Back to the Guidelines

Reviewing the guidelines before class is a part of the routine. After a student shared the 'No Gender Bashing' guideline a student jokingly said, "Yeah, like, you can't say....'Men suck'."
The student next to him (student 'A') said, "No, women suck," followed by a head pumping with his mouth in the shape of an 'O'.

Here we go.

I ask, "Did everyone hear and see what 'A' said?" Most of the class did not.
I ask 'A' to repeat himself and the gesture.
Head bowed, he repeats the words but not the gesture. I ask him to please repeat the oral sex gesture he used to accompany his comment.
Red in the face and with none of the previous enthusiasm he repeats the gesture, mouth in a lower case 'o'.
"It feels degrading, and insulting, doesn't it?" I ask.
He nods ---meaning yes, not a continuation of the gesture.

I add, "Besides that comment being demeaning to women, it is not entirely true. About 10% of the population is gay. Oral sex is someone using their mouth to sexually stimulate someone else's genitals. That means oral sex- in the gesture presented earlier today- is not only done by women, but men, as well. I point to the yin yang, "Women suck, men suck."

A hand goes up. "Ten percent are gay?"

I say,"Yep, give or take a few percentage points, that seems to be the going statistic. Ten percent of the world - meaning doctors, lawyers, actors, singers, researchers, architects, consultants, engineers on and on are gay. My gay friends do all sorts of things: run hotels, market products, dance, bake and one just got a new job - she is the president of a college."

A hand goes up, "Why don't I have any gay friends?"

I smile and say, "You are in 7th grade - at an all boys school."