The Illinois legislature last week approved a measure to have public schools include LGBTQ history in their curriculum. That news hit home with Callie Vine, who will attend Carbondale High School in the fall.
Callie, who's 14, is gender-nonconforming, which means she doesn’t fit into a set definition being of masculine of feminine. She made this bill the focus of her history fair project, and won the chance to compete at state.
“I think it’s really important for everyone to know about LGBTQ history because I know a lot of people who want to learn more but they can’t because their parents are like, um, “We ain’t cool with this.’ So I find it very important.”
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"I think for other LGBTQ youth, including myself, it’s like another step forward. ‘Cause I know I don’t know everything about LGBTQ history, and I would like to learn more, and so, if I can, that would be amazing and that I can actually hear role models that were and give me more hope in the classroom.”
The bill now goes to Gov.J.B. Pritzker to sign.
