The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) has initiated recommended lesson plans tackling LGBTQ+ topics in recognition of LGBTQ History Month and National Coming Out Day. This education initiative has elicited both backing and contention among parents and educators, as it prompts dialogue regarding the path of education in a multi-diverse society, as reported by FOX LA.
A week-long curriculum has been handed to elementary teachers by the LAUSD Board of Education, aimed to support the LGBTQ+ community and inculcate inclusivity. This initiative, underscoring that it isn’t about children celebrating National Coming Out Day alone, aligns with the event to enhance awareness and comprehension.
Included in a toolkit, the curriculum encompasses many activities that allow students to question their identity. The curriculum facilitates the students in exploring questions like "Who am I?" and "What does it mean to feel good about me and celebrate others?" An identity map is created as part of the activities to facilitate such discussions. Students are advised to partake in a gallery walk of everyone’s identity maps and write their responses to prompts about their own and peers’ identities.
Moreover, the curriculum also includes lessons about distinguished LGBTQ+ personalities to inspire the students to appreciate the full spectrum of human experiences and values. Figures such as Jazz Jennings, a YouTube celebrity and LGBTQ advocate; Marsha Johnson, a gay liberation activist, and Elliot Page, a Canadian transgender actor are educating about.
A key element in the curriculum is the pledge of allyship, which inspires students to using kind and inclusive language towards their teachers, staff, classmates, and families irrespective of their differences.
