Messages From the Playground

Recently we read a book called Raising LGBTQ Allies by Chris Tompkins. One of the major concepts that stood out to us was the analogy of a universal playground that we have all experienced. The “playground” is a symbolic metaphor for our minds and the messages we receive reflect dominant societal world views. As children, we absorb conscious and unconscious messages that ultimately shape our beliefs and perspective on the society in which we live. 

Many adults experience apprehension and discomfort introducing complex concepts like heteronormativity, homophobia, transphobia, etc, to young children. What we often fail to realize is that children are introduced to these concepts whether we discuss them explicitly or choose to remain silent. We have discussed socialization on the podcast before, but Chris’ book gives an in-depth explanation as it relates to the LGBTQ community in a thoughtful and digestible manner. Today Chris Tompkins joins us to help us discuss this topic further.

Hosted by Malik Seelal, Steve Kramer and Sydney Pinn.

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