Despite being a current history student, who specialises in the history of gender and sexuality, it would be surprising to most people to know that it was not until my first year of university that I was exposed to queer history. Despite statutory guidance stating that all pupils should receive teaching on LGBTQ+ content during their school years, the education system is failing to teach a curriculum that is inclusive of all gender identities, and sexual orientations.
We have months such as LGBTQ+ history month, which gives young people the chance to learn about the diverse history of the LGBTQ+ community, but dedicating just a mere month to this is simply not good enough. LGBTQ+ history could so easily be woven into the education curriculum; within the poetry anthologies of GCSE English, talking about Henry VIII’s anti-gay legislations during the Tudors, or studying a queer artist during an art lesson. There are plenty of opportunities for the curriculum to diversify and meet the needs of the LGBTQ+ community, yet the curriculum creators are not doing so.
As a bisexual woman, growing up in a small, quite conservative town, to have seen the history of my community would have given me a sense of belonging that I feel did not exist until university. For many other children in the same situation as me, feeling that connection to the LGBTQ+ community would give them the confidence to embrace their identity earlier, rather than feeling ashamed. T
he teachings of LGBTQ+ history would have also taught my peers to understand and learn about the community that I belonged to, and maybe would have made it less daunting for me to be openly proud. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community I felt it was almost my job to inform my peers about the community I was part of, but diversifying the curriculum would remove that pressure for queer kids.
Despite small steps being taken to try and include the teachings of LGBTQ+ families for primary school children, as well as different sexualities in secondary, it simply is not enough. Most of this is up to the discretion of the school, and many children are still missing out on learning about the diversity within our society. It is time that the education curriculum had a transformation to truly make it a diverse learning experience, not just with representatives from the queer community, but also to highlight people of colour, and different cultures.
Within the media we are exposed to the criticisms about teaching school children about the LGBTQ+ community. There are claims that schools are “teaching kids to be gay”, or trying to influence the genders and sexualities of their pupils. But I disagree. Teaching about the LGBTQ+ community does not change a kid's sexuality, just like how teaching me about heterosexual relationships did not make me straight. What it does is give children of all ages the platform to have conversations about sexuality and gender, and understand that there is no “normal” family type, or sexuality, or gender identity. It simply gives people the confidence to be themselves, and be a better ally to the community.
To put it simply, the history curriculum is failing us. I could recite the events of the Tudor period seamlessly, but not the history of the community that I belong to. It should not be up to members of the LGBTQ+ community to teach and educate others about our history. With the help of historians, sociologists, and LGBTQ+ activists, I do believe we can create a diverse curriculum that encompasses so many different people within our society. But unless there is a drive from the government and the department of education - the curriculum will simply remain stagnant, excluding many people in the process.
Edited by Caitlin Hart