Most people wouldn’t consider the traditional ways lectures are taught to be problematic; it’s been a constant throughout the majority of our education and to those that have no reason to, they don’t bother to question it.

But what about those that have reason to think twice about it and are bothered by their lack of recognition in the world, especially when it comes to education?

We have always been taught what was most prevalent in society, negating the existence minorities in the process.

We’re always told that a man will fall in love with a woman, and one day he’ll ask for her hand in marriage.

But what happens when that’s not the case?

Society is changing and our education should change with it.

The number of states that have currently legalized marriage equality stands at 18, Michigan being the most recent.

However, members of the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender and Queer community continue to lack representation in the classroom.

Heteronormativity, the assumption that we are all heterosexual by default, is pervasive in the school environment and is erasing the identities of those that don’t fit within the category in the process.

This assumption is damaging to many within the LGBTQ community and people still don’t believe that members of the community are as prevalent in society as they really are.

With on-going changes made to state laws and the slow-coming acceptance of gay rights within our nation, more queer voices that were once silent due to fear are making themselves heard.

The implementation of a safe space program on Fullerton College’s campus will help students feel more secure and teach professors how to be more inclusive in their practices.
“We need the safe space program to create a safer and healthier environment for LGBTQ students,” said Lani Kai Arriaga, ICC rep of LAMBDA, our local LGBTQ club on campus. “This will ensure strength through unity between both the gay and straight students and well as faculty, promoting compassion through solidarity”.

Safe space will help create a positive learning environment for LGBTQ students by educating the staff on new ways to approach scenarios and fix old and sometimes unintentionally harmful ways of speaking.

Currently, instructors are able to create their own curriculum and set their own standard. Should the program be put in place, one would hope that they make the decision to educate themselves on such matters and take the step towards helping students feel less alienated in the classroom.

LAMBDA recently presented the idea to the diversity committee who approved the idea and requested that they do more for the cause.

However, there is still the issue of when and how this might happen. The administration is urged not to wait.