Massachusetts has introduced a new, optional curriculum with LGBTQ themes in health, English, and history, in an effort to increase learning in students who will now see their lessons reflected in themselves.
The curriculum, developed by a team of teachers with Massachusetts Safe Schools Program for LGBTQ Students and the Massachusetts Commission on LGBTQ Youth, will be released this summer. It will feature lessons on the 1969 Stonewall Riots and writings by gay and lesbian authors such as Langston Hughes and Willa Cather. It will also feature lessons like how Nick Carraway's love for Jay Gatsby may have influenced themes in “The Great Gatsby.”
“We talk about mirrors and windows,” said Jeff Perrotti, director of the Massachusetts Safe Schools Program for LGBTQ Students. “Students need to see themselves reflected and see others who are different from themselves. It is important that all students feel safe, valued and respected in school so they can be ready to learn.”
More at the Boston Herald…
Boston high schools will be among the first to use the new curriculum
