Beyond the Margins: Unveiling Othering and Empowerment of LGBTQ+ Identities in AP US History Textbooks

• In Event: Bringing a Postcolonial Perspective Into Secondary Education Teaching: Race, Language, and Gender in Education

Abstract

Objectives and Purposes
This presentation delves into the discourse surrounding LGBTQ+ identities and histories in US History textbooks, aiming to uncover how it contributes to the othering of LGBTQ+ individuals and its implications for educational equity and justice This presentation focuses on the analysis of one textbook, America's History for the AP Course (Henretta et al., 2014). This manual is unique in that it is perceived as having a critical and diverse approach to Social Studies, as it addresses and incorporates LGBTQ+ issues and perspectives, striving to offer a more inclusive narrative. Through the analysis of this textbook, my aim is to answer the question: How does the discourse surrounding LGBTQ+ identities and histories in this textbook contribute to the othering of LGBTQ+ individuals, and what are the implications for educational equity and inclusivity?

Theoretical Framework and Modes of Inquiry
Sylvia Wynter (2003) argues for the need to decolonize history to include marginalized perspectives. The Eurocentric, Christian-centric, heteronormative worldview marginalizes LGBTQ+ identities, seen as "deviant" and irredeemable in the language of the textbooks. This study centers on how textbooks’ discourses of inclusivity come to exclude, to Other, LGTBQ+ history and identities by scrutinizing the discourse circulating in textbooks. Othering marginalizes, discriminates against, or dehumanizes individuals by producing them as fundamentally different or inferior. Challenging othering is crucial for promoting empathy, equity, and social justice. Textbook language appears inclusive but often perpetuates negative perceptions and lacks intersectionality. Fairclough's Critical Discourse Analysis (2015) serves to trace instances of marginalization, exclusion, and discrimination to probe how textbooks perpetuate colonial heteronormative hegemonic narratives that silence and diminish LGBTQ+ experiences.

Results and conclusions
While analyzing the textbook, the themes of othering through social, cultural, and political suppression, and empowerment and inclusivity through grassroots organizations emerge.
Language and discourse found in the text utilizes terms like "they" and "other Americans" position LGBTQ individuals as outsiders, while negative descriptors such as "immoral" and "illegal" stigmatize the community further. This exclusion is reinforced by discriminatory laws, media portrayals, and institutional discrimination, evident in police raids, repression, and marginalization within societal movements, leading to profound psychological impacts on LGBTQ individuals. It is important to acknowledge what was absent from the text. None of these excerpts discuss the concept of intersectionality of race, gender, socioeconomic status, and geographic location, and how that impacts an individual’s experiences within historical events.

Significance
The findings suggest educators and textbook authors must critically analyze and revise their language and content to challenge systemic inequities, promote social justice, and create more inclusive learning environments for all students. If the resources we expose our students to do not accurately depict the stories of marginalized groups, they will construct a false narrative of history that fails to fully convey the impact of historical events on various societal groups. If our goal is to create civically engaged students who promote the social concepts of justice and harmony, then a more robust and inclusive curriculum is required, which specifically includes LGBTQ+ history

Author

• Colleen M. Kollasch, University of Iowa