|
The Language Teacher | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Background-Towards a FrameworkThe language and politics of sexuality The language of sexuality requires not only an understanding and proper usage of the terminology, but also the inherent concepts. For teachers and students of a second language or foreign, the vernacular of sexuality presents further challenges. The teacher needs to have a strong command of the correct use of the terms and be able to communicate the concepts involved to sometimes very different socially and culturally determined mind-sets. The student faces a dual struggle of relating sexuality concepts (for which they may have no language) to their own mind-set and appreciating the politics and consequences of the terms used in both their own language and the second language. The politics of teaching sexuality For many educators, discussing sexuality in the classroom is equivalent to making a stand on such controversial and morally laced issues as sexual minorities, particularly homosexuals. As such, sexuality has been approached with suspicion, apprehension and even fear. Whether it be at a moral level (e.g., "Homosexuality is a sin.") or self-preservation (e.g., "Do not want people to think (wrongly or rightly) that I am a homosexual-I could be fired!"), much of the apprehension and fear can be traced to homophobiaﾑa fear born from ignorance and false stereotypes. Compulsory heterosexualism1 in the classroom assumes that all the students and teachers are heterosexual and thus must pursue all learning and academic inquiry from this perspective. Imbedded in this stance is the moral judgment that all sexual identities outside heterosexualism are abnormal and aberrant to the nature of human existence. The implications that this stance has for the nature and content of academic inquiry and the psychological development of the student (and educators[educator]) are wide reaching. Though there is a very urgent need to address homophobia and the politics of compulsory heterosexualism in education, it is an issue that warrants discussion in a separate and more detailed paper and thus is outside the scope of this article. However especially in gender and women's (and indeed men's) studies, avoiding discussion of sexuality is, in itself, making a strong moral statement-silence can also communicate the most profound messages. In recognizing the inherent moral dilemmas in teaching sexuality in the classroom, the need for a framework that provides a safe space to explore the language and concepts of sexuality is very evident. Current studies of sexuality in academia provide important clues in developing a safe space within which to discuss human sexuality. Setting Up the Sexuality FrameworkThis discussion draws from recent studies into sexuality (especially Inoue, 1996; Itoh, 1996; with background reading in Foucault, 1990; Weeks, 1986) to formulate a framework--a safe space--within which to explore the concepts and language of sexuality as well as recognize the diversity of human sexuality itself. Through application to the Japanese classroom situation, the framework has been necessarily simplified. The approach is theoretical in that it creates models from the real world to trace the concepts to which the language of sexuality is applied. The framework provides the tools to look at human sexual diversity and differentiate between personal values based on feelings and those on more structured academic investigation. Description of the framework will follow the format used in an actual lesson taught to about 30 first and second-year Japanese university students. The lesson was taught in one 90-minute class as part of a course in women's studies. Since there was no language prerequisite for this course, instruction was in Japanese with terms provided in both English and Japanese using the figures and tables presented in this article. The sexual triad: Sex, gender, and sexuality Approaching the subject of sexuality is usually attempted after having commenced discussions into gender and gender constructions in society. Gender is sometimes confused with sex and sexuality so clarifying these different terms by defining them is helpful. Show the students (on an OHP) Figure 1: The Sexual Triad, which illustrates the relationship between the main terms used in this discussion of sexuality-gender, sex, and sexuality. Explain what each term means using the following description.
a) Gender (ジェンダー) Gender studies examine the way in which society and culture have shaped the definitions of man and woman, and the issues and problems that result from such definitions. Gender issues cover a wide range of areas including language, behavior, power relations, and masculinity/femininity, with related problems such as roles of men and women, discrimination, and inequality. Gender can change in time and across cultures (Ackermann, 1996, p. 54). b) Sex (身体的、生物的性差) Sex is defined biologically as male or female, and is changeable only with alteration to biology. This term should not be confused with the act of sex per se, (i.e., sexual intercourse.) The act of sex, or sexual behavior, does not alone define one's sexuality. c) Sexuality (セクシュアリティ) Sexuality is intertwined with sex and gender but extends beyond the definitions of male and female, masculine and feminine, to complex mixes of sexual identities and sexual orientations. Figure 1 therefore illustrates sexuality as part of a triad with the arrows representing the interrelationships between each term. Description of sexuality For the purpose of developing a framework to trace its nature, sexuality is viewed as a diverse and complex mix of sex (and its relation to gender) (性), the innate essence of one's sexual identity, i.e. sexual essence (性�©認), and sexual orientation (性的指向). A more detailed description is helpful in understanding this mix. Show the students (on an OHP) Figure 2: Sexuality. Indicate that sexuality is a mix of sexual essence, sexual orientation, and sex, by coloring in the intersection of the three loops. As sex has already been defined, sexual essence and sexual orientation remain to be described. Explain the remaining terms using the following definitions.
Sexual essence2 is defined as:「生物学的な「性」と関係なく、�©分で�©分の「性」を認識している�©、その認識の仕方」(Itoh, 1996, p.15), which translates as, "one's recognition of their own sex and the nature (make-up) of this recognition independent of one's biologically defined sex" (translation mine). This means that, for example, despite being born male in the biological sense, the same person may identify with being female. b) Sexual orientation「性的指向」 Sexual orientation is defined as: 「�©分の性的意識の向く方向。同性、異性、両性の三つに分�©れる。�©分の意思で選択、変更するのはほとんど不可能なので、「志向」「嗜好」と書�©ない。」(Itoh, 1996,p. 15). In translation, "the nature (direction) of one's attraction (sexual consciousness) to another person can take on the forms of attraction to a person of the same sex, opposite sex, or both sexes. As sexual orientation is not a conscious choice nor can it be changed, the Chinese characters for shikou that indicate a 'conscious choice' or 'preference' are not used." (translation mine) Students seem to have difficulties understanding this term; therefore, explaining [it] this more simply as "好きになる相手" ("suki ni naru aite") (or "the person you are attracted to"), is useful. Sexuality and sex At this point, it is useful to reflect upon the implications of the above definitions. For instance, they suggest that sexual behavior alone does not define one's sexuality. Though sexual behavior may reflect someone's sexual orientation, it does not necessarily define their sexuality. For example, a person may have sexual intercourse with a member of the opposite sex, yet have a sexual orientation towards members of the same sex and vice-versa. There are a number of reasons why this situation may occur. Some of these reasons include: pressure to conform to social structures such as marriage, morals that perceive sex with members of the same sex as dirty, and/or sodomy laws. The discussion thus far has described the differences between sex, gender, and sexuality with a more detailed investigation of sexuality itself. To appreciate the practical applications of sexuality theory, tracing the various mixes of sex, sexual essence, and sexual orientation and providing the terminology for each mix is useful in linking the theory to language. Mapping Sexuality-A Framework of Sexual DiversityUsing the above definitions, it is possible to map the various mixes of sexuality as well as appreciate the diversity involved. Visually, using a grid or table best indicates this. Sexuality chart Show the students (on an OHP) Table 1: Sexuality Chart. Point out the main elements of the chart, namely; "Sex," (at the top of the chart) which is the biological definition and thus includes the markers "M" for male and "F" for female; "Sexual Orientation" (on the right side of the chart) with the markers "Opposite Sex 異性," "Same Sex 同性," and "Both Sexes 両性 ," "Sexual Essence" (in the top right axis of the chart); and the additional markers of "F" for female and "M" for male in the grid indicating that these markers are included in all the elements of sex, sexual orientation, and sexual essence.  Trace a couple of the possibilities with the students. For example, start by pointing to the "M" in the grid directly under the "M" in the "Sex" category. This "M" represents the sexual essence of male. Now point out the positioning of this male sexual essence in relation to the categories. In this example, the biological sex is also male (as indicated by the "M" in the sex category directly at the top) with a sexual orientation towards the opposite sex (as indicated in the sexual orientation category at the far right of the chart). Write the headings "Sex," "Sexual Essence," and "Sexual Orientation" on the board and using the same example write "M" under sex, "M" underneath sexual essence, and "opposite sex" under sexual orientation. Select a few students to go through a number of different combinations and add these to the list on the board. After listing a number of different combinations, add another heading on the board titled "Term." Ask the students what some of the combinations are called. For example, what is the term used for the first combination of "sex=M, sexual essence=M, and sexual orienhtion=opposite sex"? Terminology table At this point do not write these words down on the board. Instead, show the students (on an OHP) Table 2: Sexuality--Terminology, covering the "Term" section (the far right column of the table) from view. Show each term after having read through the combination. For example, the first term lists sex as male, sexual essence as male, and sexual orientation as the opposite sex. After reading this combination reveal the term "Heterosexual (Male)." Have a student write this same term for the combination on the board under the heading term. Show the other terms in the same way, having students write the term if the combination exists on the board.
Implications of the Language of SexualityIt is useful to reflect on the implications and use of the terms described thus far. The terms gay, lesbian, and bisexual exist as political identities. The need for such political identities has come about because of the discrimination that exists in society towards people with such sexual orientations. With the majority of any one population being heterosexual, the sexual minorities are often forced to conform to social structures that are in conflict with their own sexual identity. Compulsory heterosexualism is the mindset used to justify restricting marriage to only those who are heterosexual. Homophobia has prevented sexual minorities from living true to themselves, in some cases even leading to physical violence and death. Many sexual minorities assume political identities in an attempt to counter compulsory heterosexualism and homophobia and so live as whole persons and voice correct information about themselves. It is because the terms hold such political significance that it is reasonable to implore that the terms be used appropriately and not be confused or exchanged with derogatory language. Derogatory terms in English such as "fag(got)" and "dyke" as well as "ホモ" (homo), "レズ" (rezu), and "お�©ま" (okama) in Japanese, represent very hostile and discriminatory language towards lesbians and gay men. The mass media, and in some cases academics themselves, use such terms, intentionally or unintentionally, causing harm. As authorities in language, the language teacher needs to be aware of the appropriate use of all the sexual terms as well as have students recognize the consequences of using discriminatory terms.3 Discussion of sexuality through case studies The above issues warrant discussion and exploration with the students. Students are more comfortable talking about sexuality when it applies to others and thus case studies are helpful. There are many. resources available from which to draw these case studies.4 One very useful medium is video. A video that covers issues of sexual minorities is "Navigator '97 No. 154 男二人暮らし--同性愛者生活と苦悩" (Terebi Tokyo Keiritsu, 1997). This video is a documentary about a gay couple and the various issues and hardships they have faced as a sexual minority in their work and private lives. Included in this documentary are interviews with the gay couple and their parents as well as scenes showing homosexuality being discussed in the high school classroom. After the screening, provide a theme based on the video to discuss. The theme should be broad enough to encourage discussion of many different approaches. For example, "What problems did Itoh-san and his partner encounter when they decided to live together? Why are there problems?" Also encourage the students to take on the roles of the characters involved, for example, "How do you think Itoh-san feels?" "What about his mother, neighbors, partner, and so on?" Comments like "I think 'homos' are abnormal" may be voiced. Such statements can be queried with questions like, "What does 'normal' mean?", "How do we judge what is normal or abnormal?", "Why use the term 'homo,' what does this term mean? Set a time-limit for discussion and have the students select a representative to summarize the group's discussion. Listen in on the discussions and be actively involved. Where possible, try to show how a particular point would be viewed in the framework of sexuality. When time is up have each group representative give the summary. If time allows, encourage questions from other groups. Ask the students, for homework, to write about something new or shocking that they learnt from the day's lesson. Summary and ConclusionThe framework described in this article is intended to provide students with the tools to discuss and explore sexuality from an academic perspective as opposed to personal feelings. It encourages students to frame their own opinions according to logical deduction (justifying statements providing evidence to support arguments). Linking the theoretical to the practical is emphasized through a video case study. Though it would be naive to suggest that this approach is apolitical and independent of value judgements, the approach does highlight the importance in recognizing that there is a language of sexuality that represents specific concepts. Because the terms hold such political significance, they must be used appropriately and not be confused or substituted with derogatory language. Inherent in the language of sexuality is a framework of terms and concepts that reflect the diverse nature of human sexuality. Enabling students to effectively speak the language of sexuality provides not only a safe space to appreciate the diversity, long held hostage to the politics of compulsory heterosexuality, but also opens the mind to new human understanding. Studying sexuality is an invitation to be challenged and enlightened, and everyone is invited.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
a) Sexual essence「性�©認」