Creating LGBTQ-Inclusive Online Cambridge Veritas Classrooms This Pride Month

This article explores how ESOL educators create inclusive online learning environments for LGBTQ students during Pride Month and beyond.

As we celebrate Pride Month, ESOL educators create inclusive online learning environments that support and validate LGBTQ students. One powerful tool for fostering understanding and empathy is literature. As Professor John Gray argues in his article "Addressing LGBTQ erasure through literature in the ELT classroom," carefully chosen literary texts offer much-needed recognition for LGBTQ students and enable others to see the world through their eyes.

Gray distinguishes between "Explicitly Queer Texts," which feature openly LGBTQ characters and themes, and "Implicitly Queer Texts," which contain ideas about the legitimacy of non-normative identities without overt LGBTQ content. For online ESOL classes, both types of texts are valuable for promoting inclusion, depending on the context and comfort level.

1. 1This article explores how ESOL educators create inclusive online learning environments for LGBTQ students during Pride Month and beyond.
2. 2As we celebrate Pride Month, ESOL educators create inclusive online learning environments that support and validate LGBTQ students. One powerful tool.
3. 3Apply the tips consistently, review your progress, and connect the lesson to real conversations or writing tasks.

As we celebrate Pride Month, ESOL educators create inclusive online learning environments that support and validate LGBTQ students. One powerful tool for fostering understanding and empathy is literature. As Professor John Gray argues in his article "Addressing LGBTQ erasure through literature in the ELT classroom," carefully chosen literary texts offer much-needed recognition for LGBTQ students and enable others to see the world through their eyes.

Gray distinguishes between "Explicitly Queer Texts," which feature openly LGBTQ characters and themes, and "Implicitly Queer Texts," which contain ideas about the legitimacy of non-normative identities without overt LGBTQ content. For online ESOL classes, both types of texts are valuable for promoting inclusion, depending on the context and comfort level.

Our explicitly Queer Texts directly represent LGBTQ lives and issues, allowing LGBTQ students to see themselves reflected in the curriculum. For example, a lesson could revolve around Vikram Kolmannskog's powerful poem "Orlando, Mi Amor," which touches on homophobic violence, intersectionality, and courage. Students discuss the poem's themes, write personal responses, or even interview the poet via video chat. Such activities validate LGBTQ students' experiences and build empathy among their peers.

However, in settings where open discussion of LGBTQ topics is not feasible, Implicitly Queer Texts can still send a subtle but profound message of inclusion. Classic children's literature often works well for this purpose. Gray cites Edward Lear's whimsical poem "The Owl and the Pussy-Cat" as an example. On the surface, it's an innocent tale of an unlikely animal couple, but it can be interpreted as a celebration of love that defies societal norms. An online lesson at ESOL might involve students dramatizing the poem, debating discussion questions, or writing their own unconventional love stories. For LGBTQ students, the underlying affirmation of non-normative relationships can be deeply meaningful.