SCOTUSs decision to let parents opt kids out of LGBTQ+ lessons wont only hurt queer students
As wisely stated by English author Edward Bulwer-Lytton in his 1839 play,Richelieu; Or the Conspiracy, The pen is mightier than the sword. This adage holds that the written word is a powerful tool in the transmission of ideas. Why else would oppressive regimes and other insecure upholders of the status quo engage in censorship and book burning?TheHolocaust Encyclopediadefines book burning as the ritual destruction by fire of books or other written materials carried out in a public context. Related SCOTUS lets religious parents opt their kids out of LGBTQ+ books but they cant opt out of society America is supposed to be a melting pot, not a buffet. Heinrich Heine, one of Germanys greatest poets who was of Jewish origin, warned, Where they burn books, they will also ultimately burn people. Dive deeper every day Join our newsletter for thought-provoking commentary that goes beyond the surface of LGBTQ+ issues Subscribe to our Newsletter today While the Supreme Court, with its 6 to 3 ruling inMahmoud v. Taylor, may not have literally condoned book burning, it figuratively torched LGBTQ+ books for elementary-aged students, perhaps since the conservative majority also knows that yes, The pen is mightier than the sword.The case arose from conflicts between teaching LGBTQ+ topics and parents rights on religious grounds in the education of their children. It stemmed from some parents concerns of a policy sanctioned by the Montgomery County Maryland Board of Education requiring new elementary school story books covering LGBTQ+ topics that could be read in class.One of the contested books, for example, is Pride Puppy! about a puppy who gets lost in the crowd during a Pride parade.When the policy first passed, parents could opt their children out of the curriculum, but later, the board reversed itself and made the policy mandatory since the opt-out choice could become untenable to administer.I would add that the opt-out policy stigmatizes children with same-sex parents, siblings, relatives, and friends, as well as the young people who are questioning or have embraced their sexual and/or gender identities. But the policy also stigmatizes students whose parents choose the opt-out route.And what kind of message does it send to all students that there is something wrong, sinful, evil, dirty, icky, and maybe even contagious, something to be avoided, scorned, and marginalized. In this demographically diverse school district, some Christian and Muslim parents, in particular, objected, though I wonder whether parents can opt their children out of reading age-appropriate stories about Jewish, Muslim, Asian, Black, Latinx, or Indigenous people. This case harkens back to one of the earlier curricular programs created in 1991 by theNew York City Board of Educationcalled The Children of the Rainbow Curriculum, which was introduced to first-grade teachers to help them teach about multicultural social issues. The Board developed the program to counter the increase in hate crimes directed against members of marginalized communities.The lesson plans offered a variety of resources in its 443 pages, all to help teachers work with students to decrease prejudice and bigotry.Unfortunately, the section on families that discussed gay and lesbian-headed households incited enormous criticism from parents, religious groups, and other Board members. Some opponents argued that the curriculum encouraged sex and sodomy in children. Following a series of contentious debates and extensive media coverage, the New York City Department of Education voted against accepting the entire Children of the Rainbow Curriculum.Poet and essayist Adrienne Rich warned: When someone with the authority of a teacher describes the world and you are not in it, there is a moment of psychic disequilibrium, as if you looked into a mirror and saw nothing.These moments of psychic disequilibrium continue. Heterosexism & cissexism hurt everyoneI find it paradoxical that in our society, love of difference makes one the same, while love of sameness makes one different.I cannot help thinking about something once said by Frederick Douglass, who escaped enslavement and worked for the cause of liberation, while describing the dehumanizing effects of slavery not only on enslaved peoples but also on white slavers, whose position to slavery corrupted their humanity. While the social conditions of Douglasss time were very different from today, I nonetheless believe his words hold meaning: No [person] can put a chain about the ankle of [another person] without at last finding the other end fastened about [their] own neck.Though it cannot be denied that oppression serves the interests of dominant group members, eventually it will backfire, and the chain will take hold of them.Therefore, I have come to understand that within the numerous forms of oppression, members of targeted (sometimes called minoritized or subordinated) groups areoppressed, while on many levels, members of the dominant or agent groups arehurt.Although the effects of oppression differ qualitatively for specific targeted and agent groups, everyone loses in the end. This is true as well within the social oppressions called heterosexism and cissexism.I define heterosexism as the overarching system of advantages bestowed on heterosexuals. It includes the institutionalization of a heterosexual norm or standard, which establishes and perpetuates the notion that all people are or should be heterosexual, thereby privileging heterosexuals and heterosexuality and excluding the needs, concerns, cultures, and life experiences of people who do not identify as heterosexual or gender normative.Cissexism(a.k.a. Binarism, Transgender Oppression, Genderism)comprises a conceptual structure of oppression directed against those who live and function external to the gender/sex binary and/or with the idea that these binaries do not exist at all. Heterosexism and cissexism are pervasive, and each of us, irrespective of our own identity and expression, stands at risk of their harmful effects.First, heterosexist and cissexist conditioning compromise the integrity of people by pressuring them to treat others badly, which are actions contrary to their basic humanity. They inhibit ones ability to form close, intimate relationships with members of ones own sex, generally restrict communications with a significant portion of the population, and, more specifically, limit family relationships.Heterosexism and cissexism lock people into rigid gender-based roles, which inhibit creativity and self-expression. They often are used to stigmatize, silence, and on occasion, target people who are perceived or defined byothersas lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender but who identify as heterosexual and/or cisgender. In addition, heterosexism and cissexism are some of the causes of premature sexual involvement, which increase the chances of teen pregnancy and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. Young people ofallsexuality and gender identities are often pressured to becomeheterosexuallyactive to prove to themselves and others that they are normal.Heterosexism and cissexism prevent some LGBTQ+ people from developing authentic self-identities and add to the pressure to marry someone of another sex, which in turn places undue stress and oftentimes trauma on themselves, their spouses, and their children.Heterosexism and cissexism, combined with sexphobia or erotophobia (fear and revulsion of sex) results in the elimination of discussions of LGBTQ+ people in sexuality education programs, keeping vital information from students. This lack of information can kill people in the age of HIV/AIDS. And heterosexism and cissexism (along with racism, sexism, classism, and sexphobia) inhibit a unified and effective governmental and societal response to HIV/AIDS. With all the truly important issues facing the world, heterosexism and cissexism divert energy and attention from more constructive endeavors. They also prevent heterosexual and cisgender people from accepting the benefits and gifts offered by LGBTQ+ people, including theoretical insights, social and spiritual visions, and contributions to the arts, religion, education, family life, and indeed, all facets of society.Ultimately, they inhibit appreciation of other types of diversity, making it unsafe for everyone. Everyone has unique traits not considered mainstream or dominant. Therefore, we arealldiminished when any one of us is demeaned.When any group of people is targeted for oppression, when any group sees their cultural expressions banned or censored, it is ultimately everyones concern. We all, therefore, have a self-interest in actively working to dismantle the many forms of oppression, including heterosexism and cissexism.When anyone employs their interpretation of religion to justify oppression, we must challenge and counter their attacks with truth. The scourgeof orthodoxyAnyone can believe anything they wish, even when others find those beliefs laudable or offensive. When, however, theexpressionof those beliefs denies other individuals (including children of orthodox religious parents) or groups their full human and civil rights and the right to a full education, a critical line has been crossed. In this case, they have entered into the realm of oppression, and they must be confronted.We must address some basic questions regarding religious rights to discriminate as well as about religion itself.Why, for example, do historians and educators describe ancient Greek spirituality as mythology, but they consider the Bibles (Hebrew Bible, Christian Testaments) and the Quran as historical and spiritual truth?In reality, all religious doctrine stems from uncertainty and conjecture, from multiple Gods, hybrid Gods and humans, to Adam and Eve, to the Burning Bush, to the covenant and the parting of the Red Sea, to the Immaculate Conception and Resurrection, to Muhammads rising to heaven from the Rock, to the Golden Tablets, all beginning with thehumancreationof God(s).Opponents of social equity have long claimed religious justifications for denying people rights granted under the rule of law. Religious dogma has been used to justify many forms of evil throughout human history, from domination and colonization of distant lands and peoples, to slavery, to segregation, to anti-miscegenation and anti-sodomy laws, to the isolation of people with disabilities, to anti-employment and anti-voting rights, to limitations on reproductive rights and healthcare for women and people of color.It has also been used to justify incarceration and violence against LGBTQ+ people, as well as bans on our literature and stories from educational institutions. Its been used to pass restrictions on the education of the enslaved and to set limitations on the education of indigenous peoples while stripping them of their cultures and identities. Religion has been invoked in the overexploitation of the natural environmen and in the estalishment of a revisionist and sanitized historical education by leaders of the dominant status quo.Someone said to me once that throughout the ages, more people have been killed in the name of religion than all the people who have ever died of all diseases combined. I dont know whether this is true, but it highlights a vital point: We continually reject, oppress, and kill over differing belief systems.How many wars are we going to justify in the name of God? I believe thatreligion is theprime factor keeping oppression toward LGBTQ+ people locked firmly in place.Fortunately, religion is not a monolith and many faith communities are welcoming toward LGBTQ+ people. These communities are working tirelessly to abolish the yoke of oppression directed against us.LGBTQ+ lessons presented age-appropriately benefit all students. For LGBTQ+ students, they solve thatpsychic disequilibrium by demonstrating that others like themselves live joyful and rewarding lives and by teaching them about LGBTQ+ people who have made enormous contributions to society. For heterosexual and cisgender students, it builds an understanding of diversity in the human experience and will ease their entry into a continually changing global community.When religious leaders, however, preach negative interpretations of their sacred texts on issues of LGBTQ+ people, they must be held accountable and responsible for aiding and abetting those who harass, bully, assault, and murder people perceived as LGBTQ+. They must also be held accountable as accomplices in the suicides of those who are the targets of these aggressive actions.When the orthodox religious and political yes,political Right declares that LGBTQ+ people are sinners and psychologically ill and that they should not be allowed to promote their so-called gay agenda near children, the line between religion and government is increasingly blurred. When we are taught to hate ourselves, each one of us is demeaned, which denies us all our freedoms. We have a right, or rather an obligation, to speak up and fight back with all the energy, all the unity, and all the love and passion we are capable of expressing.I believe we areallborn into an environment polluted by heterosexism and cissexism, which fall upon us like acid rain. For some people, spirits are tarnished to the core, while others are marred on the surface. But no one is completely protected.Therefore, we all have a responsibility to join together as allies to construct protective shelters from the corrosive effects of prejudice and discrimination of all kinds while working to clean up the heterosexist and cissexist environments in which we live.Once we take sufficient steps to reduce this pollution, we will all breathe a lot more easily.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.
