Talking Points 3 - Carlson

I believe that Carlson is trying to say that the "normalization" or seperation and oppression of gays from the "normal" straight community begins in our own school systems in America, and has throughout the past century. (I had trouble understanding some of his terminology, so this was my best interpretation of this article)

1. "Since all normalizing communities maintain a center and margin in the face of opposition and resistnace from those being marginalized, analysis needs to proceed through an account of specific techniques and apparatuses of power that have been employed in schools to keep gayness "in its place" as an invisible precence."

In this excerpt i think that Carlson is trying to say all of the "normal" community or straight have some sort of common ground or as he says center/margin ,in which they use the techniques listed following this quote, to keep gays seperated from the "norm" of society. The listed techniques such as keeping gayness out of the cirriculum are the ways that schools oppress the gay community, such as gay students or teachers.

2. "Throughout this century, one of the primary means of ensuring that gayness was an invisible precense in schools was through the dismissal of teachers who were found out to be homosexual."

I believe that the author said this to show the fact that it is not only in modern day society where normalizing the school community took place. There is a history of this forming a "normal" straight culture that is still evident in existance today. Although there have been laws passed and it is more evident in the cirriculum today, there is still a vivid history of oppresion towards gays in our school systmes.

3. "Given the realities of being "out" in high school, this strategic closeting of ones gay identity unfortunately continues to be a safe response, even if it comes at the cost of lying about one's life."

In this quote, the author is referring to the treatment of openly gay students in high school. Many of the students hide their gay identity and stay "in the closet" at the cost of sacrificing who they really are. This closeting is due to the ever present threat from the straight community which can lead to psychological or even physical damage to the "out" individual(s). This is another was in which gays are literally oppressed in our schooling systems.