Sounds of Silence

This chapter juxtaposes the efforts of the authors to bring an LGBTQ+ text, Love is Love (2017), into their curriculum through a literature circle versus the hostile response of a district's administrators censoring its use in the classroom. The first section of this chapter provides a review of literature to encourage the use of diverse texts in the curriculum in support of this vulnerable population and is followed by a theoretical framework for analyzing and including LGBTQ+ texts in curriculum. The next section describes the events that occurred that led to the censorship of the literature circle and the eventual banning of the LGBTQ+ text. This section ends with a resource list to support teachers who advocate for diverse texts. The final section connects the events at the school with an analysis that demonstrates the efforts to silence the voices of LGBTQ+ students and their advocates. This case provides patterns of oppression in the hopes of naming and ending these practices and offering solidarity to others who may have these experiences.

LGBTQ+ Literature in the Elementary and Secondary Classroom as Windows and Mirrors for Young Readers

Educators looking for books to offer to children and young adult readers with LGBTQ+-inclusive themes can use these results to review award winning books and the themes found in the texts. This critical content study includes children's and young adult books winning the Stonewall Award from the American Library Association. The selected books are reviewed for themes applicable to mirrors and windows that are provided to readers in the text. Windows provide a way for readers to see an experience unlike their own while mirrors offer a reflection of experiences the reader has experienced. Both offer a way for readers to connect with the text.

A Critical Assessment of LGBTQ+ Speakers in the Classroom and Suggestions for Alternative Practices

LGBTQ+ subjects have long been rendered invisible in school curricula. More recently, however, teachers, students, and administrators have recognized the need to remedy this erasure and many are making LGBTQ+ visibility a curricular imperative. In this chapter, the author explores a specific tactic that is often used to increase LGBTQ+ visibility and increase awareness of LGBTQ+ issues—the guest speaker. The body of the chapter begins with a brief discussion of the ways in which the guest speaker can be a useful tool. Most of the existing literature on the use of guest speakers, however, takes for granted that the technique is universally positive and empowering. Therefore, in the second portion of the chapter the author will elaborate several critiques. Finally, she will discuss several models that can serve to increase knowledge about LGBTQ+ topics and increase LGBTQ+ visibility, and which work as well as or better than the guest speaker model.

Increasing LGBTQ+ Competencies in Preservice Teacher Training Programs

As the national conversation forces LGBTQ+ rhetoric into the mainstream, some feel that the landscape is safe for those desiring to be open about their identity as well as for conversations and topics involving LGBTQ+ issues. Those who identify as LGBTQ+ and those who are familiar with or close to them might suggest a differing perspective—one that points to a deficit of safe spaces for discussing and being open about LGBTQ+ issues. While at times controversial, the English language arts classroom has been a forum for addressing issues that are difficult to discuss in other contexts, whether with literature as a backdrop for conversations or by utilizing written expression to work through concerns and questions. Since many educators seem unaware of the need for LGBTQ+ awareness, preservice teacher education is a place to begin. This chapter illustrates the need for equipping preservice teachers with the tools for introducing and discussing LGBTQ+ issues and topics through the context of the English language arts classroom.

LBGTQ+ Books Within Middle School Libraries and How Librarians Promote These LGBTQ+ Books to Students

This mixed methods study allowed the researchers to explore the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ+) materials available in public middle school libraries and to interview six middle school librarians about their perceptions on “caring about and caring for” in order to provide middle school students with LGBTQ+ books. The study took place in one Texas school district. The quantitative data came from the middle school libraries' online database to determine how many LGBTQ+-themed young-adult books were found in each of the 12 school libraries. The findings revealed that the middle-school libraries offered very few LGBTQ+-themed books for students to checkout. The qualitative data came from interviewing six middle school librarians. Their stories revealed two critical themes toward LGBTQ+ books within their school library: (1) librarians' perceptions and reactions to students' needs and (2) librarians' perceptions and reactions regarding silence within the district.

Providing Primary Prevention and School Mental Health Services to LGBTQ+ Children and Youth

This chapter provides an overview of the difficulties facing LGBTQ+ youth in schools and their barriers to healthy psychosocial development. The risk and resiliency model is applied to these challenges, and specific risk factors and resiliency factors are explored. The focus is on means to foster healthy growth and development in sexual minority students through developing school-based programs and practices that have been proven to increase resiliency. The chapter provides specific strategies for school-based mental health professionals to use to increase resiliency in sexual minority youth through the application of school-wide policies and practices. Strategies for making such systemic changes and garnering support are also presented.

Trusting Teachers

In this chapter, the authors explore a single case study where the graphic novel anthology Love is Love was censored at a Texas high school. When the teachers sought engaging texts on topics directly affecting their students' lives, they were astonished when the entire graphic novel set was removed two days before the unit began. What ensued was a complete disregard for district policy, euphemism-riddled language and deceit to hide the anti-LGBTQ+ views of leadership, and the distrust in teachers as curriculum planners. The events led to the district creating a new, stricter policy for texts not already approved by the district. The authors explore research that makes it clear: students perform better in all the language arts when their teachers modified, changed, and developed the curriculum based on the students' needs, including providing diverse and high interest materials to support student learning.

Queering the Curriculum

Studies show that LGBTQ+-identified students are disproportionately at risk when it comes to factors such as academic success rates, bullying, truancy, suicidality, and more. Multicultural education frameworks are a successful method of combatting these risk factors in other populations. This exploratory study endeavored to gain insight into secondary school English Language Arts (ELA) and Social Studies teachers' perceptions of integrating a multicultural and LGBTQ+ inclusive curriculum as well as the perceived barriers that educators might face when doing so. The results of this study found that secondary ELA and Social Studies teachers in a small New England state are overall willing to integrate an LGBTQ+-inclusive curriculum, but largely feel unprepared to do so. Recommendations include integrating an LGBTQ+ curriculum into educator preparation courses, professional development for practicing teachers, and to continue inquiry into improving pedagogical practice to serve LGBTQ+ students better.

Addressing Sexual and Gender Diversity in an English Education Teacher Preparation Program

Teacher education programs as a whole do little to prepare graduates to create and maintain classroom and school cultures that recognize and affirm lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning/queer + (LGBTQ+) identities. This chapter describes how an English education program chair at a Midwestern university has integrated the study of sexual and gender diversity alongside English language arts pedagogy in three different courses, including specific texts and learning activities, as well as student responses to the in-class experiences. Recommendations for future study and curriculum design are addressed.

From Me to We

While the heterogeneity of public school students continues to grow, the demographics of classroom educators remain the same: Many students identify as part of traditionally marginalized groups according to their race, class, religious beliefs, gender identity, and sexual orientation, but teachers often identify as traditionally dominant groups of white, middle class, Christian, straight, and cis-gender. Thus, in order to effectively prepare elementary educators to work with diverse, marginalized students, there is a great gap that must be bridged. This chapter details how teacher preparations programs may be uniquely positioned to develop teachers' understanding and pedagogy for pluralistic and inclusive classrooms by exploring the multi-year, qualitative action research of one EC-6 teacher preparation program in the southern United States.