The Inclusive Classroom: A Path to Praxis for LGBTQ+ Educators and Students

• In Event: Freire in Focus: Exploring Power and Pedagogy Through Language, Methodologies, Identity, and Sustainability

Abstract

On July 1, 2022, Florida implemented its controversial “don’t say gay bill” across state public schools (FL: HB1557). The language of the law initially prohibited discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity in primary grades but was later amended to apply to all grades. School policies like those in Florida present profound challenges to students' academic and social development and for the creation of safe, welcoming classrooms. Few could have imagined such a draconian law would pass any legislature in the US in the 21st century. Consequently, LGBTQ+ inclusive school policies are seen by many educators and policymakers as needed now more than ever to help stem the tide of discrimination and promote diversity in our nation’s schools.

Instead of censorship, school staff and teachers need pedagogies that reflect the lived experiences of their students. Indeed, a Freirean analysis of the current education policy landscape is instructive because of Freire’s focus on dialogical forms of learning. Thus, I aim to discuss some of Freire's most salient ideas as presented in his Pedagogy of the Oppressed and Pedagogy of Freedom. First, I will examine the banking model of education and its broader conceptual value in situating LGBTQ+ youth as lacking representative power. In this sense, students do not get the chance to see themselves reflected in their school environments because of a dominant, heteronormative canon. And while the banking model of education is often used to discuss capitalism's role in schooling and social reproduction, I argue that there is more to glean from Freire's most novel theory of education when applied to the heteronormative nature of K-12 schools.

Second, I will discuss how instructional approaches and materials should include the lived experiences of LGBTQ+ people as a way of raising critical consciousness. Freire points out how the world must first be revealed for it to be transformed. For queer youth, I posit that a vital part of such social transformation not only means giving queer students the chance to learn about their own collective history, but for all educators and students to learn about the many ways in which LGBTQ+ people have contributed to social justice and human society. Indeed, as seen through the eyes of queer teachers and youth, such inclusion is nothing short of revelatory. In seeing themselves reflected in academic material we instill in educators and their students the confidence and the knowledge they need to bring about social change or praxis in the world for themselves and future generations.

Lastly, I pair Freire with queer theory and queer pedagogy to offer some potential solutions for educators to consider as they navigate increasingly murky learning environments. Based on queer theory, queer pedagogy as an instructional strategy aims to deconstruct and challenge paradigms of heteronormativity that "others" LGBTQ+ educators and students and consequently devalues their humanity. Helping teachers understand this process, and the alienation it can create for themselves and their students, is paramount for crafting more inclusive pedagogies.

Author

• Darek Ciszek, University of California - Los Angeles