Adding Rainbows to History

When I first learned about the Stonewall Riots in middle school while doing independent research on the queer rights movement, I wondered why we hadn’t learned about the important event in class. Though some U.S. history classes at Stuyvesant do teach about the LGBTQ+ rights movement, I have never encountered queer history in school and know of none of my fellow sophomores who have done so. Additionally, many history classes do not include discussions of gender and sexuality throughout history, which fuels misconceptions about queer identities. We ignore the sexualities and gender identities of important historical figures despite the fact that these were parts of these figures’ life experiences. History curricula throughout New York City need to be more inclusive of LGBTQ+ history by teaching students about the LGBTQ+ rights movement, including discussions of gender and sexuality throughout history, and by highlighting the sexualities and gender identities of important historical figures—in a way that is appropriate for all grades.

The LGBTQ+ rights movement should be taught across the city to students in elementary and middle school rather than those in 11th grade; the LGBTQ+ rights movement is an important part of U.S. history, since it illustrates the struggles of sexual and gender minorities and how they have progressed to gain the rights that they rightfully deserve. Students should learn about this history in earlier grades in order to understand and recognize the struggles that queer people have gone and continue to go through in our society. Additionally, it is important to teach queer history to younger groups in order to instill ideas of respect and equality. Though many may believe that it is inappropriate to expose younger children to queer identities, this stems from the idea that queer identities are inherently sexual and vulgar, which is not the case. Because of the fact that we have accustomed to cisheteronormativity, we see queer identities as inherently vulgar in our society when it is in fact possible to introduce younger grades to queer history by excluding violent or sexual parts. However, more action needs to be taken to break certain misconceptions about LGBTQ+ identities.

The misconception that LGBTQ+ identities are an invention of modern-day Western civilization can easily be broken if we choose to study different norms of gender and sexuality throughout history. For example, in Sparta, the custom of pederasty meant that military men had sex with boys as well as their own wives. Though this custom is disturbing, it helps us understand how norms about sexuality have changed throughout history. And though it may come as a surprise to many, gender norms were very different even in Medieval Europe, when Christianity saw women as “having strong, often ‘insatiable’ sexual ‘drive’ and capacity.” This illustrates how ideas about the characteristics of each gender were thought about differently in various time periods and how gender is much more based on social norms than biology.

Furthermore, Hinduism includes deities and legends that defy traditional sexual and gender norms, such as Ardhanarishvara, the combination of Shiva and Parvati, who represents the blending of masculinity and femininity; Agni, the god of fire, who is bisexual; the gender-fluidity of Vishnu and Krishna; and the gender-neutrality of Budha, the god of the planet Mercury. This variety of different sexual and gender norms throughout various time periods, regions, cultures, and religions shows us that queer identities have been a part of the human experience throughout history. Brief discussions on the gender and sexuality norms of a region and time period can be included in world history classes for high schoolers in order to illustrate the importance of gender and sexuality in different cultures and to be able to discuss certain ideas about sexuality and gender with the appropriate age group.

The sexualities of important historical queer individuals outside of the LGBTQ+ rights movement are rarely discussed. Figures like Alexander the Great and Alan Turing were both queer. Alexander the Great was a bisexual military genius and hough we remember him for his ability as a conqueror, we should also acknowledge his sexuality. Alan Turing worked as a mathematician to decipher coded messages that helped the Allies defeat the Nazis during World War II but was sadly later criminalized due to his homosexuality. It is important to recognize the sexualities of these two individuals as well as that of many other important historical figures in order to show that queer people are able to achieve the same things as straight people and that the accomplishments of queer people are as important as those of straight people. Additionally, recognizing the sexualities of different historical figures shows us how sexuality has been part of the experiences of these figures and how it has shaped them. Recognizing queer history is important not only because queerness is a part of the human experience, but also because it makes people feel represented.

About 5.1 percent of adults in New York City identify as LGBTQ+. It is likely that more students in New York City identify as LGBTQ+ as a result of wider acceptance among youth of the LGBTQ+ community now than in the past—and that is in addition to the many students who are closeted nonetheless. The group PFLAG estimates that at least 40,000 to 100,000 students in New York City identify as gay. In order to make queer students feel represented and in order to cultivate safe spaces for these students, LGBTQ+ history should be included in the curriculum. Though history teachers throughout the city may argue that their job is not to make students feel represented, students need to have safe spaces and comfortable classroom environments in order to learn. Additionally, history teaches us about the stories of different communities and cultures; therefore, queer students should feel that their culture and their community is also recognized. History is about teaching the story of different cultures and different people and thus we can’t exclude queer people from the story. By giving importance to queer history, teachers and history curricula throughout New York City will be able to create environments where no student has to feel less important because of their identity.

History curricula throughout schools have been dominated by cisgender and heterosexual stories, which diminishes the importance of LGBTQ+ people. By making our history curricula more inclusive, we will instill a sense of equality and respect for the LGBTQ+ community among our students while creating safe spaces for them to learn. By teaching students in younger grades about queer history, we will be able to highlight the importance of queer history, discuss queer history with a wider audience, and allow kids to recognize queer people as an important part of our society. By choosing to add discussions of different sexual and gender norms in various time periods and regions in our world history classes, we will be able to highlight how queer identity has been a part of the human experience for a long time rather than an invention of modern day Western civilization. Together, we will make sure that history includes the stories of all people, regardless of sexual orientation, gender, or gender identity.