Pious Fictions and Pseudo-Saints in the Late Middle Ages

Once viewed as an inevitable if unpleasant part of growing up, bullying is now recognized as a serious safety issue – particularly in light of recent teen suicides linked with homophobia in schools.

In “Don’t Be So Gay!” Queers, Bullying, and Making Schools Safe, Donn Short considers the effectiveness of anti-harassment policies and safe school legislation. After spending several months interviewing queer youth and their allies in the Toronto area, Short concludes that current legislation and its approach to school safety and homophobia has generally been more responsive than proactive. He suggests that while effective legislation is vital to establishing a safe space for queer students, other influences – including religion, family beliefs, and peer pressure – may be more powerful. Drawing on students’ own experiences and exploring how their understandings and definitions of safety might be translated into policy reform, this book offers a fresh perspective on a hotly debated issue.

Gerald Walton, Faculty of Education, Lakehead University:
In “Don’t Be So Gay!” Donn Short consults with the foremost experts on safety for queer kids in schools – queer youth themselves. Heteronormativity is an immediate threat and Short highlights ways that educators and lawmakers can mitigate it. It’s not enough to tell bullied kids that it will get better sometime down the road – this book shows how changing cultures of heteronormativity can make it better, now. “Don’t Be So Gay!” is a must-read for all educators, administrators, and those who aspire to be teachers.

Don Cochrane, Professor Emeritus, University of Saskatchewan:

Donn Short’s interviews brilliantly capture the worlds of some extraordinary “out” high school students. His analysis sheds a bright light on the gulf between the lived worlds of these young people and the policies – no matter how well conceived – of school administrators. “Don’t Be So Gay!” is an enlightening and important study.

The book is informed by interviews with queer teens in the Toronto area, as well as interviews with the handful of administrative idealists scattered through the educational system. Conditions for queer teens may be better than they were two generations ago, but they cannot be said to be good, save in highly atypical refuges; that said, progress is possible, Short argues.

H M Miller, Mercy College:
This thoughtfully written book could serve as a primer for those seeking to make schools a truly welcoming and safe place for all of their students. Short does a first-rate job of connecting policy, law, practice, and the day-to-day lives of students who are dealing with bullying and rejection by their peers, particularly with regard to their sexual orientation and their perceived-to-be-nonconforming behaviors. Summing Up: Highly recommended.