Many schools have failed to create a nurturing educational environment for LGBTQ students.Our Children are Your Students features a discussion about the various tactics that LGBTQ families use to work with schools that don’t anticipate the arrival of their families and children. The book features a verbatim theatre script called “This is Our Family”, which is based on interviews conducted with 37 LGBTQ families about their experiences in school. The families live in four different cities in the province of Ontario as well as in the suburbs and rural communities surrounding them. Written by Tara Goldstein, Jenny Salisbury, and Pam Baer, the play contains 22 scenes of verbatim monologues and dialogues. A set of images created by visual artist benjamin lee hicks accompanies each scene. The play also contains three original songs composed by musician Kate Reid, who draws on a number of the themes embedded in the scenes. Links to performances of the songs and to the artwork can be seen on the LGBTQ Families Speak Out project website: www.lgbtqfamiliesspeakout.ca. This is an important book for teachers and pre service teachers who are interested in creating inclusive classroom environments for all students.
