Berlin's Pride is July 23rd this year. I am not exactly sure why. Their original Pride was organized in June, a memorial to the Christopher Street (Memorial) Parade in the aftermath of Stonewall.
Anyway, pride flags were visible everywhere in the city. The sight made me reflect on how/whether queer history if taught in German schools. This topic is something that I am passionate about and my work teaching survey courses has meant the need to include histories of gender and sexuality.
From day one, I have prioritized the work of integrating gender and sexuality history into all of my courses at MC.
Why? Why do I think it is important to consider the histories of gender and sexuality in my teaching? Simply put, these contexts matter.
They help us reconsider so much of what we thought we knew about the past and this country. I also see this work as being important for my students. It means that they leave my class with potentially new ways to understand--not only the past, but also their contemporary lives. The Queer Movement created space for open and honest conversations about sex, gender politics, and for us all to reconsider our place in society. Of course, equally important is a nuanced understanding of race, class, age, ability and other socially constructed categories.
Here are some favorite slides from various surveys in African American as well as US History.
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