Speaking of 6th graders, is there any boy’s name that is not gay in their minds?

So I admit, I’m a non-binary female with short hair and I wear a vest every day with my dress shirt. I know my hair length and style does give me a masculine look. I just roll with it because I’m an English teacher, so it’s all about the curriculum and my teaching skills by the end of the day. <br><br>I teach at a middle school with a bunch of homophobic students. One student just got in trouble for calling another boy a lesbian. I only found out today through the sub because he said I looked like a boy, so that must mean I’m gay; hence my post title. I’m straight as an arrow, but the kids don’t care.<br><br>My classroom is pretty laid back. You follow the rules, you get treated like an adult. There is a lot of trust in my class. I don’t think I’ve written a single detention for the last four years of my career. When the kids get too rowdy, I stop and ask them if they need a minute. Usually, a class will say yes, so we have a class discussion about anything they want. That is usually what gets the class to calm down. The kids also know when I’m frustrated without saying a word. They know how to fix it, and they do every time. <br><br>Anyway, back to the boy comment. I replied with ‘I’m a lady, so that’s okay. But thank you for the compliment.’<br><br>They boys started talking about how I was pretty, and the girls chimed in. I joked that I was going to frame their comments and put them on my wall at home to show my husband. <br><br>One of the boys said, ‘Don’t you have a wife? You look like a man.’ I said, ‘No, I’m married to a man. I’m flattered you think I look like a man, but I’m not. I just have short hair.’ He said, ‘You look like a boy. If I didn’t know you were a lady, I would think you’re a boy.’<br><br>I said, ‘That’s okay. If I didn’t know you were a boy, I would think you’re a lesbian. Remember, we are in school, so we are not boys and girls. We are all ladies and gentlemen. There is a difference.’ <br><br>They all laughed, and the class continued. I guess the point of my post is to just roll with it. I’ve been teaching for almost 5 years, and I’m still just rolling with it. Especially at the middle school age, just roll with it, and they will too. And no, I’m not a lesbian, but I also don’t care if you think I am. Just be respectful and keep on keeping on.<br><br>Edit: I just got a message asking me to add the chambers where I posted this to give proper credit: r/kingcobrajfs, r/chapofasho, r/redscarepod, r/AmItheAsshole