Gender perspectives in Puerto Rican childhood education

FACULTY Q&A For the last few weeks, Puerto Rico's streets have seen protesters for and against the incorporation of 'perspectivas de género' or gender perspectives in the public schools' curriculum. Proponents say the curriculum would help promote gender equity and prevent domestic violence as well as gender stereotyping in the island where last year 12,000 cases of domestic violence were reported. Retractors fear the curriculum would force children to learn about homosexuality in ways they disagree with. Lawrence La Fountain-Stokes, director of the Latina/o Studies Program at the University of Michigan, has been following the issue closely. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, La Fountain-Stokes authored "Queer Ricans: Cultures and Sexualities in the Diaspora," a collection of essays on migration and sexuality. La Fountain-Stokes will be one of several U-M faculty participating in the "Negotiating Gender, Race, and Ethnicity in a New Global Age" symposium March 6-7. The event, organized by U-M and the Universidad de Puerto Rico, Recinto de Río Piedras will take place at UPR.