Published on April 5, 2024, 1:01 am

The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)— a significant professional development organization in the United States with over 25,000 members— has recently hosted an online training session aimed at educating K-12 teachers on how to address the controversial book “Gender Queer” in their classrooms, libraries, and local communities. This news signifies a significant turning point in the national education scenario and met polarizing reviews across communities.

As per the trusted news sources, the NCTE organized a panel discussion as part of this seminar which included Maia Kobabe, the author of “Gender Queer,” alongside other experts from their LGBTQIA+ Advisory Committee. Their primary aim was to discuss plausible ways to weave this contentious book into the conventional school curriculum.

According to NCTE’s portrayal of the panel members for this January 25 event, they have substantial experience and expertise in queer and trans pedagogies within schools and teacher education mechanisms. This aspect highlights a current trend wherein educators are increasingly integrating gender inclusivity elements into modern teaching methodologies.

Contrary to real news reports that initially stated “Gender Queer” wasn’t part-and-parcel of any classroom teaching methods but merely a library book available for students’ leisure reading— fast-forwarding two years reveal it transforming into an integral part of gender-affirming teaching protocols.

Discussing further about “Gender Queer,” it comes as a memoir developed emulating comic-book or graphic novel style. It is laden with anecdotal coverage surrounding minors participating in sexual acts while exploring the author’s sexuality quirky nuances like fantasizing about an underage child performing oral sex on an elderly man.

Even though public school authorities nationwide have shrugged off multiple pleas aiming to remove “Gender Queer” from libraries and classrooms citing inappropriate content coupled with negligible educational weightage, resistance continues. Parents and activists voicing out dissatisfaction over excerpts from this book at school board meetings have been abruptly stopped by committee members contending its public reading as unsuitable.

As an effect of the rising controversy over this book’s troubling content, several schools nationwide and states have taken harsh measures, including banning it entirely from school premises and restricting lessons on sexuality and gender identity until third grade level. Amidst this scenario involving censorship and book banning waves, NCTE defends these actions as misinterpretations originating from parents taking Kobabe’s memoir out of context.

Moreover, education expert Daniel Buck points that “Gender Queer” is not just located within multiple public libraries but has now become a staple part for many teachers’ curriculum— a move catalyzed by their implementation throughout classroom sessions.

Adding another layer to this intricate discussion, Maia Kobabe admitted last September about her book’s inappropriateness for children. Still, she went back to counseling teachers on integrating her graphic novel into their regular classroom lessons.

NCTE’s continuous efforts serving liberal activism circles nationally have seen them beginning an annual convention in November that indirectly referenced Hamas’ brutal terror attacks that killed over 1,200 individuals in Israel the previous year. Furthermore, numerous officials at the convention were more concerned with leveraging critical race theory rather than effectively teaching English or tackling United States’ illiteracy crisis— a cue founded upon their support for decolonization and termination of white mainstream English.

Despite repeated attempts from numerous journalists seeking clarification on NCTE’s educational agenda reflected throughout these controversial practices, substantial responses remain elusive to date.