Reflections on "Queering our Schools"

     In this reading from the editors of Rethinking Schools, we get to reflect on the issues of representation and equity in classrooms and schools as they pertain to the support and safety of members of the LGBTQ+ community. By setting the event of legalization of same-sex marriage in Illinois in contrast to a hate crime against a gender non-conforming student which occurred on the same day, we get a strong sense of the "best of times, worst of times" dichotomy of current views on this topic.

    I appreciate that the article discusses the way that we look at these issues from a punitive lens, rather than a restorative one: the focus time and again is on the issue of bullying, or on the issue of racists, rather than on the safety and freedom of students who are facing violence and infringements on their sense of security and freedom. Making it a bullying issue, reduces the problem from something systemic and pervasive across society to isolated incidents reflecting particular bad actors. The world will always have bullies, racists, misogynists, etc. but that doesn't mean we need to allow social systems to persist which enshrine the ideologies which encourage these behaviors.  

    Creating schools which can be sites for activism regarding issues of social justice, is a challenging goal in the current climate of polarized division in our society. As many push for more inclusive curriculum and practices which reflect the broad diversity of lived experiences and identities, others sense an attack on "traditional values" which seeks to undermine the current power structures which benefit white, heteronormative communities. When the folks who have always been over-represented and who hold an outsized amount of the power and privilege start to feel like some of that power and privilege is being challenged, they are being activated politically as weapons against their fellow citizens in a culture war. 

    Everyone should feel safe, seen, supported, and valued. How do we shift the power imbalance in a way that doesn't leave people feeling so threatened? Does the inclusion of historically marginalized identities necessitate the exclusion of historically favored identities? I don't think so, but in a mainstream culture which has systematically undermined the ability of "mainstream" people to understand or appreciate their shared history with marginalized groups, its no wonder all of this inclusion and equity seems to be coming out of nowhere as an assault of some kind on the mainstream. 

    I agree with the authors that none of this is simple or easy, but neither is teaching. Teachers should be well prepared to engage in these discussions and hold space to keep all students safe. All students should feel seen and appreciated, and I long for a society that can normalize acceptance of diversity beyond the power struggles we are currently suffering.