Hey all! Is this technically my 11th post and, thus, unnecessary? Yes, 100%. You do not have to read or comment on it if you don’t want to. However, I had this written out ahead of time and would feel bad about not posting it, so here we are!

This is my last passion post (I know, tragic), so what better note to finish it on than Rocky Horror?

When watching and analyzing older movies with queer themes, it is important to understand their historical importance. Language, definitions, and depictions change over time, and just because something is no longer “politically correct” does not mean its cultural contributions should be discounted. For many LGBTQ+ people growing up in the 1980s and 90s, this film provided safe places to meet other queer people and find communities that celebrated diverse sexuality and gender nonconformity. It was, for quite a few people who didn’t have the words to explain how they felt, a glimpse into a different way of living beyond heteronormative existence.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Chances are, you’ve heard of this musical. The Rocky Horror Picture Show is now an internationally recognized cult classic musical, both as a stage show and film. It was inspired by B-movies and science fiction, and was first performed in June 1973 at the Royal Court Theatre in London during the height of the sexual revolution. In 1975, a movie version of the musical was released. Despite the poor critical reception, this musical found a cult following from counterculture fans, who regularly organized and attended screenings, often in costume. The film’s interactive nature and subversive, explicit portrayal of gender and sexuality has helped it maintain its popularity for over 50 years, with a “reboot” released in 2016 (watch the original version instead, the only good part of the remake is Laverne Cox as Dr. Frank-n-Furter). 

It’s very hard to actually describe this movie, and I don’t think the IMDB page does it justice. Their summary is “A newly-engaged couple have a breakdown in an isolated area and must seek shelter at the bizarre residence of Dr. Frank-n-Furter.” It’s an admirable effort to summarize what is admittedly a bizarre film, but it also omits the most important parts of the show.

So here’s what I think is a better summary:

Anyways, there is no point in me “reviewing” the representation in this movie; that is not the point of the movie itself. Identity is so fluid, and gender and sexuality divisions are blurred and played with in a really fun way. Rocky Horror is a celebration of camp, joy, community, and queer weirdos of all kinds. The songs are phenomenal and so catchy. The costuming and set design is theatrical and elaborate. The dialogue is witty, irreverent, and incredibly iconic. Every actor is having a great time in their role, and it shows. 

A lot of people consider the first viewing of this musical a queer right of passage, mostly because it’s a significant piece of LGBTQ+ culture and history. Watching this show is a step into a long tradition of queer subcultures and nonconformity. This movie is best seen with other people, so I highly recommend going to a screening (or a live performance, if you’re so lucky!) Even if you can’t, try to watch it with people you care about so that you can share the wonderful experience that is this film! 

Anyways, we are coming to the end of this blog. I hope you all enjoyed these posts and found some interesting recommendations! It’s been really fun to write about these movies which I hold so near to my heart. Thank you for reading!!

Recommendations

Instead of including a second film, here are some LGBTQ+ movies and documentaries that I highly recommend but couldn’t fit into actual posts:

Movies

Rustin (2023) – Centers on the life and work of activist Bayard Rustin as he worked to organize the March on Washington 

Nimona (2023) – An animated movie for younger audiences based off the graphic novel by N.D. Stevenson (the guy who directed the She-Ra reboot!). Very heartwarming, chaotic, and gay.

Pride (2014) – A group of gay and lesbian activists come together to support striking coal miners in Wales in 1984. Based on a true story!

Mutt (2023) – Trans-directed movie about a Latino trans man navigating complicated relationships with his younger sister, estranged father, and ex-boyfriend while trying to figure out his life. Warning: bittersweet ending, will make you sad.

Documentaries

Paris Is Burning (1990) – Documentary on Ballroom culture and the Black and Latinx people, especially transgender women, who found community in it

Disclosure (2020) – Trans actors, directors, and writers come together to discuss the way Hollywood has historically portrayed trans people. I learned a lot about my community from this.

How To Survive A Plague (2012) – A detailed exploration of the AIDS crisis with interviews from key figures.

The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson (2017) – An investigation into the life of activist and mother of the LGBTQ+ movement in the US, Marsha P. Johnson, and the cold case of her death.

I have a few ideas for the Issue Brief and want to ensure that the issues are manageable enough to discuss and have enough associated sources.

Idea 1: Public Library Underfunding

Public libraries serve as an important community resource across the United States. They promote literacy at all ages and opportunities to improve technological skills, provide a safe, free space with reliable Internet access, and may even host community events and discussions with local leadership. These programs are typically funded by the US government, and are included in the yearly budget resolution (ALA). This funding is supposed to be equitable across public libraries to minimize the amount of external fundraising they need to do. However, library budgets are often underfunded. In recent years, there have been additional attacks on public library funds from far-right organizations that disagree with the materials contained in libraries. As part of their censorship efforts, they campaign for defunding libraries that carry any “inappropriate” materials (Cineas). I will explore the various functions of public libraries and why government funding should continue, as well as how federal and local governments can bolster support for public libraries.

Idea 2: Affirmative Action

When affirmative action was overturned in 2023 by the Supreme Court, it reversed decades’ worth of progress in increasing the accessibility of higher education for racial minority groups. Race-conscious government policies like affirmative action acknowledge historical inequities like the legacy of slavery, colonization and forced relocation, and redlining practices that have prevented Black, Latinx, and Native American people from having equal access to higher education and accumulating generational wealth (Center for American Progress). While affirmative action on its own will not remedy the larger systemic issues at play, it still provides upward mobility for groups that have historically been underrepresented in universities, and ultimately, in the workforce. I will identify the main reasons that affirmative action was implemented and the inequities that make it continually necessary. I will argue for the reinstatement of some form of affirmative action and cover other options to make higher education more accessible for people in racial minority groups.

Idea 3: Data Collection About LGBTQ+ Communities

There has been a historical lack of data on the prevalence and needs of LGBTQ+ communities in the US due to high stigma and discriminatory policies. However, asking census questions that allow national organizations to collect data about the challenges facing sexual and gender diverse communities is crucial in policymaking, health care, and in advocating for LGBTQ+ equality. The inclusion of questions about gender and sexuality on the US census is a step in the right direction, and this is a policy that can be strengthened and developed in the future (File & Lee). According to the Center for American Progress, there is a need to include questions on sexual and gender diversity in general population surveys and surveys specific to the LGBTQ+ community. It is also important that LGBTQ+ individuals be involved in the creation of these surveys.

As seen from the previous posts, there is an extremely prevalent issue of educational censorship at local, state, and national levels. At this point, it is difficult to argue that educational censorship is not a political issue because of the number of “gag order” policies that have been proposed in recent years (ACLU). However, there is still the question of why this onslaught of bills has been proposed. This post aims to explore what political goals are being pushed forward through censorship.

The Anti-Public Education Movement

When books and curriculum are challenged, someone has to perform the task of revising or removing them. This often falls to teachers and staff, which becomes problematic when there is already a teacher shortage due to the COVID-19 pandemic and strains on the workforce. As the Center for American Progress explains, “These actions are part of anti-public-school policies and agendas, which have adverse impacts on the experiences of students who attend these schools. More recently, states such as Arizona and Tennessee have also resurrected former Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos’ privatization schemes and proposals to expand tax incentives that benefit private-school parents by passing voucher laws allowing parents to move their children into private school or other alternative schooling options with no accountability in accordance with Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) law” (Alleyne). Certain politicians use issues like race and LGBTQ+ topics to create division and prevent school communities from organizing to demand that every student get a quality education, and not just those with the wealth to attend private schools. DeVos is known for wanting to cut funding for public education, and wasting the already limited resources on curriculum censorship accomplishes this task by lowering the quality of education.

Right-Wing Election Politics

Issues of diversity make people angry. This is something that conservatives are well aware of, and the GOP is pushing these issues to the forefront in the 2024 election in order to rally support behind their candidates. Consider Ron DeSantis’ campaign speech to “stop woke” in Florida, or Christopher Rufo’s manufactured frenzy around critical race theory, calling it “the most successful counterattack against B[lack] L[ives] M[atter] as a political movement’” (ACLU). Many right-wing politicians have built their platforms off of opposing the rights of marginalized people, and this is a continuation of that. 

This has a historical precedent. In 1994, the Republican Party adopted the “Contract With America” as a legislative agenda to flip Congress in their favor during the next congressional election. This movement had strong ties to the Christian Coalition’s “Contract With The American Family”, as both of them made parental rights central to their political campaigns. During this era, politicians across the country ran on a premise of restoring parental rights and choice. This came to a head with Pat Buchanan’s 1996 presidential bid, where he promised that he would, “…shut down the U.S. Department of Education, and parental right will prevail in our public schools again” (Caruso). The same rhetoric was repeated in 2021, when Glenn Youngkin won the Virginia congressional seat on the premise of educational censorship by way of parents. As educational reporter Jennifer Berkshire commented, “In Youngkin’s upset win, the GOP saw its path to forever rule. And it was lined with angry parents” (Berkshire). In the following months, many states followed suit in creating educational gag orders. Educational censorship and parental rights in education are a means to political domination. 

Fascism

One of the most common signs of fascism is censorship, especially educational censorship. In Russia, Joseph Stalin was known for “revising” literature and altering photographs as part of the totalitarian regime. Mussolini’s Italy also created a centralized, state-controlled school system with a propaganda-based curriculum. During the Chinese Cultural Revolution, intellectuals were targeted under Maoist policies. In 1970s Cambodia, Pol Pot systematically eliminated the educated. And, perhaps most infamously, Hitler’s Nazi party instituted a new curriculum, systematically removed Jewish teachers and students, and burned any books that did not align with their belief system – notably the research of the Institut für Sexualwissenschaft (Medium). 

If censorship is not recognized for the reality of what it is, the consequences are grave. That is why it is so important to combat. Organizations like the ACLU and Human Rights Campaign are fighting to legally ensure that First Amendment rights are protected. Educators and advocates are speaking out about their experiences with censorship and combatting injustices in local districts. On an individual level, many libraries, schools, and other organizations that serve students have started “Banned Books Libraries” or book clubs, and promote learning about a variety of diverse perspectives. While it may be bleak to expect a fascist dystopia heralded by educational censorship, it’s important to know that there are still ways to prevent things from escalating by making our voices and perspectives heard despite those who would silence us.

Why are these two movies in the same post?

1. They’re both queer indie films written and directed by LGBTQ+ people that wound up on Netflix.

2. I (re)watched them again recently and love them so very much.

3. They fall into a genre I like to call “queer people being messy and making a found family with bittersweet endings.” Overly specific? Yes. It will make sense, I promise. So without further ado:

The Half of It

Written and directed by Alice Wu and starring Leah Lewis, Daniel Diemer, and Alexxis Lemire, this movie takes place in Squahamish, a fictional rural town in Washington. Protagonist Ellie Chu mostly spends her time alone caring for her widowed stationmaster father and writing homework for other students to make extra money. When football player and absolute himbo Paul Munsky asks her to write him a love letter he can give to Aster Flores, she grudgingly accepts so that she can pay her house’s electricity bill. She and Aster strike up a correspondence based around art and literature, and Ellie (sophisticated lesbian disaster that she is) falls in love with her, while her friendship with Paul grows stronger. The movie ends on a bittersweet note, with Ellie starting a new chapter in her life.

This movie is fundamentally about the friendship between Ellie and Paul. They balance each other out perfectly, with Ellie being deeply philosophical and cynical while Paul is a very sweet, sincere, and clueless person (he has such golden retriever energy). Their unlikely relationship and Paul’s acceptance of her lesbian identity despite the way he was raised resonates really deeply. It’s something they both really needed, as both of them felt out of place for very different reasons. Paul always got lost in the crowd of his family, while Ellie only really had her father and felt isolated from her community (plus, she and her dad are the only Asians for miles…). Found family and meeting kindred spirits is such an important aspect of many LGBTQ+ people’s experiences, and it tends to be less explored in many “mainstream” narratives. I also appreciate that the characters are still figuring themselves out, especially Paul and Aster. They’re still awkward teenagers learning about themselves and the world, and their uncertainty comes through in a very genuine, relatable way.

This film is witty, thought-provoking, and the cinematography (art!!) and sound design are incredibly immersive. This is the movie to watch when you’re looking for something both contemplative and sweet. Highly recommend it!

Runs In The Family

This South African movie was directed by Ian Gabriel, written by Gabe Gabriel and stars Ace Bhatti, Kathleen Stephens, and Gabe Gabriel (a double threat!). It centers on the relationship between ex-conman Varun and his son River as they go on a road trip to break Varun’s ex-girlfriend Monica out of rehab in Eswatini in time for River to make it to a drag competition so that he can afford top surgery. If this seems like a wild synopsis, know that it doesn’t even come close to doing this movie justice. It’s a wild ride of heists, plots, romance, drama, and so, so much beautiful drag. The film has a mostly happy but slightly bittersweet ending with tons of queer joy.

The core of this film is the beautiful relationship between River and Varun. From the beginning, Varun is unconditionally supportive of his son’s identity and interests and works hard to make sure he knows it. River is very self-assured and a bit stubborn, and tends to clash with his father over it. Together, they navigate complex feelings toward Monica, who abandoned their family when River was a baby. I don’t want to spoil the ending of this film because you should definitely watch it (support trans creators!) but the extent to which Varun will go for his son is really touching and they share a lot of wonderful moments bonding over what it means to be a good man.

In terms of representation, I think the film does a fantastic job portraying the messy realities and freedom of queerness. There are moments that represent the difficult and dangerous facets of simply existing as a trans person (like the narrative about affording top surgery, which is ludicrously expensive). But for all of these moments, there are even more that focus on joy. River is deeply confident in his identity and relationship to drag as a gay trans man, and his best friend (and secret love!) Ollie is equally comfortable in their nonbinary-ness. All due credit to the people involved in the writing and acting process; it’s really wonderful to see multiple queer trans characters of color form friendships and family. Further, drag is treated as an art form and showcased in all its beauty, and trans identity is celebrated as a part of that. All of the queens who are part of the drag show are absolutely gorgeous. Overall, this is a heartfelt, hilarious, and wonderful film. Do yourself a favor and give it a watch!

(Also, Varun’s dad jokes are peak humor and should be appreciated as such, so if nothing else, watch it for that)

This post will explore what’s being banned today in schools, and what the most common justifications are for it. I will be discussing literature, sex education, and critical race theory. 

Literature

Here is the American Library Association’s list of most banned books in 2022: Link

If you take a cursory glance at the titles and reasons for banning, you’ll start to see a theme. All of them have bans for being sexually explicit, most of them contain LGBTQ+ content, and many of them have BIPOC protagonists. This interactive map documents the bans per state in 2022 and provides examples of other media that challengers have attempted to censor. On a list of common reasons for book censorship, topics include racial issues, encouragement of “damaging” lifestyles (cohabitation without marriage, homosexuality, etc), “blasphemous” dialogue, sexual situations/dialogue/education, and age inappropriateness (Butler University).

In addition to the number of bans increasing, the ALA documents that, “…in 2022, 90% of reported book challenges were demands to censor multiple titles – and of those demands to censor library books, 40% sought to remove or restrict more than 100 books all at once.” This is concerning because it indicates a mass effort to censor literature that contains a diversity of perspectives and representation. This means that students who are part of marginalized groups may feel isolated and lack a sense of belonging, and it can also foster intolerance among other students who see these titles being removed.

Sexuality Education

Education on sexuality has long been contested. This was even more of a concern in the 1990s, where there were efforts to remove sex ed. from schools entirely, but there is still a lack of comprehensive education on sex and health. According to Planned Parenthood, today, 39 states and the District of Columbia require that HIV and/or sex education is covered in school, but they are not required to provide medically accurate information and often stress abstinence instead of teaching about these topics.

Lawmakers are often the ones who decide how sexual education is taught in schools rather than instructors or schools. This means that they have the power not to mandate the teaching of certain topics or to ban them altogether. For example, “While 37 states have laws requiring that abstinence is included in sex education, only 18 states require educators to also share information about birth control” (Planned Parenthood). Especially in a post Roe v. Wade nation, not discussing birth control, contraception, and abortion is censorship by omission and could have dangerous ramifications for young people. Additionally, “Six southern states either prohibit sex educators from discussing (or even answering questions about) LGBTQ+ identities and relationships, or actually require sex educators to frame LGBTQ+ identities and relationships negatively.” These laws actively stigmatize LGBTQ+ youth and put them at greater risk for STIs, unwanted pregnancy, and unhealthy or abusive relationships. 

Critical race theory

Critical race theory was developed in the 1980s, but only gained the attention of conservatives recently. After the murder of George Floyd in 2020, the United States faced a “racial reckoning”. In September of that year, Christopher Rufo did an interview on Fox News with Tucker Carlson condemning Critical Race Theory. A few days later, President Trump released a memo warning against CRT being taught in schools, causing a nationwide panic. As of February 2022, 36 states have placed restrictions on how race and racism are taught in schools.

However, CRT has been grossly misconstrued. According to Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw, law professor and pioneer of critical race theory, “It is a way of seeing, attending to, accounting for, tracing and analyzing…the ways that racial inequality is facilitated, and the ways that our history has created these inequalities.” CRT was not created for the purpose of making white people ashamed of their history, it is based on analyzing racial inequality through a critical lens and bringing attention to the ways in which American society was founded on racism. The panic that has accompanied it is a deliberate effort to censor Black history. It is important to note that despite the conservative fixation on CRT, only the North Dakota and Idaho bills directly mentioned it. The rest focus on banning “ the discussion, training, and/or orientation that the U.S. is inherently racist as well as any discussions about conscious and unconscious bias, privilege, discrimination, and oppression” (Ray & Gibbons). This actively works against teaching about racial equity, meaning that students without this education will not have a strong understanding of the history of race in America and may be more likely to internalize bigotry due to ignorance. Instead, their education will be coming from those who have grown up with inaccurate views shaped by revisionist narratives popularized by the United Daughters of the Confederacy. The attacks on Critical Race Theory are so insidious because they attempt to erase Black history and culture and elevate whiteness once again. 

Overall Thoughts

It is important to know what is being censored, because it gives us an idea of what values the censoring parties are trying to uphold. From the examples given, it is obvious that they are driven by fear and a need to maintain the status quo by erasing marginalized groups and denying their rights and humanity. Next week, I will examine how this kind of censorship plays a larger role in political movements, and how it can be a gateway into fascist dictatorship.

 A Short Explanation…

Okay, so here’s the deal. I originally had a very different lineup of movies planned out to review. I was all set to talk about movies with… mediocre representation, tear into Love, Simon and The Prom, etc. when I realized that would not be fun for me or helpful for my audience. There are always going to be people examining the problematic tropes and issues associated with LGBTQ+ representation who can articulate it better than me, with less bitterness. I don’t imagine anyone would have a good time listening to me rant about every little thing in those movies that bothers me, especially because every movie with genuine intentions to represent LGBTQ+ people has the potential to be meaningful to someone. So, if you would like to learn more about common issues with queer movies and narratives, this video series by Rowan Ellis does a fantastic job of explaining them. What I would like to do on this blog is celebrate movies that I actually enjoy and think you should watch. And because there are so many of them, I’ll be talking about them two at a time from now on!

This week’s movies are both Hindi films from Bollywood. In 1864, while India was under British rule, the Indian Penal Code maintained Law 377, which criminalized same-sex relationships. This law fostered an environment of ignorance and bigotry, especially in rural areas. However, on September 8, 2018, the Indian Supreme Court ruled this section unconstitutional, decriminalizing homosexuality. There have been significant shifts in thinking as a result, and although change is slow, the fact that there are Bollywood movies with central queer characters indicates major progress.

Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga (How I Felt When I Saw That Girl)

Directed by Shelly Chopra Dhar, and starring Sonam Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao, and Regina Cassandra, this Hindi-language movie is set in the town of Moga, Punjab. It centers on the story of Sweety Chaudhary, a young woman whose parents are insistent that she find a nice Hindu boy to marry. When she meets Sahil, a Muslim playwright, he falls head over heels for her. However, Sweety is actually in love with a woman named Kuhu and when Sahil finds out, he helps her navigate her family and sexuality. There is family drama, romance, acceptance, and of course a showy and colorful dance number.

This was the first Bollywood film to feature a central gay relationship. While the film does have some issues in terms of accurately portraying the reaction that a small town may have to a gay relationship, it depicts an idealist vision of how people could grow to be accepting and gives Sweety and Kuhu a happy ending. This film is also centered more on the story of Sahil and Sweety’s relationship than the romance, but it is still a core element of the film. Although there are definitely areas for improvement, this is a wonderful start for LGBTQ+ representation in Bollywood.

I personally love this movie because it takes all the classic elements of a Bollywood movie and incorporates a queer love story without compromising the light tone. The cast is wonderful and gorgeous, the fashion and set design is really vibrant, and the production team does a great job making it feel like it takes place in a small, rural town. It’s definitely a feel-good movie while addressing some heavier topics. There’s a lot of debate over whether it’s actually a good movie, but what I can say is that it’s fun and I liked it a lot.

Badhaai Do

[The production company wouldn’t let me insert the trailer, so here’s the link]

This movie was directed by Harshavardhan Kulkarni and stars Rajkummar Rao (yes, the same one), Bhumi Pednekar, and Chum Darang. It centers on Shardul and Suman, who are both gay and are facing pressure from their traditional families to get married. When Shardul realizes that Suman is also gay, he proposes a marriage of convenience. Tensions rise when Suman falls in love with Rimjhim, who pushes her to accept herself and be more open about her identity while Shardul is still repressing his identity out of fear (much to the chagrin of his boyfriend). Family drama ensues, and eventually they find their way into a happy ending.

The tone of this movie is more serious than “How I Felt When I Saw That Girl”. The fear of being outed is extremely pervasive, especially since Shardul is in the police force, which has a very macho culture, and Suman is a teacher and could lose her job. Discriminatory laws, like the one preventing gay people from adopting children, also play a large role. Unlike the other film, people are not immediately accepting. The film also deals with how people can be affected by hiding a large piece of their identity, especially in terms of mental health and lashing out. Shardul especially does some reprehensible things out of fear and anger, but he adopts a healthier mindset by the end of the movie and works to repair the harm he’s done.

It’s really significant that this movie ends happily. Suman and Rimjhim end up together and get to fulfill their dream of starting a family, and Shardul is able to be open about his sexuality and relationship. Their families start on the slow process to acceptance. It’s the ending that makes me love this film so much. There’s a song written especially for this movie, Hum Rang Hai, and the scene it plays in brings me so much joy. I hadn’t really seen a Pride parade in India before (It’s kind of silly, but I wasn’t sure it was possible), and this inspired a lot of hope. 

There have been other Bollywood films with LGBTQ+ themes in recent years (here’s a whole list!) andI’m so grateful that people are able to make them. Movies like these show that progress is possible and imminent, and more are sorely needed.

Thanks for reading through this extremely long post and indulging me. I hope you enjoyed it! See you next week!

The history of educational censorship in the United States is long and convoluted. Dating back to the First Amendment of the US Constitution, Americans are guaranteed, “Congress shall make no law…abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.” This set a precedent for the value of freedom of thought in various public forums, including education. While education was still mostly privatized, there were few challenges to freedom of speech within schools and efforts to censor curriculum because wealthy parents had ultimate control over what their children were learning in private schools, and lower classes didn’t have the time or means to contest public school content. However, when public education spread across the country in the aftermath of the industrial revolution and child labor laws, issues of censorship and free speech started to emerge (Paterson).

In the South following the American Civil War, there was a mass effort to rewrite and restrict the teaching of history. This was pioneered by the United Daughters of the Confederacy, who identified as the descendants of Southern Confederate soldiers. They were extremely successful in banning textbooks that contained accurate portrayals of slavery or that criticized Southern Civil War leaders, and were instrumental in creating a false “lost cause” mythology romanticizing Southern practices of plantation ownership and slavery (Halterman). In effect, accurate accounts of the Civil War were censored to preserve Southern pride. 

Educational censorship has carried bigoted sentiments in other cases as well. The 1925 Supreme Court case Meyer v. Nebraska cemented the right of schools to teach foreign languages as part of their curriculum in response to a Nebraska law that prevented German from being taught in schools in the wake of World War I as a method of reinforcing cultural purity in America. A similar law in Hawaii that prevented Japanese from being taught was overturned in 1927 in Farrington v. Tokushige. Further panic over American students being exposed to foreign ideas took hold in the “Red Scare” 1950s, where there was a concentrated effort to avoid teaching students about alternative forms of government.

In many examples of educational censorship, there is an underlying current of fear. One of the most significant cases regarding censorship of curriculum and school libraries is Board of Education, Island Trees Union Free School District No. 26 v. Pico (1982). In it, members of the school board voted to remove a series of books from the school library for being “un-American”. A group of students sued on the basis of the 1st Amendment, and the Supreme Court ruled that, “…local school boards may not remove books from school library shelves simply because they dislike the ideas contained in those books and seek by their removal to ‘prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion’” (Justia). This precedent has since been upheld in cases like Counts v. Cedarville School District (2003).

However, the actions of various school districts and counties do not reflect this. There has been a growing movement for Parental Rights in Education, which claims that parents should have greater influence over public school curriculum in order to prevent their children from being exposed to content they do not wish for them to learn. In practice, this movement has been used to censor the perspectives of marginalized groups. This was seen in Anita Bryant’s 1977 campaign, “Save Our Children”, which targeted a nondiscrimination bill in Dade County, Miami, FL. The campaign aimed to prevent LGBTQ+ individuals from becoming teachers in order to “protect children” from their influence. In a similar vein, in 1993, the New York City School Board Chancellor, Joseph Fernandez, was ousted from his office after attempting to implement a “Rainbow Curriculum” in NYC public schools that included material preaching tolerance for LGBTQ+ people (Caruso). These are just a few examples of angry conservatives and parents effectively censoring curriculum and removing diverse perspectives due to “moral objections” that have given way to the onslaught of Parental Rights bills we now face.

We still see all of these things today with attempts to censor educational material surrounding the Holocaust, climate change, Critical Race Theory and systemic racism, and LGBTQ+ literature. Proposed Parental Rights bills in states like TX, MO, VA, FL, MT, IN, IA, GA, and PA aim to do the same things that the board in Island Trees or the United Daughters of the Confederacy did. Throughout history, censorship has reflected a fear of narratives that empower the marginalized, and this is still true. That is why it is so important to combat.

Welcome to my first passion blog post! The theme I chose is reviewing LGBTQ+ movies. Whether you’re a part of the community or not, I hope you’ll still enjoy reading about these films, and if you’re so inclined, go and watch them! I want to show that there is something valuable within all of these films. 

I wanted to start off with one of my personal favorites, But I’m A Cheerleader. The movie, released in 1999 and directed by Jamie Babbit, centers around Megan (Natasha Lyonne), a teenage cheerleader who is sent to a “rehab” camp after her parents begin to suspect that she’s a lesbian. While at the camp, she bonds with sarcastic Graham (Clea DuVall) and begins to realize that what she wants for her life is not what she originally thought. 

The movie has a very campy aesthetic in its script and set design, and fits into a long tradition of campy queer movies. The writing is dramatic, exaggerated, and incredibly funny, and the cast definitely does it justice. The design of the conversion camp, True Directions, is also very tongue-in-cheek, and the writers manage to navigate the delicate balance of satirizing the premise of conversion therapy (“therapy” intended to make someone straight through aversive conditioning) while acknowledging how damaging it is to LGBTQ+ youth’s mental and physical health and that it doesn’t work. The movie centers more on queer joy than suffering, and has a happy ending for the main cast of characters. Plus, happy endgame lesbians!! The couples in this movie, but especially the main girls, are very cute, and have great chemistry. Their love story is really heartwarming.

Overall, the tone of the movie is fairly light. However, the movie is R rated, largely because there is profanity and some slurs against gay people used. There are also some references to sex that put it in the adult category. Please take note of this if you plan on watching this movie and are sensitive to this kind of language.

This movie means a lot to me, since it was the first movie I saw that centered on LGBTQ+ characters. When I first watched it, I had just come out to myself as queer but wasn’t ready to be out to my family. I shared all my streaming services with them and didn’t want them to see that I watched something with queer characters in it (even though they probably wouldn’t have noticed…). Either way, But I’m A Cheerleader was free on YouTube, and so I could watch it as many times as I wanted. It made my gay little heart so happy. 

Anyways, I highly recommend this movie. It’s hilarious, heartfelt, and so amazingly gay. If you’ve seen it before, let me know your thoughts, and if not, I urge you to watch it! It’s available on YouTube (watch it here!) and Amazon Prime, as well as some other platforms. I’ll catch you all next week!

For my Civic Issues blog this semester, I will be discussing censorship in the American K-12 education system. I will be covering the history of censorship in American education, movements associated with it, issues of social justice and omission of diverse perspectives, and what can be done to fight against unjust censorship.

What is Censorship?

According to The American Association of School Administrators (AASA), educational censorship is “[T]he removal, suppression, or restricted circulation of literary, artistic, or educational materials — of images, ideas, and information — on the grounds that these are morally or otherwise objectionable in light of standards applied by the censor.” They specify that, “…censorship rests on an exclusion of materials, while selection involves an inclusion of materials carried out by trained professionals, familiar with the wide variety of available choices and guided by a clear grasp of the educational purposes to be fulfilled” (Miner).

Censorship can be a localized issue, but it can also span to national levels. Challenges to school materials generally occur on three levels: parents who do not want their child exposed to specific materials, school officials who argue that no one in their class, school, or district should be exposed to certain content, and organized campaigns (local or national) who challenge content to make a broader political point. Most recently, there have been censorship attempts by state officials who have passed legislation to prevent the teaching of specific topics state-wide. The most well-known example of this is Florida governor Ron DeSantis’ passage of the Parental Rights in Education Bill (colloquially known as the Don’t Say Gay bill) in March 2022. Bills like this one as well as the failed Stop W.O.K.E bill, censor education surrounding LGBTQ+ topics, racial justice and slavery, and white supremacy (ACLU). 

The Dangers of Educational Censorship

These legislative efforts to censor “controversial” topics pose a significant threat to students’ freedom to learn accurate history and freely access literature. These bills, which PEN America calls Educational Intimidation Bills, “do not constitute direct forms of censorship or curricular prohibitions. But they facilitate the conditions for a chilled climate in public education by radically expanding avenues for parents, government officials, and citizens to intervene in curricular and extracurricular decisions in public K–12 schools.” (PEN America). In other words, these bills allow for legal censorship by allowing a greater number of individuals to decide what gets taught to students. The number of bills attempting to restrict educational liberty in this way has increased dramatically in recent years. PEN America states, “392 of them [were] introduced between January 2021 and June 2023, 39 of which have passed into law.” The below chart indicates what these policies allow for:

What is especially important to note is that these laws specifically target marginalized groups. Many censorship attempts in K-12 education focus specifically on erasing LGBTQ+ identities and issues of race and equity. This often means teaching a “revised” version of history that ignores systemic inequalities and can stigmatize BIPOC and LGBTQ+ students by denying them representation. This also spreads dangerous information to young people, creating an educational bias that allows yet another generation that refuses to acknowledge important issues of justice, as well as issues like climate change. 

Censorship of any kind is reason to be suspect, but educational censorship is an incredibly potent tool for disseminating propaganda and pushing ignorance in service of a sociopolitical agenda. This is a significant threat to the principles of public education; every student receives a standardized, accurate, quality education.

In my next post, I will explore the history of educational censorship and its ties to “parental rights in education” movements.

Where I’m From:

I am from fireflies in the front lawn and dark amber sunsets.

I am from woods that are far too small to be a forest,

Stardust and rotting gardens and offered epithets

Of being an “old, lonely soul” (thank you, Doris).

I am from long, winding walks and short, simple stories,

Well-loved bookshelves and blurred chalkboard memories

Eloquent academics preoccupied with mathematic civics,

I’m from desperate declarations of belonging through lyrics.

I’m from Christmas carols that taste like plastic,

Fake trees, Thanksgiving without turkey, wholehearted mimics

I’m from diyas on the sidewalk, fireworks in November,

Braided hair and sweet coconut as far back as I remember.

I’m the elusive sound of my mother’s singing (just for me)

I’m W’s shaped into V’s, my grandfather’s old CDs.

I’m from hastily scratched pencil-mark hyphens,

Suits and chudidars, difference lost in the moment

I’m from bright colors, powder and silk,

From saris and nutmeg and chai with milk

I’m from sun-kissed bare feet and warm brown skin,

Basil plants thriving in my grandmother’s garden.

I’m from fingernail-sized snails nestled in the dirt,

Wild blackberries in the backyard, thorns unearthed

By scratched, triumphant hands, clutching their prize

Just a handful between my sister and I

Yet somehow neither of us managed to mind.

I’m from the sharing of a peeled orange

Late afternoons spent with friends

Little gifts, paper cranes, colored sand

I’m from the joy in mundanity

The immigrant love for simplicity, the implicit

Permission to stay up turning pages through the night,

Flashlight clutched tight until the dawn’s amber light.