LGBTQ+ History Coming to US Schools

Schools in Washington state will be required to teach students about the history and contributions of LGBTQ+ people under a new law signed by Gov. Jay Inslee earlier this week.

Senate Bill 5462, which passed both state chambers earlier this year without any support from Republicans, mandates that school districts in Washington "adopt inclusive curricula and select diverse, equitable, inclusive, age-appropriate instructional materials that include the histories, contributions and perspectives of historically marginalized and underrepresented groups."

That includes LGBTQ+ people, people with disabilities, people from various racial and ethnic groups and people from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds.

The Washington State School Directors' Association, with the assistance of the state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, must review and update a model policy and procedure on how to design courses, as well as select instructional materials, by June 2025.

By October that year, schools must update their policies to incorporate the new curricula.

"The contributions of gay Washingtonians deserve recognition, and just as importantly, students deserve to see themselves in their schoolwork," Sen. Marko Liias, a Democrat from Edmonds who sponsored the bill, said in a statement to The Seattle Times.

"That leads to better attendance, better academic achievement and better overall quality of life, ensuring success for all our students."

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, earlier this week, Liias wrote: "Inclusive schools are safer for all students, and attendance and achievement rates are stronger. I grew up feeling alone and out of place at times, I'm hopeful laws like this will make our next generation feel welcome and included."

It comes at a time when Republican-led states have been pursuing laws directed at LGBTQ+ people, including ones that limit access to gender-affirming medical care, transgender participation in sports and the teaching of subjects related to gender identity or sexual orientation.

Newsweek has reached out to Washington Republican Party for comment via email.

But Washington now joins six other states—California, Colorado, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey and Oregon—where state law establishes a standard for LGBTQ+ inclusion in its public school system.

According to a 2021 report by the LGBTQ+ education group GLSEN, students in schools that were taught positive representations of LGBTQ+ people, history and events reported less homophobic or transphobic language. They were also less likely to miss school because they felt unsafe, the report said.

"They were more comfortable talking to school staff about LGBTQ+ topics, reported more accepting peers, had higher GPAs and educational aspirations, reported a greater sense of belonging to their school community and increased psychological well-being," the report said.