As tensions continue to rise around LGBTQ rights and bills nationwide, now more than ever, queer youth need to be affirmed, validated, and supported. It is undeniable that acceptance and encouragement in school are beneficial to the development and long-term success of LGBTQ youth.
“GLSEN’s research indicates that teaching LGBTQ+ inclusive curriculum has profound positive impacts for LGBTQ+ students. The 2019 National School Climate Survey found that compared to students who were not taught any LGBTQ+-inclusive curriculum, LGBTQ+ students who were taught an LGBTQ+-inclusive curriculum were less likely to hear homophobic remarks, were also less likely to hear negative remarks about gender expression, performed better academically in school, and were more likely to plan on pursuing post-secondary education,” informs The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN).
Following House Bill 19-1192, which states that civic and social studies classes should cover “the history, culture and social contributions of American Indians, Latinos, African Americans, Asian Americans, the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals within these minority groups,” Colorado has recently debated its new social studies standards and whether or not schools should include references to gay, lesbian, and transgender people for students at all grade levels.
The committee in charge of reviewing Colorado’s K-12 social studies standards is composed of more than 30 members, most of whom are teachers from all around the state. For more than a year, this committee has been working to create recommendations for an inclusive curriculum representative of multiple diverse identities and propose those amendments to the Colorado State Board of Education.
In November, the committee passed a draft that included their recommendations for an extensive list of minority groups and topics to be discussed. After backlash and public criticism, the committee decided to remove all LGBTQ references for students in fourth grade and below.
“Like item C under evidence outcomes on page 27,” Channel 7 says, reading through the draft revision, “the original document required specific mentions of important contributions; African American, Latino, and LGBTQ Coloradans made to help change communities, but the red strike-through in the sentence means it won’t be included, and instead nonspecific references to Colorado change-makers remain.” Throughout the document, the LGBTQ acronym was removed 27 times, now leaving only five references to the queer community.
“Colorado should stand as a leader against this discrimination. It is the State Board of Education and this Review Committee’s mandated obligation to take actions that will benefit all students to the betterment of our present and future society,” says One Colorado Executive Director Nadine Bridges.
As the debate continues over how to make Colorado schools more inclusive of diverse identities and suggested curriculum changes many are voicing their concern about the removed proposed revisions.
“When students learn about leaders who reflect their own identities, they feel supported and affirmed, and when students learn about leaders whose identities differ from their own, we hope it will spark empathy and understanding,” One Colorado says in a letter to the members of the Colorado State Board of Education. “It is precisely those values that will help combat the increasingly overt acts of racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and xenophobia seen in our society today.”
During a meeting in April, Colorado State Board of Education member Lisa Escárcega said, “she would not vote to approve the changes to the social studies standards if they exclude the experiences of people from the LGBTQ community. Rebecca McClellan, another democrat on the board, expressed similar sentiments,” the Denver Post reports.
As Colorado continues to debate social studies standards and how to make a more inclusive and accepting school atmosphere, the seven-member State Board of Education plans to take until the end of the year to finalize curriculum changes.
