An argument for educating on LGBTQ+ issues

Welcome to another installment of Better Bickering, the series in which I take a popular controversial topic and analyze it from each side of the issue. Through this process I hope we can all learn to understand opposing perspectives better, and that we can all strive to argue to learn instead of to win.

This week I would like to discuss the schism in conversation about lgbtq, queer and trans issues. In the past few weeks I have seen strong opposition to education of queer issues to our children. To that I have to say that there is a difference between education and indoctrination. No one is advocating for indoctrination, no one wants to force identity onto children, but a good education is absolutely necessary to be a well rounded
member of society. Regardless of if you disagree with a perspective or way of thinking, there is no benefit to ignorance about it. We gain nothing from ignorance, individually or societally. But education does not mean indoctrination.

Let’s say a Christian student is sitting in school and a Muslim woman or a Jewish man comes into the classroom to teach about their given religion. That Christian child is not going to immediately convert after learning about a new religion for the first time, it just doesn’t work that way. That child will leave with a greater understanding of the world we live in, but it in no way means their identity will change.

The same holds true for education about queer and trans issues. It is harmful to the education of our children to leave out important parts of the exploration of their identities and of the world, and it is ridiculous to disallow queer and trans people to play a role in our education system. There have been queer and trans people for as long as we have been recording history. They are not a new development and they certainly aren’t going to suddenly disappear. Failing to properly educate our children will do nothing but poorly equip them to live in a world in which not everyone is exactly the same.

On top of that, if a child is going to be different from the majority, if they are going to be gay or bi or trans or non-binary, they are going to be different whether or not they understand how they are different. By not educating our children about alternative ways that people can and do live, we are potentially depriving our children of an understanding of their own identities. That will not lead to the differences going away, it will just cause ignorance and poorly understood emotions. That can lead to toxic relationships, depression, or other mental health issues. Once again, ignorance only hurts us as individuals and as a society.

We can disagree about the proper ways to live our lives, about what is right and wrong, what should and shouldn’t be legal. That sort of disagreement is necessary for a healthy society. But what we cannot do is hide under the covers and pretend something isn’t there when it is. Our children will inherit the world, it will be up to us and to them to make it the place we want to live in. We cannot do that if we pretend that some things simply don’t exist. We do not live in a vacuum, we can only build a strong society together, as one people, not ignoring our differences or our conflicts, but leaning into them to find the best path forward. And that fundamentally requires a proper education about the world and everyone in it, and a willingness to always keep learning.

If you want to send in your opinions about queer, trans, or lgbtq issues or suggest issues you want to see evaluated in a future installment please email any and all thoughts to me at wflannery001@csbsju.edu. I thank you all for reading and I hope you will all strive to argue to learn rather than to win.

As an addendum to this week’s article I recommend the book High Conflict by Amanda Ripley. It is a masterwork of navigating unhealthy conflict in every aspect of life. If you want to learn how to keep conflict
healthy, or how to have fruitful discussions with people you disagree with, give it a read.