Full Inclusion: Understanding the Role of Gay and Lesbian Texts and Films in Teacher Education Classrooms

Abstract

This paper identifies some of the resources the author has found and used to help future teachers become fully inclusive teachers, particularly of early elementary students. Through sharing these resources—children’s literature, a children’s literature textbook, edited books for teacher educators and pre- and inservice teachers, and a video—the author engages with issues that face teacher educators who are interested in including the perspectives and concerns of gay and lesbian families and students in their literacy education classrooms. In relation to these resources, she asks the following questions: How can teacher educators better prepare their pre- and inservice teachers to address gay and lesbian issues in elementary school classrooms? What kinds of resistance should teacher educators be prepared for from their students? What types of literature and literacy strategies would support a goal of full inclusion?