Presentation to Santa Maria Joint Union School District. Intersectionality of Ethnicity, Gender and Sexual Orientation and LGBT History

1. Rob Darrow, Ed.D.
Director of Research Safe Schools Project
Santa Cruz County.
Santa Maria Joint Union SD. August 2017
Rob’s Wiki:
http://robdarrow.wikispaces.com
Ethnic and Gender Studies:
Everybody has a History.
About LGBT History

2. SMJUSD. Aug. 2017.
Who am I? Who are you?
What is my identity?
What is your identity?

3. SMJUSD. Aug. 2017.
This is a Safe Space

4. SMJUSD. Aug. 2017.

5. SMJUSD. Aug. 2017.

6. SMJUSD. Aug. 2017.
My Lens Today
 What is our common
humanity?
 What is the intersection
between ethnicity, gender
and LGBT history?

7. SMJUSD. Aug. 2017.
What barriers prevent us from
embracing that
common humanity?
 Share one or two ideas with someone
near you.

8. SMJUSD. Aug. 2017.
Many Variables Impact
Student Achievement
 Learning styles
 Home life
 Culture
 School and school culture
 Friends
 Teachers, Counselors, Administrators
 Curriculum

9. SMJUSD. Aug. 2017.
Curriculum as a Mirror / Window
 Article: Read p. 1-2
 Discuss
 Complete document
 Group Ahas!

10. SMJUSD. Aug. 2017.
A little history:
LGBTQ Terms and Year First Used
 L = Lesbian (1732)
 G = Gay (1955)
 B = Bisexual (1960)
 T = Transgender (1990)
 Q = Queer / Questioning (1894, 1990)

11. SMJUSD. Aug. 2017.
A little history:
History Curriculum in Ca
 1998: New Ca History Standards – first state to
adopt such standards. New textbooks.
 2010: Common Core Adopted.
 2011: Fair Education Act Passed. Added Lesbian,
Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Americans to the
curriculum – especially related to history.
 2016: New State History Framework
 2017: K-8 History Textbook Adoptions
(State Board vote in Nov. 2017)

12. SMJUSD. Aug. 2017.
State History Framework –
11th Grade Themes
 Romantic Friendships Increase Women’s Rights
(1890-1930)
 Gays in the Military from the Civil War to Don’t
Ask Don’t Tell (1860-2010)
 Harlem Renaissance: As Gay as it was Black
(1917-1935)
 The Lavender Scare and the 1950s (1918-2011)
 Amendments, Laws and Court Decisions
Expand Equality (1868-2015)

13. SMJUSD. Aug. 2017.
State History Framework –
Other Topics
 LGBT Rights Movement in the Context of Civil
Rights
 Native Americans and Two-Spirit People
 AIDS Crisis
 Changing Demographics in the U.S.

14. SMJUSD. Aug. 2017.
Why this matters:
A Few Stories

15. SMJUSD. Aug. 2017.
Frank Kameny
 1925 – Born in NY
 1941 – Joined Army
 1956 – Harvard: Doctorate
in Astronomy
 1957 – Hired by U.S. Army
Map Service – Produced
maps for U.S. military

16. SMJUSD. Aug. 2017.
Frank Kameny
 1953: President Eisenhower signs
Executive Order 10450. “Immoral
and sexual perversion were a
security risk” (In place until 1975).
 1957: Kameny released from
government service
 1960: Files lawsuit. Supreme Court
denies claim. First civil rights claim
based on sexual orientation
 1960: Forms Mattachine Society in
Washington DC to advocate for
gay people.
 1965: First of many protests at the
White House

17. SMJUSD. Aug. 2017.
Frank
Kameny
 1973: Lobbies American Psychological
Association to remove gay/lesbian as a
disease.
 2010: Present at the repeal of “Don’t Ask
Don’t Tell” signed by President Obama
 2011: Dies at age 86

18. SMJUSD. Aug. 2017.
David Schroer
 1959: Born in Chicago
 1979: Joins the military
 Special Forces Commander
 Haiti Special Forces Commander
 Post 911 Coordinated Secret
Counterterrorism Unit in Pentagon
 Briefed VP Dick Cheney on secret
missions
 2004: Retires from Military
 2005: Applies for job with Library
of Congress. Job Offered.

19. SMJUSD. Aug. 2017.
Diane Schroer
 Shares that she is transitioning to Diane
(Transgender male to female).
Library of Congress rescinds job offer.
 2005 – Files employment lawsuit – Title VII
(Schroer v. Billington – Library of Congress)
 2008 – U.S. District Court – Discrimination and
$500,000 awarded
 Works in Pentagon advising transgender affairs

20. SMJUSD. Aug. 2017.
Ronin Shimizu
 2nd Grade: Joins Cub Scouts
 4th Grade: Became a cheerleader – Vista
Junior Eagles Cheer Team
 Enjoyed art and fashion – made his own
clothes
• 2002: Born in Folsom, Ca

21. SMJUSD. Aug. 2017.
Ronin Shimizu
 2008: Began being bullied and taunted
with: “gay,” “girly” and “a fag,”
 2008-2012: Moved to different schools to
escape the bullying
 2012: Awoke every day worried about who
would pick on him.
 2014: Removed from school, placed on
Independent Study program

22. SMJUSD. Aug. 2017.
Ronin Shimizu
 2014 (December):
Took his own life (Age 12)

23. SMJUSD. Aug. 2017.
LatinX Stories to Learn
 Sylvia Rivera and Stonewall, New York
 Jose Sarria, League for Civil Education,
San Francisco
 Cherrie Moraga, Latina Lesbian Writer
 Robert Garcia, Youngest Latin American
mayor in Long Beach

24. SMJUSD. Aug. 2017.
Social Movements / Social Action
 Social Movement timeline
 Intersection of gender and ethnicity

25. SMJUSD. Aug. 2017.
Various Social Movements
 Latinx (gender inclusive term)
 African American
 Asian
 Civil Rights
 Women
 Gay and Lesbian
 Transgender

26. SMJUSD. Aug. 2017.
Intersectionality Lens
 Intersectionality is an important lens that
is used to better understand the lived
experiences of individuals across
identities, both those identities
that hold power in society, as well as
those that
experience marginalization in society
(Warner & Shields, 2013).

27. SMJUSD. Aug. 2017.
Where is the intersection between
ethnicity, gender and LGBT history?
 “I was black before I was a lesbian.”
 “As a Latino gay man, I still live in a world where I
seem to be asked to pick one community over
another. It’s time for America to realize that there
is not one type of ‘experience.’ Everyone has their
own history, culture and traditions.”
- Mexican-American lesbian
Human Rights Campaign. At the Intersection: Race, Sexuality and
Gender. 2009.

28. SMJUSD. Aug. 2017.
Questions to Consider?
 Does it matter if a person in history was
male or female?
 Does it matter if a person in history was
white, African American or LatinX or
Asian?
 Does it matter if a person in history was
gay or lesbian or bisexual or transgender?

29. SMJUSD. Aug. 2017.
Questions to Consider
 Are these groups treated differently?
Marginalized vs. Non-Marginalized?
Are there different levels of privilege?
 African American gay male
 White straight female
 LatinX lesbian female
 Asian Transgender female
 White straight male
 Latinx bisexual male

30. SMJUSD. Aug. 2017.
A few thoughts about intersection of
ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation
 Gender, ethnicity and sexual orientation
impacts education.
 Consider marginalized groups in courses
 Asset vs. deficit based thinking strategies
 Everyone has an ethnicity and a history.
Include these discussions throughout.
 Naming the ethnicity, gender and sexual
orientation of people in history validates the
identity of students in our schools today.

31. SMJUSD. Aug. 2017.

32. SMJUSD. Aug. 2017.
Curriculum Work Now:
 Integrating LGBT
history
Discussion:
Intersectionality of
ethnicity, gender and
sexual orientation.

33. SMJUSD. Aug. 2017.
Contact Info
 Rob@Onlinelearningvisions.com
Rob’s Wiki:
http://robdarrow.wikispaces.com