An Illinois school district canceled an author’s visit to an elementary school to talk about her new book on the childhoods of 16 famous activists (among them Martin Luther King, Jr. and Alexander Hamilton), because a parent complained that one of the activists included was Harvey Milk, says the author.
In early October, Robin Stevenson was set to visit Longfellow Elementary School in Wheaton, Illinois, as part of a book tour for her new title, Kid Activists
Other LGBTQ people mentioned in Kid Activists are director, producer, and transgender activist Janet Mock and lesbian activists Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin. The Illinois parent did not apparently mention them in the complaint. (My guess is that this is because the person did not read the book; only Milk appears on the cover.)
Robin Stevenson. Photo credit: Stephanie Hull, Centric PhotographyStevenson’s letter continued:
This action sends a very harmful message to students, particularly students who are themselves LGBTQ+ or have family members who are part of the LGBTQ+ community. It says that their lives can’t be talked about, that their very existence is seen as shameful or dangerous. It says that no matter how significant their accomplishments, or how much they contribute to the world, they can be erased and made invisible because of who they are. It reinforces ignorance and bigotry. It undermines the school’s efforts to encourage all students to act with empathy and understanding. It perpetuates homophobia and promotes silencing, shaming, and discrimination.
The impact of your decision is real, immediate, and distressing: students in your district have been hurt by your actions. Two weeks after this happened, one of them reached out to me. They wrote that they had been thinking about finally coming out, but as a result of homophobic comments made by adults in their community regarding my book and canceled visit, they are now feeling apprehensive and afraid to do so. I hope this concerns you as much as it does me.
School districts should support schools working towards inclusion, she said, especially because next year, Illinois schools will be required by law to include lessons about the contributions of LGBTQ people to U.S. history. She then suggested a number of different ways the school might have responded to the parent’s complaint:
You could have told this parent that Harvey Milk is an important American historical figure who is widely recognized for his service and his significant contributions to the country before his assassination at the age of 48. In fact, numerous streets in several states, an airport terminal, and a U.S. Navy ship are named for him, as are at least two schools. You could have explained that an inclusive curriculum is important and shared research findings from GLSEN that support this. You could have talked about why human rights, diversity, and activism are essential issues for students to learn about. And you could have, of course, reminded the parent that they were free to opt their own child out of the talk if they disagreed.
Stevenson told me in a text message that after she sent the letter, she got an e-mail from the district superintendent referring her to the assistant superintendent who works with the district’s elementary schools. She has e-mailed him but not heard back as of this writing.
Stevenson, a queer mom herself who lives in British Columbia with her partner and their son, is the author of numerous books for all ages, including Pride Colors
Superintendent Schuler’s e-mail address is jeff.schuler@cusd200.org. Assistant Superintendent for Student Services Chris Silagi, who oversees the elementary schools according to the district website, is at christopher.silagi@cusd200.org. The Board of Education for Community Unit School District 200 may be reached at board@cusd200.org.
UPDATE, November 7: The district has responded with a statement saying in part:
The day before the author’s visit, a parent contacted Longfellow Administration with concerns about the process we utilize to inform parents about author visits and the contents of the presentation and promotion. It was at that time Administration was informed that the school did not communicate to Longfellow parents information about the content of the book being presented and promoted by the author. As a result, parents/guardians were not provided a sufficient opportunity to review the information and determine whether they wanted their child to participate in the program. Parents were only informed of the author’s visit, not the content of the book, presentation and promotion.
There has been discussion in the community about the reason the author’s visit was canceled. The event was not canceled because of a specific character in the book; the event was canceled based on the lack of appropriate notification of the author’s visit.
It also said, “We look forward to speaking with the author and discussing the possibility of scheduling a visit to our school community in the future.”
Stevenson told me via text message after the district issued its statement that she has heard privately from district employees who said they were told the talk was “too controversial.” She also noted:
I have heard from parents whose children had the opportunity to pre-order the book in advance of my talk, so it seems to me that there was ample opportunity for parents to read about the book on which the presentation was based. I do not think that the fact the one of the activists in the book was gay should require a specific parental notification—unless the school also plans to warn parents whenever they talk about historical figures that were heterosexual.
[UPDATE, November 13, 2019, 3:50 p.m.: Stevenson today tweeted an image of the flyer that went out to parents before her talk, and which clearly shows Harvey Milk on the cover, waving a rainbow flag. It also mentions both Milk and Janet Mock as being among the people profiled in the book.]
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