Despite TUSD voting delay, LGBTQ+ parents, students, and community members aren't backing down from the fight

Last week, the TUSD board's vote to implement an updated version of the Family Life Curriculum (FLC) was delayed in order to make more time for the board to "consider" Superintendent Gabriel Trujillo's abstinence-centered modifications to the curriculum (Khmara, 2019b). The proposed updates to FLC would result in a more inclusive, medically-accurate, and age-appropriate approach to sex education, consent, self-esteem, and other important topics for TUSD students (Khmara, 2019a). In particular, implementation of the opt-in FLC would allocate resources to create classroom instruction acknowledging LGBTQ+ identities and experiences--which are often marginalized or outright omitted from current curricula.

iLGBTS Faculty Advisory Council member and TUSD parent Professor Carol Brochin was instrumental in securing Arizona's repeal of No Promo Homo curriculum legislation this past spring, along with her child Santi, who identifies as transgender and non-binary. Continuing her fight for LGBTQ+ inclusion in Arizona school systems, Prof. Brochin has shown more fierceness in the current battle--leading a 200-person walkout earlier this summer at the final public hearing for Family Life Curriculum in late August, and vocalizing her support of FLC outside of the TUSD board meeting last Tuesday. In an August interview with the AZ Daily Star, Brochin stated: "The validity and existence of the gender identity of our children is not up for debate. To do so would be to engage in the discrimination of our own children."

We at the Institute for LGBT Studies wish to express our stance in solidarity with Prof. Brochin and all TUSD parents, students, educators, and community members who are fighting for implementation of LGBTQ+-inclusive curriculum. 

Please consider attending Equality Arizona's organization meeting which will involve co-creating next steps in the fight for inclusive curricula. Details can be found in the Mark Your Calendar section, or in Equality Arizona's Facebook event here. Learn more about the Family Life Curriculum here.