Yawning Bread. September 2007

Blog not meant for his students

source: The New Paper, 13 Sept 2007

     

  

 

 
13 September 2007
The New Paper

Gay teacher outs himself in blog posting. Then he removes it as... 

Blog not meant for his students 

by Liew Hanqing 

His online declaration was straightforward - 'I'm gay.' But it was no ordinary blog.

It was written by a 38-year-old teacher at one of Singapore's top boys' schools.

He claims it was only meant to be read by his colleagues and some friends.

But somehow word spread and it got online forums buzzing.

The school, however, is not over-reacting to the teacher's honest and sober admission.

 

Foreword by Yawning Bread

See the initiating story in On Otto, part 1, and a review of press reports, including this one in On Otto, part 2

 

And this is why we are not naming him or his school.

As more people learnt of it, the teacher removed the post - just two days after he wrote it on 8 Sep.

In the entry, the teacher said he was inspired to come out of the closet and write openly about his sexuality after attending a forum on gay teachers and students.

 
UNCOMFORTABLE

In an e-mail statement to The New Paper, a spokesman for his school said it is 'mindful of the views of (the school's) stakeholders, especially parents who would not be comfortable with placing their children under the charge of a teacher who advocates homosexuality.'

The spokesman confirmed that the school had spoken to the teacher concerned.

'In this instance, (the teacher) intended the blog to be read only by his colleagues and friends.

'He has clarified that he had no intention of advocating homosexuality to students. Thus, he did not give the link to any of his students.

'However, now that he is aware that some students have been reading his blog, he has decided to take down the blog.'

The reaction of the local Internet community has been mixed.

Former students and other netizens have left messages on his blog and on other websites, many in support of his decision to go public about his sexual orientation.

In the original blog post, the teacher recalled having felt attracted to classmates of the same sex from the time he was in Primary 6.

He wrote: 'As a teenager, I was very quick to sense society's aversion towards the 'sissies' in my classes. I worked hard to distance myself from them.

'While I was successful in modifying my outward behaviour, my sexual orientation remained unchanged.

'My denial gnawed at me, and the suppression of my true self resulted in self-destructive behavior during my overseas university years.'

He 'spent more than 20 years in the professional closet', keeping his sexual orientation under wraps to all but a 'handful' of colleagues.

Explaining his decision to speak openly about his sexuality, the teacher wrote: 'Being in the closet, pretending to be straight, trimming our true selves to suit the whims and expectations of others, is just like being a human bonsai tree.'

He also wrote: 'I am still a teacher.

'My main purpose and joy is to teach our youngest citizens, the same ones who will be the leaders of our nation tomorrow.'

 
NOT SEXUAL DEVIANT

The teacher also said being gay did not make him a sexual deviant.

'I'm not, as some people like to label gays, a paedophile, a child molester, a pervert or sexual deviant.'

While some have voiced support for the teacher's online confession, others say he should have kept the information private.

A student from another school, Jasper Chen, 18, said he admired the teacher's honesty and courage.

'He risked losing his job in an attempt to transform the public's perception of gays in the teaching profession,' he said.

Parents like Mrs Catherine Gasper, 48, however, were less enthusiastic about the teacher's candour.

'He should keep such things private - I don't think it's our business to know about his personal life,' said Mrs Gasper, who has a son in Primary 5.

'It (his sexual orientation) doesn't really matter, as long as he's a good teacher - but parents will likely become wary because they don't know enough about the gay community.

'There's a lack of awareness that comes from a lack of contact with (gays), so people will tend to go along with their own biases and prejudices.'

Added one secondary school teacher, who declined to be named: 'In this case, the teacher is in contact with boys who are still young and impressionable.

'Their sexual preferences may still be somewhat unclear and in flux, so it's probably best that the teacher doesn't reveal too much, too soon.

'There is a line that must be drawn between a person's public and personal life.'

 

Sidebar to the main article in the New Paper:

MOE says:

The Ministry of Education does not condone any open espousal of homosexuality by a teacher through any form. This is because teachers are in an unique position of authority and have influence over their students.

They are often seen as role models by their students. In the present case, MOE supports the school's handling of the case and advice to the teacher, which is consistent with the Ministry's stance.

 

 

Another sidebar to the main article in the New Paper:

Mixed reactions to teacher coming out of the closet

FOR

"We strongly believe that your teaching is too valuable to be compromised because of sexual orientation. To us, you were definitely more of a teacher than any other teacher we ever had."

-- Two ex-students, in a post on a website which reproduced the original blog entry.

 
"Touching, eloquent letter. Thank you for teaching us to see beyond our own internalised prejudices against gay people and learn to accept and embrace diversity."

-- Aaron Tan, from the same website

 
AGAINST

"As a teacher, he is definitely imparting values beyond what he teaches academically. I don't think one can separate the values that a teacher observes from the content of his teaching. If an adult wants to by a gay, then I would say that they are a choice as a mature person. But to impart such values to impressionable teens (especially by a teacher), then I say that is stepping out of line."

-- Ponder, from the same website.

 

 

Footnotes

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