Another day, another chance to say that arguments about curriculum and pop culture are really just vehicles to adjudicate political debates.

"Should we have LGBTQ books/characters in classes/movies/shows?" is just a thinly veiled way to ask, "Should LGBTQ people have a place in public spaces and in our democracy?"

The various tirades against rag queen story hour (https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💜" title="Purple heart" aria-label="Emoji: Purple heart">) weren& #39;t about "forcing" anything on anyone. Those story hours were 100% *optional*. Rather, the tirades were about an anger that drag queens were allowed to be visible in *public* spaces funded by *public* money.

Classrooms are (hopefully) mini-democracies, so when you ask, "Should I include this book with an LGBTQ character?" you& #39;re really asking, "Do I want to imagine a democracy where LGBTQ people are allowed to be visible and exercise their humanity?" That& #39;s it.