The Importance of a Queer-Inclusive Education
"As a queer young adult, I urge parents and educators to find or create a space where queer youth can be themselves. "
When I was in seventh grade, the teacher in charge of our sex-ed unit started class by telling us that sexuality existed on a spectrum. He taught the whole unit without any expectation of how his students would identify or what their future experiences would be. This was back in 2009, and I had no idea at the time how fortunate I was to experience such a progressive education. I grew up in liberal cities and around creative adults with the space to explore my identity from the time I was old enough to think about it. It wasn’t until adulthood that I learned the full extent of how heteronormative the world could be.
While homophobia has been a constant presence in many environments, there has, no doubt, been an intense backslide in the last couple of years for LGBTQ acceptance, particularly regarding the rights of queer youth. I have witnessed many of my peers slip back into the closet, growing out their mullets, taming their androgynous styles, and at worst, detransitioning to pass in their daily lives. I fear that teenagers feel this pressure more than anyone; those who were given the space to explore their identities during the COVID-19 lockdowns are now being forced back out into a world that has decided it doesn’t accept them.
At this time, the support of educators and trusted adults can have a profound impact that can completely transform a young person’s life. 2009 was hardly the most progressive year for LGBTQ rights, yet I was able to grow up in a world where I didn’t feel the need to hide who I was. When educators teach the diverse reality of gender and sexuality, it reveals the reality that queerness is a part of humanity. There is queerness in history, science, and art. Queer figures such as Frida Kahlo and Oscar Wilde are already regularly taught in schools, but with their queerness erased. Studying queer philosophy and gender studies on my own has helped me gain a greater understanding of where I fit into the world. Being given that knowledge at an earlier age would likely have helped me resist the confusion I experienced as I grew up in a more heteronormative society.
While I don’t consider myself an educator, I have worked on and off for the past five years in outreach for The Pearl: Remote Democratic High School, a non-profit online high school that supports LGBTQ+ students who have been pushed out of public schools. In this time, I have witnessed the profound impact a safe school environment can have. The Pearl’s classes are democratic, meaning students are actively involved in leading their own learning. This means that if students wish to study through a Queer lens, teachers support them in finding the related reading to do so. Everything students learn is personally and culturally relevant, and teachers are thoroughly vetted to ensure that they are accepting and supportive. As a result, students regain their passion and self-confidence and are equipped with the tools they need to thrive in the world.
When the school first opened in 2020, students coming to The Pearl had all been negatively impacted by the public school system in various ways. However, since the reelection of the Trump administration, every single one of our new students has identified as LGBTQ+. It is profoundly evident that queer teenagers need a space like this more than ever. As a queer young adult, I urge parents and educators to find or create a space where queer youth can be themselves. Resist anti-LBGTQ legislation or find alternative schooling options if you can. Adversity does not breed strength; acceptance does.
