by 7/30/2015
A San Francisco public high school offering an LGBT history class to students next fall is the first in America to do so, according to several reports.
Lyndsey Schlax, the teacher who’ll spearhead the class at the Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts, told CBS that other private schools around the country have offered similar classes, but this will be the first time one will be offered at a public high school.
According to Schlax, the course will cover the history of gender and sexuality, how they intersect in major media, how different LGBT equality is around the world, and a number of national and international struggles the community still faces.
“We’ll look at what it’s been like for gay men, what it’s been like for lesbian women, what it’s been like for transgender people,” said Schlax, a former employee of LGBT youth organization LYRIC, as well as the San Francisco LGBT Center.
Speaking in video on the school’s Facebook page last month, she added:
“With LGBT studies, our students will be learning about advocacy, being a good ally, and the history that shaped San Francisco and the LGBTQ community. And they’ll be doing it at a watershed moment – so much is changing in America, and the world, for LGBTQ individuals. In the next few weeks the Supreme Court will announce their decision about marriage equality, and I get to teach this history as its happening. It can’t get much more exciting than that!!!”
There are already 25 students signed up for the course, which has been approved as a college prep class by the University of California.
The San Francisco Chronicle notes the creation of the class stemmed from a 2010 resolution, approved by the school board, to expand support for LGBT students.
“As the mother of a gay child, I’m very sensitive to the issues of our LGBT youth,” said board member Sandra Fewer. “People always think it’s about the sex. It’s not about sex. What drove those movements was making the world a better place, a more peaceful place.”
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