LGBT 101: History matters
Imagine going through grammar and high school not learning one thing about the history of your people. Not learning about the scientists, artists, astronauts, politicians, sports legends and so many others who were just like you.
That happens even in 2012, even in places as progressive as Chicago. For the LGBT community, history is a hit-or-miss educational adventure. Sure, we see gay culture splashed across the small screen on a daily basis now. What used to be freak shows on the talk shows has turned into a Modern Family smorgasbord of LGBT lives. While not very diverse (usually they are very white and middle-class), they still represent a major step forward from the recent dark ages of public culture.
But because most LGBT individuals grow up in families that are not like us, we don't get the Gay 101 basics we need to more fully understand where we come from, and what our place in the world can be. Television provides the window dressing, but without historical context, one could get the impression we were all cut from the same cloth—reality show bimbos, talk-show hosts, and gays jumping to enter the suburban-married-two-parent ideal for some Americans.
We are so much more. The LGBT community is about as diverse as you could imagine. And because we are not learning about the accomplishments of LGBTs in the classroom, at least on any significant scale, the self-esteem of our youth is left damaged.
http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/lgbt/VIEWS-LGBT-101-History-matters/39885.html
= new reply since forum marked as read
