Editing Queer studies (section)

== Present-day issues in the US ==
The US Supreme Court has made gay marriage legal, but, as a result, the discourse has shifted from the issue of legalizing gay marriage to attacking queer studies and prohibiting certain conversations around the queer community. Attempts are now being made in school settings to prohibit teachers from encouraging same-sex relationships and sex before marriage, therefore leaving same-sex relationships outside the definition of marriage. This also results in a regulation on the education of safe sex, HIV, and AIDS.<ref name=":2" />

In recent years, homophobic curriculum laws have continued to be present in schools across the US. In 2017, studies showed that 20 states had implemented anti-gay laws affecting school curriculums. These included laws that made it mandatory for teachers to educate from an anti-gay standpoint and ones that gave teachers the freedom to choose between using these homophobic curriculums or not including sex education in their curriculum at all. Many states also have curriculum laws that require teachers to educate their students from the viewpoint that abstinence before marriage is the sole option for safe prevention against pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases. With an emphasis on abstinence before marriage, this often excludes same-sex couples due to their absence from the definition of marriage in their state.<ref name=":2" />

=== Book bans ===
In 2022, an estimated 5,000 books featuring LGBTQ characters and stories have been banned from bookshelves, libraries, and classrooms according to a report by PEN America.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Marshall |first=Tanji Reed |date=2022-10-13 |title=If Book Bans Continue, What's Left on the Classroom Shelf? |url=https://edtrust.org/the-equity-line/if-books-continue-to-be-banned-whats-left-on-the-classroom-shelf/ |access-date=2023-05-19 |website=The Education Trust |language=en-US}}</ref> Their research shows that 41% of books banned featured queer protagonists or secondary characters, 40% featured protagonists or secondary characters of color, and 22% featured sexual content.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-09-19 |title=Banned in the USA: The Growing Movement to Ban Books |url=https://pen.org/report/banned-usa-growing-movement-to-censor-books-in-schools/ |access-date=2023-05-19 |website=PEN America |language=en}}</ref> Regardless of topic, 40% of these book bans are estimated to be in direct result of lawmakers' public opinion and presence, as well as enacted legislation. PEN America also reports that the overwhelming majority of these titles are books for young adults, restricting education relating to gender, sexuality, diversity, and differences from 13 to 17 years old.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |date=2022-04-07 |title=Banned in the USA: Rising School Book Bans Threaten Free Expression and Students' First Amendment Rights (April 2022) |url=https://pen.org/banned-in-the-usa/ |access-date=2023-05-19 |website=PEN America |language=en}}</ref> PEN America also reports that 96% of these bans were put into place against the National Coalition Against Censorship and ALA's guidelines.<ref name=":4" />

PEN America reports that Maia Kokabe's ''Gender Queer: A Memoir'' is the most banned title, with bans in 30 districts.<ref name=":3" /> Kokabe's memoir discusses their experience growing up feeling outside of the gender binary and not feeling like they fit into their body. It follows parts of Kokabe's childhood into their early adult years and experiences coming to terms with their gender identity and coming out. ''Gender Queer'' was met with a contrast of responses, many expressing gratitude and love for the sharing of their story, as it was written with an audience of family, friends, and those that can identify and sympathize with Kokabe in mind. Others claimed the book is too sexually explicit, specifically in its illustrations which include that of the human body, but no sex scenes.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |date=2022-09-20 |title=4 in 10 Books Banned in 2022 Are LGBTQ+-Related |url=https://www.them.us/story/banned-books-lgbtq-2022 |access-date=2023-05-19 |website=Them |language=en-US}}</ref> In an interview with NPR, Kokabe discusses how they felt they included the appropriate amount of illustrations to tell their story accurately and due to their importance in the representation of their journey with gender and sexuality. They also express their stance that they illustrated the book in a much less explicit manner than it could have been had it been written by a different author.<ref>{{Cite web |title=BANNED IN THE USA: RISING SCHOOL BOOK BANS THREATEN FREE EXPRESSION AND STUDENTS' FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS (APRIL 2022) |website=[[NPR]] |url=https://www.npr.org/2023/01/04/1146866267/banned-books-maia-kobabe-explores-gender-identity-in-gender-queer}}</ref>

Attempts to educate and fight against these book bans have been taking place across the country. Free libraries, library pop-ups, and book giveaways have been go-to methods for grassroots organizations and activists to make banned books accessible. Little Free Library members install wooden curbside mini-library boxes and fill them with books of their choice. These books are available to take for free for any passers by. In 2022, the organization reported 140,000 Little Free Libraries had been installed across the nation, with 87% of their owners stating that they make banned books available in their boxes. Bookstore owners and booksellers have been taking actions into their own hands and giving their books away, covering some costs out of their own pocket and gaining donations both in person and through social media. Authors and publishers have started taking similar actions, carrying around their own books, handing them out, and donating to free libraries. While in most cases a book ban hurts the book's sale rate and the author's exposure, some bans result in higher publicity and recognition, like in the case of ''All Boys Aren't Blue'' by George M. Johnson, now a bestseller. The publicity of its ban put it on the radar of many readers who would otherwise have never found it, and it is now in its 10th printing. In an increasingly accessible digital age, digital libraries and book websites are also making banned books more accessible. Free library apps, like the Brooklyn Public Library, allow digital library cards and access to readers which can be used from any device anywhere in the country.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Tovia |date=March 23, 2023 |title=Plot twist: Activists skirt book bans with guerrilla giveaways and pop-up libraries |website=[[NPR]] |url=https://www.npr.org/2023/03/23/1164284891/book-bans-school-libraries-florida}}</ref>

=== "Don<nowiki>'t Say Gay''</nowiki> bill or act ===
The [[Florida Parental Rights in Education Act]] (HB 1557), also known as ''Don't Say Gay'' and ''Don't Say Gay or Trans'', was signed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on March 28, 2022. The act prohibits public schools from discussing sensitive topics such as sex education, gender identity, and sexual orientation in grades kindergarten through third grade, and prohibits any discussion deemed to be not age-appropriate by state standards. The act does not specify what is inappropriate or who makes this decision.  This act also includes restrictions on a public school's ability to protect and maintain the privacy of a student's gender identity or sexual orientation from their parents. As a result, school counselors will be limited in how they serve as a confidential resource for students. The act also gives parents the right to sue the school district if they feel their rights have been violated. On May 17, 2023, DeSantis signed a new bill expanding his measures on LGBTQ education in schools in the state of Florida, including lengthening the prohibition of sex and gender topics in kindergarten through eighth grade, as well as restricting these topics in sixth through twelfth. The bill also requires that schools teach "that sex is determined by biology and reproductive function at birth; that biological males impregnate biological females by fertilizing the female egg with male sperm; that the female then gestates the offspring; and that these reproductive roles are binary, stable, and unchangeable."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-04-19 |title=Florida expands 'Don't Say Gay'; House OKs anti-LGBTQ bills |url=https://apnews.com/article/desantis-florida-dont-say-gay-ban-684ed25a303f83208a89c556543183cb |access-date=2023-05-20 |website=AP NEWS |language=en}}</ref>

There has been an increase in protests as students and parents across the country respond negatively to the bill, as some assert that the broad language is meant to specifically target the LGBTQ community. As a result, some public schools have punished and suspended students for staging demonstrations on campus. Other educators have faced backlash for showing support for the LGBTQ community, such as discussions about gender identity in class and showing movies or documentaries that showed openly gay characters. Some have been censored, suspended, and even fired. Equality Florida, an LGBTQ group that is currently suing the DeSantis administration for the proposed law, argues that it marks an "extraordinary government intrusion on the free speech and equal protection rights" in public schools.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-05-17 |title=Florida's fight over 'Don't Say Gay' is getting more heated. And it hasn't even gone into effect yet. |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2022/05/17/florida-fight-dont-say-gay-00032512 |access-date=2023-05-20 |website=POLITICO |language=en}}</ref>

The discourse surrounding this legislation also resulted in backlash from The Walt Disney Co. employees, who shared their disappointment with the company on social media for not publicly denouncing the bill. According to Disney CEO Bob Chapek, Disney leaders were opposed to the bill "from the outset, but we chose not to take a public position on it because we thought we could be more effective working behind-the-scenes, engaging directly with lawmakers — on both sides of the aisle." He has stated that Disney has pledged 5 million dollars to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) in support of protecting LGBTQ rights, but the HRC has declined to accept the money until they further their commitment to supporting the LGBTQ community.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Barnes |first=Brooks |date=2022-03-09 |title=Disney C.E.O. Says Company Is 'Opposed' to Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' Bill |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/09/business/disney-ceo-florida-lgbtq-bill.html |access-date=2023-05-20 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

On February 1, 2023, College Board, the organization that is responsible for creating standardized tests such as the SAT and AP, revealed the changes that it made to its African American studies course. This came after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and the Republican party condemned the class and banned the original version from Florida schools. The new version is without names of major events in contemporary history, mention of the Black Lives Matter movement, black feminism, black queer theory, critical race theory, or intersectionality. According to a College Board representative, however, "To be clear, no states or districts have seen the official framework that will be released on February 1, much less provided feedback on it." However, College Board has historically given in to many conservative leaders' demands in other courses, such as AP United States History, where readings would focus less on colonial settlers' harm towards indigenous people and more on founding fathers and their religious influences.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Goldstein |first1=Dana |last2=Saul |first2=Stephanie |date=2023-04-25 |title=The College Board Will Change Its A.P. African American Studies Course |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/24/us/ap-african-american-studies-college-board.html |access-date=2023-05-20 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

Since 2021, 42 different versions of the "Don't Say Gay" bill have been proposed in 22 state legislatures, including Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, and many others. All of these bills similarly prohibit discussion and inclusion of LGBTQ related topics. These bills are also associated with many other bans that have taken place in Florida and many other states, such as bans on gender-affirming medical care, pride flags in public places, drag shows, and others.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-04-19 |title=Expanded 'Don't Say Gay" Law in Florida is a "Flagrant Escalation" of Censorship in Schools, Says PEN America |url=https://pen.org/press-release/expanded-dont-say-gay-law-in-florida-is-a-flagrant-escalation-of-censorship-in-schools-says-pen-america/ |access-date=2023-05-20 |website=PEN America |language=en}}</ref>

=== Intersectionality ===
As more and more universities and schools begin to add more resources and classes for students to take about queer studies, there is also a growing recognition that gender, sex, and identity also coincide with race, nationalities, class, disabilities, etc. This overlap is also known as "intersectionality", a word that has roots in black feminist activism. This term was coined by Columbia professor and activist Kimberlé Crenshaw. According to Crenshaw, "Intersectionality is a lens through which you can see where power comes and collides, where it interlocks and intersects. It's not simply that there's a race problem here, a gender problem here, and a class or LBGTQ problem there. Many times that framework erases what happens to people who are subject to all of these things." The word intersectionality was added to the Oxford Dictionary in 2015.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Morgan |first=Joan |date=2021-10-05 |title=How White Feminism Threw Its Black Counterpart Under the Bus |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/05/books/review/kyla-schuller-the-trouble-with-white-women-a-counterhistory-of-feminism.html |access-date=2023-05-20 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

While this was originally used as a term to describe the specific type of oppression that African American women face, it has grown relevant to many other groups of people. According to them, "The theory of 'intersectionality' — which posits that individuals simultaneously experience oppression based on multiple social categorizations, and that this oppression is multiplicative — has made queer studies more inclusive." The idea of intersectionality came to be after second-wave feminism, which is thought to only benefit straight, white, middle-class women. Third-wave feminism became the springboard for intersectionality when there became an awareness that women faced different types of oppression based on their race, gender, and class. Kimberlé Crenshaw maintains the fact that the idea of intersectionality and true feminism is lost if black women continue to be overshadowed by their white counterparts. The idea of intersectionality began when discussing feminism but has become relevant in many other subjects, such as LGBTQ discrimination.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=2020-02-20 |title=She Coined the Term 'Intersectionality' Over 30 Years Ago. Here's What It Means to Her Today |url=https://time.com/5786710/kimberle-crenshaw-intersectionality/ |access-date=2023-05-20 |magazine=Time |language=en}}</ref>