The Role of K-12 Sex Education and Institutions in Supporting LGBTQ+ Students Toni Anne Mac Lean Course: Capstone Thesis Professor: Ruth Maher Student: Toni Anne Mac Lean Essay: The Role of K-12 Sex Education and Institutions in Supporting LGBTQ+ Students
Assignment: For this assignment, students were asked to conduct formal, objective, research on a subject, relative to
their major and within the Community & Social Justice sphere.
Introduction
these topics, preventing them from being regulated in the American educational system.
LGBTQ+ identities have historically been marginalized throughout Western culture. Here within the United States, while attitudes are changing, queer individuals are still targeted and stigmatized, aiding the the erasure of their identities and perpetuating harm. As social justice tensions have become greatly contested since the start of the pandemic, public education has come to the hot seat of political debate. The discussion of systemic racial inequalities have lead to a push for Critical Race Theory to be added to curriculums. Similarly, with the increased visibility of gender non-conforming individuals within our society and the increased acceptance of the wide spectrum of sexual orientations, there is a call for greater quality sex education in public institutions. However, despite attitudes shifting towards inclusivity, the social backlash from political conservatives have contested
Sexual orientation and gender identity are either routinely left out of sex education, causing erasure, or discussed through misinformation, causing stigmatization and shame. Though it is argued that education is the first step in altering attitudes towards inclusivity, historical stereotypes of LGBTQ+ individuals as sexual deviants are at the forefront of this debate. Many children grow up in families that do not follow the nuclear model made popular through the Standard North American Family ideology. Families may consist of two fathers, two mothers, or two parents following the legalization of gay marriage in America. Regardless of the various manifestations of the American family, queer individuals are not deemed appropriate for children. Accusations of “grooming” non-normative sexual orientation and gender identity children and 99
