to realize how dishonest and revolting the specified message sounds, the authors of the letters seek to represent their actions not only as justifiable but also as kind and charitable: “When the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Yared, 2020). As a result, the letters sent to Gerry represent a particularly blatant and unforgivable instance of homophobia, discrimination, and bias.
One could argue that the people involved in the campaign against Gerry are blinded by their hatred and irrational fear. However, the specified idea, while explaining their behavior, does not justify these people, their letters still being an act of open aggression toward a teacher based solely on the grounds of his personal life and sexual attraction. Moreover, the authors of the letters make their demand all the more insulting by assuming that they hold the moral high ground over Gerry and his partner. Thus, misusing the Bible to justify the hatred and aggression that Gerry and Randy are facing, the authors of the letters demonstrate their bigotry openly.
As a result, while being comparatively minor, the scene in question serves a crucial role of portraying the extent of homophobia and the blatant lack of sympathy toward marginalized sexual minorities within the U.S. community at the time. Though not directly related to the problem of homosexuality being demonized in media, it effectively shows how media can ne used against homosexuals and members of the LGBTQ+ community in order to portray then in a light as unsympathetic and distorted as possible.
However, in regard to the misrepresentation of gay people media, another scene should eb held as an epitome of fearmongering and misguiding others. Specifically, in “Escalation,” the parents of students at Gerry’s school are sent a package that contains vile and homophobic propaganda that serves as an affair representation of how media is misused to promote hate. First, the narration regarding the safeguarding of children, particularly, young boys, from dangerous strangers is conflated with the misconception of supposed gay propaganda and its ostensible effects: “Young boys are so vulnerable. They are at an age when they like boys, and homosexuals will say, ‘Of course, you don’t like girls. You’re one of us’” (Yared, 2020). Thus, fearmongering tactics with the help of media are utilized to encourage biases, prejudices, fear, and hatred toward homosexual people and the GBTTQ+ community.
However, the specified point in the plot development contains an even more devastating and outrageous example of how gay men and the LGBTQ+ community, in general, are demonized within society. Specifically, the letter that was clearly inspired by a series of homophobic attacks and, therefore, representing a bitter and sarcastic response to the intense hatred is provided as a weighted and straightforward threat to straight people, their families, and children. Namely, the specified statement is evidently taken out of context: “We shall sodomize your sons, emblens of your feeble masculinity, of your shallow dreams and vulgar lies” (Yared, 2020). Thus, the specified passage illustrates how media is used and misused to provoke aggression toward marginalized population, stirring hatred within the community and encouraging personal attacks. Specifically, the piece of media in question proves that those at power control the social narrative to fuel and promote hatred toward minority groups, thus, enhancing the divide within the community and ostracizing those that do not meet the supposed norm.
Yet, despite the essay having obviously being written in anger and, therefore, representing an emotional response to the abuse that gay people had witnessed by the time, it was portrayed as a calculated threat and, therefore, the evidence of gay people being supposedly a danger to society. The described scene illustrates how media, including the accounts of homosexual people’s lives, is weaponized against them and distorted to create a public image of an enemy that must be defeated. The extent of dehumanization that the specified example demonstrates is truly appalling.
Finally, the fourth evidence of hatred and biases toward homosexual people portrayed in the book includes one of the last scenes, in which the school board announces to the family of deceased Gerry that they will not receive severance that the school board was supposed to pay them: “He said that the school had phoned him and said they were not going to pay the rest of Gerry’s severance pay” (Yared, 2020). The specified scene depicts how deeply the prejudice against homosexual people and the LGBTQ+ community, in general, has developed.
In the book under analysis, several systems opposing the promotion of gay rights and the removal of prejudices against homosexual people, as well as the LGBTQ community, in general, are presented. Specifically, the exosystem, namely, the established policies and the media, the macrosystem of ideology and culture, and the chronosystem of the legacy of the oppression faced by homosexual people is represented. Each of the systems are depicted as the forces that seek to maintain the status quo and prevent the further challenging thereof.
Specifically, the ecosystem is depicted as the one that contributes to the problem in a very specific and straightforward manner, namely, by setting the legal standards that affect homosexual people and create hostile environments where they are ostracized. The adverse influences of the ecosystem on the levels of acceptance toward homosexuals within a community are demonstrated accurately in “Private Love Public School” as Gerry experiences pressure from the school board and the associated authorities.
Similarly, on a macro level, Gerry encounters similar issues indicating that community culture was deeply infused with homophobia, and that the denial of equal rights for gay people represented one of the core pillars of its ideology. The specified fear of his is confirmed as he approaches one of the members of the Michigan Association of Educators (MEA): “Parents were using his personal life to denigrate him as a teacher” (Yared, 2020). Thus, the problem is presented on a macro-level as well., demonstrating the cultural capture of the community.
Finally, the novel also renders the specified concern as a chronosystem. Specifically, Yared hints at the fact that the problem of homophobia and discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community remains a concern presently s well. Using Gerry’s life and legacy as an example, Yared explains that the struggle against homophobia and discrimination is far from being over: “Students, friends, and religious and LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations continued to be affected by his life and his death” (Yared, 2020). Therefore, the concern at hand is represented as a part of a broader chronosystem.
The novel portrays the exo-, macro-, and chronosystems within which the problem of homophobia and persecution of the LGBTQ+ community as the frameworks that need to be challenged and changed accordingly. Specifically, while the book offers a somber perspective on the issue at hand, it still renders the idea that these systems, as well as the powers that maintain them, can be altered once initiative is taken and social change is launched. The story told in the “Private Love Public School” exemplifies how homophobic and divisive ideas percolate into every system within society, shaping the social hierarchy and affecting the lives of the members of marginalized communities.
Finally, the novel introduces a range of insights into the power structures within American society, as well as the specifics of the social hierarchy and the issues that affect people’s positions within it. Obviously, the information power and the manner in which it is seized by those at the helm of the social hierarchy is depicted quite accurately in “Private Love Public School” (French & Raven, 1959). Namely, the despicable manner in which Gerry is misrepresented in the media, as well as the way in which social media shapes the narrative around the issue of homosexual people’s rights is depicted accurately.
For instance, Yared explains that the information dispersed among parents to increase their concerns is expressively misleading and downright false: “Anti-gay organizations have historically conflated being gay with pedophilia. The messages are: be afraid, gay men will rape your boys, it is in their nature, it is the essence of being gay” (Yared, 2020). Thus, the information power particularly, the impact that it produces on people’s willingness to be open and accepting of diverse communities and their members, is proven to be overwhelming.
However, representing another side of the argument, Yared also demonstrates the notion of the referent power as the influence that individuals exert to attract others and build connections with other community members. Specifically, Gerry’s referent power is shown implicitly as his students are predominantly supportive and accepting of him (French & Raven, 1959). Namely, the students express their support by refusing to believe in the aspersions cast on Gerry: “Students were talking about the mailing. Gerry didn’t ask students about it, but many told him what they thought. One student said, ‘They’re just trying to make us hate you’” (Yared, 2020). The specified sentiment voiced by learners nearly unanimously indicates that Gerry has built an impressive support system among his learners and has gained notable value and authority in their eyes.
Therefore, the scene in question demonstrates an example of the referent power. Namely, Gerry exerts referent power over his learners, encouraging them to resist the influence of the campaign designed to stain his reputation (French & Raven, 1959). Specifically, with the referent power of his authority, he has taught his students to challenge the public narrative and seek the truth, instead, which causes them to reject the promoted point of view and, instead, support Gerry in his plight for justice.
“Private Love Public School” provides a brutally honest account of the hostility and prejudice that homosexual people, as well as members of the LGBTQ+ community, in general, had to face in the 1960s. The rampant homophobia that was prevalent in the U.S. society on the specified time slot was truly abhorrent, leading to the gradual dehumanization o members of the LGBTQ+ community. By providing a detailed account of the life of a teacher who managed to contribute to the promotion of social justice and equality for LGBTQ+ people, Yared (2020) has contributed to the enhancement of social justice.
Specifically, among the key personal insights that have been derived from the novel, the significance of continuing to fight against homophobia within global society should be mentioned. Although the situation has changed quite prominently for the LGBTQ+ community within the U.S., with basic rights including the right to marriage, the right to protection against discrimination, and the emergence of hate crime laws, the LGBTQ+ community continues to suffer injustice globally. In turn, Yared’s novel has provided insights into the legacy of the specified issue and the means of confronting it in the present-day setting. Namely, the power of media and the use thereof for shaping the public discourse around the subject matter should be considered a solution. While the novel portrays the detrimental effects of media being used as a tool of oppression, it also implicitly suggests that media can ab should be used to promote a positive message regarding the rights of homosexual people and the acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community. Thus, social justice will be pursued and achieved within the global setting.
Conclusion
Although the hatred and prejudice toward homosexual people are particularly evident in the novel when it portrays Gerry’s interactions with biased community members, institutionalized homophobia and intolerance represent the most insidious issue in the novel. Yared (2020) does an excellent job at reconstructing the environment of the 60s and depicting the depth of social injustice and the extent of homophobia observed within society at the time. Specifically, the fact that Gerry remained a social pariah within the academic institution despite his outstanding teaching record and his overwhelming popularity among students indicates that homophobia was deeply entrenched in the sociocultural context of the 1960s. Moreover, the book links the observed mistrust and injustice to the present-day biases and prejudices, implying that the problems of homophobia, biphobia, and overall disdain toward members of the LGBTQ+ community remains strongly integrated into the present-day social framework. Thus, efforts must be made to address the specified issue and encourage the development of tolerance to and acceptance of vulnerable minority communities.
Reference
French, J. R. P., Raven, B. (1959). The bases of social power. In D. Cartwright and A. Zander, Group dynamics. New York: Harper & Row.
Yared, C. A. (2020). Private love, public school: Gay teacher under fire. Penning History Press. Web.