What Schools Choose Not to Teach Matters More than What They Do

Students often assume what they learn in schools is a complete version of history, refined by authority, and designed to include everything important. In reality, the academic curriculum reflects a series of choices on what important people think should be included, what they emphasize, and what they exclude entirely.

Education is about teaching students how society and the institutions along with it operate, how they came to be, and how the students function within these. When certain voices, perspectives, groups, or events are committed, it creates a gap. This gap is not just missing details, it is a fundamental misunderstanding of the framework of the world in which they live.

One of the clearest examples of this is the absence of LGBTQ+ history in many classrooms. Across the United States, including South Carolina, history standards focus on major events like the American Revolution, the Civil War, the World Wars, and the Civil Rights Movement. These, without debate, are incredibly important developments, but within these stories the experiences and contributions of LGBTQ+ individuals are clearly missing.

One example of this is Native American society. Long before modern controversies surrounding LGBTQ+ inclusion, diverse understandings of gender and sexuality existed in many indigenous cultures. Numerous North American Native American cultures recognized identities beyond the male-female binary. Native Americans did not understand sexuality in the way our society does. Sexuality was fluid, non-controversial, and accepting of same-sex relations. Colonization drastically disrupted this system. European colonialists came with their own religion, imposing new cultural norms, and even punishing Native Americans for homosexual relationships. These new forced norms led to the oppression and erosion of Native American cultural practices. This history clearly demonstrates that the exclusion of LGBTQ+ perspectives is not neutral or accidental, but is part of a longer standing tradition of suppression and silence.

The contributions by LGBTQ+ figures are not insignificant. Figures like Bayard Rustin played a major role in political movements. Events like the Stonewall Uprising shaped civil rights and marked a major legal development in American history. Yet, in my state, and many like it, these events are entirely ignored.

Supporters of maintaining the current approach often argue that LGBTQ+ history is controversial, and should be avoided. Religious critics also argue that it pushes an agenda of homosexuality onto the youth. These concerns are not trivial. There are trade-offs in Education and we must serve the community with mindfulness.

However, avoiding certain topics does not make education neutral. Ignoring the history of marginalized people does not protect the youth. This only reflects a decision that exacerbates the already existing gap in access to information. When students are not exposed to history in its entirety, it limits their understanding of the development of existing social and political institutions. It can also create the false narrative that modern LGBTQ+ movements sit isolated, outside of the main historical narrative. This again, is not true.

In a democratic society, education plays a crucial role in preparing students to engage with their environment. A complete understanding of issues, historical perspectives, and civic life, is vital to a functioning democracy.

Including LGBTQ+ voices is not about replacing content or pushing a specific viewpoint. It is about expanding the narrative to better fit reality. In the modern political landscape, LGBTQ+ issues are a crucial part of many debates, and without proper context, they can be misunderstood. It is also essential in helping students to understand diversity exists, it has existed, and many of these problems are not modern developments, but continuations of historical trends. It is about acknowledging the impact of a wider range of people on American society and recognizing the experience of all members of a nation.