MHS will begin offering a variety of ethnic studies courses next school year, one of these classes being ethnic studies LGBTQ+, Assistant Principal Jonathan Mach said.
However, starting with the class of 2030, all high school students in California will be required to take a one-semester ethnic studies course, according to EdSource.
According to the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum by the California Department of Education, an ethnic studies course must be “addressing racialized experiences and ethnic differences as real and unique.”
Ethnic studies LGBTQ+ is meant to focus particularly on LGBTQ+ studies, while the ethnic studies class covers a broader range of topics relating to diversity, said English teacher Brett Webber, who will teach the ethnic studies LGBTQ+ class next year.
“Ethnicity is what makes up us, our diversity as humans, and for some people, LGBTQ is what makes them up,” Webber said. “It is a part of their diversity and part of their identity. That’s how I see (the class) fitting into ethnic studies.”
According to the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum, “ethnic studies courses may take several forms. However, central to any ethnic studies course is the historic struggle of communities of color, taking into account the intersectionality of identity (gender, class, sexuality, among others), to challenge racism, discrimination, and oppression and interrogate the systems that continue to perpetuate inequality.”
Ethnic studies LGBTQ+ can be a great way for students to learn about and develop a greater understanding of the LGBTQ+ community’s history and experiences, Mach said.
“In every single culture, there is an understanding of the LGBTQ community,” Mach said. “That understanding is very long and rich in each one of the races or ethnicities, but the way they approach this versus where it came to be can be very similar and can be very different. So, if all of us are facing it, wouldn’t it be an ethnic studies discussion?”
The course will consist of LGBTQ+ literature, the contributions of LGBTQ+ people to history, and the advancement of LGBTQ+ rights both in the U.S. and internationally, Webber said. Hopefully, students will be able to become more open-minded after taking this course, he added.
“The overall purpose is education—understanding the world, understanding the culture in which we live,” Webber said. “The more we can reach an understanding of each other, how the world operates, how we all operate with different cultures, (and) different ways of thinking, (the more) that helps us in education.”
Sophomore Edwin Rivera, who is a part of the LGBTQ+ community, believes that the course should teach students about how that community gained prominence in society, he said.
“The addition of this class makes me feel more respected knowing that the community I’m in is getting fair treatment,” Rivera said.
Because ethnic studies LGBTQ+ is an elective class, Webber believes it should be both interesting and fun with minimal homework, he said.
“There are three six-weeks (in a semester), and the first six weeks is going to be studying the history,” Webber said. “The second six weeks is going to be project-based, where we’re going to research an event or a person from history who is LGBTQ or an event in the LGBTQ rights, so it could be evolution of gay marriage, Stonewall riots, anything that could be interesting. And then in the third six weeks, we’re going to read a novel.”
Although Rivera didn’t sign up to take ethnic studies LGBTQ+, the addition of this class promotes inclusivity and would benefit students who aren’t educated on these matters, he said.
“I feel like I’m not really suited to put myself out there too much because I’m happy for who I am, and some people might bring that down,” Rivera said. “But that doesn’t stop me from being who I am.”
The ethnic studies LGBTQ+ course was proposed by Webber in November 2023 and quickly got the Curriculum Policy Council’s approval to fulfill G credits for A-G requirements, Mach said.
“I had been thinking about it for four or five years,” Webber said. “I didn’t really verbalize it until admin called for what they call passion projects—things that make us excited, things that would make us want to teach something.”
Hopefully, even more ethnic studies classes will be added within the next few years, Webber said.
“I think everything is an important part of history in education,” Webber said. “There are so many things that you could study. I chose to study English, and I chose to study literature. Other people can choose to study engineering or thermodynamics. Everything deserves to be studied.”
LGBTQ+ studies class to be offered as ethnic studies course next year
