Students need to have inclusive curriculum

"You can't be what you can't see" writes Marian Wright Edelman. As I reflect on this quote that we use in equity trainings with schools across the state, I think about my own experiences in K-12 schools in Illinois. Never once did I hear about the positive contributions made to our world by people such as Bayard Rustin and Sylvia Rivera. Never once did I see representation about what my family could look like. Lack of visibility or discussion about LGBTQ people does not prevent people from becoming LGBTQ, but it does make students feel confused, isolated and alone.

Inclusive curriculum bills such as SB 3249 allow students to see possibility models. Our students hear about LGBTQ people on the news, on social media, from politicians, yet they walk into classrooms and there is silence. That silence is not neutral.

Eighty percent of Illinois transgender students experienced some form of mistreatment at school according to the Illinois Report from the 2015 US Trans Survey. I believe that is rooted in lack of understanding by students and faculty. We as adults weren't taught about LGBTQ people in school and thus we are perpetuating this erasure to our young people.

Look at any school's mission statement across Illinois. We value creating well-rounded students that we can send out into the world to be positive contributors. All students benefit from learning about people who are similar and different from them.

SB 3249 is an important step for Illinois to take to allow students to both see themselves reflected in their curriculum and see a window into other people's worlds. Illinois, it's time to lead the way to allow all students to see a possibility for their future.

Carolyn Wahlskog

Naperville