'Those who are LGBTQ+ deserve to have role models who are able to help them survive the challenges of the pre-teen and teen years.'
Nancy Braus is the co-owner and buyer for Everyone's Books in Brattleboro, Vermont. She has been an environmental and peace activist for decades, as well as a volunteer for Bernie Sanders and other progressive candidates.
Mr. Silverstein stopped teaching in 1966, grew his hair, got hip glasses and co-authored THE JOY OF GAY SEX with Edmund White. He went back to school to get a PhD in psychology and proceeded to live a long and important life as an out gay therapist. He was one of the major voices in getting the American Psychological Association to eliminate homosexuality as a disease. He wrote one of the earliest guides for families coming to terms with accepting their gay son or daughter.
Even as he was probably the most beloved teacher in the school, I feel certain that the idea of an out gay man teaching in 1966 would likely have been a non-starter. In the nearly 60 years that have passed, it seems we have come almost full circle, in a terrible backlash. My children attended schools in Vermont from 1985 through the early 2000's. Many of their finest teachers were lesbians or gay men, a few of whom are still teaching in our district.
Mr. Silverstein was not the only gay educator who was an absolutely phenomenal teacher. It is remarkable that the"parent's rights" crowd seems to have zero interest in their children being taught by talented teachers who are preparing them for the 21st century instead of the 19th. The 2022 Kentucky teacher of the year, Edward Carver, is on sabbatical this year and is afraid to return to his classroom.
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