As states continue to censor any mention of LGBTQ+ identities in educational and public spaces, a teacher who got fired for reading an LGBTQ+ book is receiving help from the Department of Justice (DOJ) and 16 states. LGBTQ Nation reported last week that two amicus briefs were filed by the DOJ and 16 different state attorneys general after a Georgia teacher was fired from her post at a public school for reading the book “My Shadow is Purple” by Scott Stuart to her class at Due West Elementary School in March of 2023. The book, which was included in the selection at the school’s Scholastic Book Fair, is about a gender non-conforming child being true to themself.
Amicus briefs or “friend-of-the-court” briefs are legal documents that are submitted to a court by individuals or groups not involved with the case directly. Fifth-grade teacher Katherine Rinderle filed the lawsuit in February this year under Title IX, a law banning discrimination on the basis of sex in educational settings. According to LGBTQ Nation, under Biden’s administration, Title IX has beenextended to include a ban on anti-LGBTQ+ education, as sex and LGBTQ+ identities are linked.
States backing Rinderle include: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon and Vermont – each claiming they do not support the school district’s policies on censorship.
Overall, the states argue that the school’s policies are harmful to LGBTQ+ students, citing research studies from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Cornell University, Michigan Department of Education, and GLSEN. These studies highlight that queer youth are at greater risk for bullying and consequently mental health complications than heterosexual and cis counterparts.
“Amici States also recognize the indisputable fact that LGBTQ people are part of American life and therefore include LGBTQ experiences and contributions in history and social studies education,” the states write in their brief. “By statute, seven Amici States have promulgated history or social studies curricular requirements relating to LGBTQ Americans. Other Amici States have undertaken similar efforts to update curricular standards to include LGBTQ people.”
