The following is excerpted from 5 Questions for Any Text by Marilyn Pryle.
Questions for a Text:
- Does the text include ideas, characters, or events that involve LGBTQ experiences?
- How are these elements portrayed?
- Does something in the text contradict, or go beyond, a perceived default of heterosexuality or cisgenderism?
Queer theory is a literary lens that gained mainstream acknowledgment over thirty years ago. Even without the official literary stamp of approval, students in middle school and high school will naturally ask the questions presented here if the text prompts them to. Noticing LGBTQ experiences in a text, and questioning the “given” of heteronormativity, is a normal cultural discussion in modern society.
I appreciate that not all school districts will permit this discussion, and as teachers, the parameters of our employment can affect our actions. But I promise you that there is a student sitting in your classroom right now who has been waiting for the opportunity and affirmation of having this conversation. And other students who have not been waiting will acknowledge the benefit and personal growth that come from writing and talking through this lens. Over the years, I have had many, many students thank me with heartfelt gratitude for creating this space in the classroom.
Reading Response
Reader response theory, or the transactional theory of reading, asserts that the process of reading is a two-way street, with the text and the reader acting upon each other. Reading responses are places for students to honor and grow their original ideas. They are not polished pieces. For more on reading responses, see the previous blog here.
Remember that all RR categories are choices, and that students can choose to enter different spaces when they are ready. Just the presence of the category sends a message of acceptance, compassion, and support.
To introduce this category to the class, you could have students read the first chapter of All Boys Aren’t Blue, a memoir by George M. Johnson (2020). Johnson describes his earliest notions of being queer and the experience of being beat up at just five years old. It is a powerful and moving chapter about Johnson’s childhood self-recognizing his difference and people’s reactions to it. You could ask the class questions like these:
- In what ways does Johnson feel that he is different from other boys?
- How did this childhood experience affect him?
Another text that could help students understand queer theory is an excerpt from the novel Man o’ War, pages 141–42, by Cory McCarthy (2022). In the scene, the main character, McIntyre, who in this point in the novel is out as gay but has not yet realized they are transgender, is told by their swim coach that they can no longer use the girls’ locker room. After reading, ask students questions such as these:
- Why was McIntyre banned from the girls’ locker room? How did it make them feel?
- What is the message from the coach to McIntyre about their behavior?
- What bathroom alternatives is McIntyre offered instead? What messages do these alternatives send?
Having students read these or other stories from queer voices will help all of them recognize—if they are not living through it themselves—some of the issues that queer theory explores. I am often surprised by how insightfully students apply this lens: every year, students write “Queer Theory” RRs about texts such as Gilgamesh (2004), The Iliad (Homer 2011), and various book club books of their choosing. Helping all students be aware of the experiences of the LGBTQ community, and giving them a vocabulary to discuss it, will nurture their growth as people and as citizens. For some, it will be a respite in an otherwise challenging terrain of heteronormative culture; for others, it will be a pathway to understanding and compassion. Either way, creating space around this topic will benefit young people.
