Due to a lack of LGBTQ representation in California’s textbooks, the state board of education is looking into a new policy of recommending history textbooks that include “fair, accurate, inclusive, and respectful representations” of LGBTQ people. This is a huge step towards improving LGBTQ visibility in the state by lifting the veil on the community’s historical contributions.
The California State Board of Education has also been a leader in inclusivity by featuring LGBTQ-themed literature on its recommended reading lists. But a 2013 tally found it has only 32 LGBTQ-themed publications on its list of over 7,800 books. So, while the state is making steps toward inclusivity, it still has more work to do. If California, or any other states, are looking for another title to add to their reading lists, there’s a new book in the works that’d be perfect.
Authors Jaimee Poipoi, Adam Reynolds, and Chaz Harris wrote a children’s book called “Maiden Voyage.” It’s a lesbian love story centered around a fisherman’s daughter with a treasure map. Harris and Reynolds previously collaborated on another groundbreaking book, “Promised Land,” a gay love story about a farmer’s son and a prince. The authors have launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for the new book, and it’s caught the attention of two prominent gay actors — George Takei and Sir Ian McKellen.
“The media we experience as children informs the way we see the world and the way we see ourselves,” Harris told The Huffington Post. “Globally, [the LGBTQ community has] some of the highest suicide rates and our youth are often most at risk as they continue to experience bullying. We came to the conclusion that what we’ve been doing so far is a band-aid approach, it’s not focusing on the causes, but the result. ... Visibility and representation in storytelling is hugely important because if we don’t see ourselves in stories, we don’t see ourselves in the world.”