NYC-1997-04-11a-lesson1

Lesson Plan

Lesson for “What Would You Do If I Was a Lesbian?”

In her freshman year Gina meets Jennifer and realizes “the way I felt about her was very different than the way I felt about my other close friends.” Gina becomes nervous as she begins to realize her feelings for Jennifer go beyond friendship. “It was very scary for me to think about it, because I’d heard how the girls in school would talk about “lezzies” and the disgusting things they did.”

Gina’s moving coming out story details her struggle to adjust to and accept her identity, to open up to a few close friends about it, and finally, to find other people to identify with. Gina’s frankness about her own initial revulsion at the idea of being a lesbian, and her feelings of isolation after telling friends who appeared sympathetic, give real insight into the difficulties young people face when they make the decision to come out. Some questions you may want to include in a discussion:

--Gina drops her friendship with Jennifer because she says she couldn’t handle the feelings she was having for her, and doesn’t give a reason. Have you or any of your friends ever done anything similar because you’ve been afraid of feelings you’ve had for someone?

--Why do you think Gina’s friend Linda waited a whole year after Gina’s revelation to tell that she was also a lesbian?

--Gina said she was “sure that after they got used to the idea” her close friends would open up to her and things would be the same as they had always been. Instead, Gina “learned the hard way that they were not my real friends.” How can a person tell if it’s safe to come out? If you think people won’t react well, does it mean you shouldn’t tell them?

--How would you react if a close friend told you he or she was gay? How would your friends react if you revealed that to them?