Interesting piece about Homosexuality and Teachers.

The April weather is gracious. Just in time the clouds have cleared, so rain is rice and rose petals, as Long John and his partner Simon from the council office in Vienna Ottakring connect. The two of them can just register their same-sex partnership. "I think it's cool," says Kevin. The eighth grader is in the midst of a group of students - John Long is his German and Czech music teacher at the Gymnasium in Vienna. Also, the entire teaching staff has been moved to celebrate the partnering of their colleagues.

The 48-year-old is outed for over 20 years since his teachers and teaching practice. "That's happened quite spontaneously, " he says. In a music lesson speaks his support teachers across the (homosexual) Russian composer Peter Tchaikovsky. Langer turns on and informs the class about his own sexual orientation. Not for the pleasure of the director ("He was arch-conservative") and with tangible consequences. The school head prevents the body Long after his internship as a music teacher receives for which it was originally intended. "It had to do with sexual orientation, " says Langer.

That gay teachers are discriminated against in the workplace is not unique even today. This shows a recently published German study. More than 1000 teachers Arne Mueller has asked for it. The 29-year-old, even gay, a teacher wanted to find out which teachers are exposed to stress gay. The results are frightening.
Although two thirds of respondents were in their outing in the school (also) positive reactions, however, witnessed a further 15 percent as insults, harassment or violence. "The number of cases is relatively low," says Mueller, "but there are extreme bursts into the negative."

As reported by gay teachers of psychological terror and threatening letters, even from colleagues, their subordinate sexual harassment of their students. Most of the verbal, psychological and physical violence is but from the students. More than 40 percent of German teachers have been discriminated against because of their sexual orientation by the students (see chart below).

John Long is the never happened, he says. Wolfgang Schmidt already. One time, however: students then attached to an information paper with his signature anti-gay remarks added. Wolfgang Schmidt teaches at a school in Linz, and he is not really so. He wants to remain anonymous because of his school do not know all that he was gay - certainly not the manager. "Before, I was afraid," says Schmidt. Meanwhile, he has none. But he saw no reason just to talk to his boss so private things. "Perhaps I dread the confrontation."

The Linz teacher belongs to the large majority. Statistically, there is projected in Austria five to ten thousand teachers gay and lesbian teachers. How many of them are outed at school, you do not know exactly. "Very few," said gay teachers themselves Hardly anyone the handle as open as he says Langer.

Must it really be that a teacher to his students discussed his sexual orientation? "A proactive outing I have done before," says Langer. But the result is given. When he talks about what he has done over the weekend that he made with his partner into the city or in the concert was. "If it offers, I tell stop from my life," he says.

But of course he wants to be role model for gay and lesbian school students. Because these have very serious (see report below). If the teacher be open about their homosexuality, and the students see that this is normal. And trust are more likely to stand by their sexual orientation.

"It would be good if the students learn in and from their teachers, that is a common way of life, " said Schmidt, the anonymous teacher from Linz. However, he will not even fight on the front line. "I'm somehow a bit too valuable to me because in addition ask." Naturally, when the negative experiences that make a lot of gay teachers still.
The school is "not a very benevolent habitat" for gay and lesbian teachers teacher, says Greg Faison, special education teacher and up to four years chairman of the Gay Initiative (Hosi) Salzburg. "It is handled like a bit until recently in the U.S. Army, " he says. "Do not ask, do not tell. homosexuality is okay to live - not as long as is being talked about 'institutionalized Faison missing information and prevention in schools. "It must be clarified at each school: we are not, gay pig '."

On Langer's school heard this expression barely. He has the rare good fortune to teach at a grammar school, where his sexual orientation is considered normal.

Before the council office to him his students have been congratulated, and now they grab the last morsels from a buffet. For young people it was always understood that Langer is gay, says a colleague. They would always respond with interest and sympathy to his sexual orientation, Langer says himself, "So much so that some find it chic, they have a gay teacher."

Source: diePresse.com