Comparing efforts for LGBTQ-inclusive education in schools: Reformist vs. Anti-Oppressive approaches in the United States and Scotland

• In Event: In the news, still on the margins: LGBTQ, Indigenous, and environmental inclusion efforts in education

Proposal

LGBTQ-inclusive education is one of the most embattled topics in American public education today. Many US states have passed laws prohibiting the discussion of queer topics in classrooms across grade levels and subject areas, despite the critical need to establish safe and open learning spaces for queer teachers and students. Scholars who advocate for LGBTQ representation in curriculum and instruction are also divided on the best path forward. At the core of the debate is the extent to which teachers can challenge heteronormativity through pedagogy and what this should look like in classrooms.

Drawing on the work of various scholars in the field and my field research in Scotland, where LGBTQ-inclusive education has become a part of the national curriculum, this paper proposes two primary schools of thought on the topic: one reformist (Camicia et al., 2008, 2010, 2012, 2019; Murray, 2014; Banks, 2018; Goldstein, 2019; Mayo, 2022) and one anti-oppressive (Kumashiro, 2022) —the choice between the two matters for the broader political positioning of LGBTQ-inclusive education and its ultimate success. While an anti-oppressive approach is laudable within the scholarly sphere, a reformist approach might offer a better chance of success for school-based implementation, though each of the two schools of thought has something unique to contribute. Moreover, a review of these approaches and a comparative perspective from Scotland can help us better center what matters most in the broader context of this highly politicized space, the experience of queer youth in schools and the teachers that support them. Indeed, the school-based needs of queer youth and educators should take center stage in the broader debate surrounding inclusive education policy. Therefore, policymakers should take steps to make what are currently more politically abstract debates about queer inclusive education more tangible and actionable for schools. A reform-led approach, still informed by critical pedagogy (Sapon-Shevin, M., 2019; Benegas et al., 2022; Govender, 2024), can help us realize this vision.

Author

• Darek Ciszek, UCLA