The Challenge in Mandating 'Gay History': What, Exactly, Should Be Taught?
At the end of March, the outgoing governor of Washington signed a new law requiring public schools “to teach students about the contributions and history of LGBTQ+ people” in the colorful and dramatic annals of the Evergreen State.
Senate Bill 5462 mandates that all school districts adopt curricula that include “diverse, equitable, inclusive, age-appropriate instructional materials” to highlight the perspectives of “historically underrepresented groups” including gay, queer and transgendered pioneers and leaders who played prominent roles in developing the Pacific Northwest.
State learning standards already direct schools to teach the “historical perspectives” of other marginalized groups, including “tribal communities and enslaved persons.” But before this sweeping new law, making Washington the seventh state to insist on such academic attention, the regulations didn’t specifically require lessons to address the missing chapters of LGBTQ+ history.
The lead sponsor of the legislative change, state Senator Marko Liias of Edmonds, insisted the cause of fairness and the welfare of current gay students demanded the new policy. “The contributions of gay Washingtonians deserve recognition, and just as importantly, students deserve to see themselves in their schoolwork.”
This argument leads logically and inevitably to some future insistence on teaching gay math, transgendered English and bi-sexual science. If students really do need to “see themselves in their school work” in order to succeed, then surely history isn’t the only subject that needs to give special attention to sexual minorities.
The obvious challenge in drafting the “diverse and inclusive” history curricula required by the new law, involves where and how you can find those prominent, courageous and queer state-builders who guided and inspired Washington’s development during the first hundred years of its history.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Michael Medved's Context to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.