LGBTQ Inclusive Education and Academic Performance: What You Need to Know
Spencer Macnaughton | Uncloseted Media Weekly Newsletter
“When did you know you were gay and how?”
“How did you get the money to launch a business like Uncloseted Media?”
“How do you choose the stories you want to tell?”
“Why do governments make it more dangerous to be LGBTQ in the U.S.? And is it different in Asia or other parts of the world?”
You’d think I was at a press conference. But the pool of aspiring reporters questioning me was a set of nine and 10-year-old grade 4 students at Rosedale Day School in Toronto. I was invited by Ms. Reed (who I’ve called Naomi since I met her at nine years old).
Naomi, one of my best friends and a major ally to me since I pulled her out of drama class at 16 years old to tell her I was gay, has invited me into her class multiple times to speak to kids as young as six about my coming-out experience.
Last week, she had me in to show her students a few of our stories that featured queer kids and to tell them about how it’s less safe to be LGBTQ in the United States right now. I also told them about how their teacher wouldn’t be able to have me talk about anything LGBTQ-related in many parts of the U.S.
In 2026, 19 states have some form of LGBTQ curriculum restrictions and 12 have recent so-called Don’t Say Gay laws that prohibit teachers from educating about anything related to sexual orientation or gender identity. Just eight states require LGBTQ-inclusive curricula.
Even in Canada, Ms. Reed’s inclusive education strategy is bold. But if you look at the stats, it’s effective in nurturing the next generation. On the U.S. News & World Report’s 2025 education rankings, states with LGBTQ-inclusive curricula, like New Jersey, Colorado and Washington, ranked 13 spots higher on average than states with Don’t Say Gay laws, like Louisiana, West Virginia and Oklahoma.
Education is also linked with open-mindedness. One study found a correlation between greater education and more accepting attitudes of gay people, arguing that the link may be because education promotes tolerance and supports nonconformity. In many cases, students learn cognitive sophistication, complex reasoning and critical thinking, skills that help kids understand the irrational fear, and frankly, meanness, of concepts like homophobia and transphobia.
A 2024 study in the Social Sciences doubled down on these findings, identifying a pattern across multiple countries of more education correlating to greater tolerance of sexual minorities.
But regardless of all the research proving that teaching LGBTQ-inclusive curricula will set your kid up for a litany of future successes, I’m most proud of Naomi for teaching queer topics throughout the year because it’s the right thing to do. Rather than sheltering, scaring or indoctrinating the next generation to believe the falsity that we live in a homogeneously white and heterosexual society, Naomi is teaching students about the truth of life without any sugarcoating.
And that truth is a beautiful and necessary thing for the next generation to understand: That we live in a wonderfully diverse society with people from all walks of life.
It’s only when more teachers embrace this reality that the next generation will be truly set up for success.
Anti-transgender bill among ‘most harmful and outrageous’ Utah LGBTQ+ advocates have seen (Utah News Dispatch)
Utah lawmakers have filed a slew of anti-transgender and LGBTQ+ bills, including one to erase transgender protections from state law and another renaming Harvey Milk Boulevard after Charlie Kirk.
Trump eliminates rape protections for trans people in ICE facilities and prisons (PinkNews)
Guidance was released this month by the Department of Homeland Security for several privately-run ICE facilities, where, as of 8 January, 68,990 people are being held – a record high.
‘Deeply concerning’: Drug and alcohol deaths significantly higher among queer people, study finds (PinkNews)
The findings come from analysis by the Office for National Statistics in the UK, which cross-referenced 2021 census data with death registrations between March 2021 and November 2024.
LGBTQ Sports Hall of Fame announces 10 new 2026 inductees (OutSports)
The 2026 class of the LGBTQ Sports Hall of Fame includes out athletes, coaches, officials and members of the sports media.
Nicki Minaj vs. Don Lemon: Anti-Gay Slurs, the KKK, and “Pick Me” Accusations (Them)
The pair engaged in a back and forth via social media over the holiday weekend.
Over the next week, be on the lookout for new Uncloseted reporting:
🆕 SATURDAY: As ketamine’s image shifts from club drug to mental health cure, more gay and bisexual men are using it to numb trauma. For some, the relief is real but fleeting. Sam Donndelinger examines how ketamine’s growing legitimacy has collided with high rates of queer trauma, tracing the thin line between therapy and addiction through nightlife, clinics, and recovery.
🆕 TUESDAY: Polyamory is more common than many people realize, but in the U.S., it’s still almost entirely unprotected by law. From being fired for coming out, to being denied housing, to losing the right to make medical decisions for long-term partners, polyamorous Americans face risks most couples never have to consider. Sam Donndelinger investigates.
Thanks for reading! Feel free to email me with questions, complaints and story ideas!
Spencer Macnaughton, Editor-In-Chief — spencer@unclosetedmedia.com
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