Queer, There, and Everywhere: 23 People Who Changed the World
Queer, There, and Everywhere: 23 People Who Changed the World by Sarah Prager
Project Contributors: Tiffani Corona, Jackie Conde, Jade Crawford, and Xyvil Dapal
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| Illustration of Frida Kahlo in Queer, There, and everywhere from Epic Reads. |
Biography
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| Photo of Sarah Prager from her website. |
Sarah Prager is an LGBTQ advocate and activist, speaker, and writer. She primarily advocates for queer youth. Prager advocates towards establishing and building a strong queer community, providing resources for LGBTQ youth, and raising awareness about the influences the LGBTQ community has contributed throughout history.
To help build more awareness, Prager founded the app Quist. Her app details an overview of queer history - or as she calls it “quistory” - over the years. Her app brings about this “quistory” to life to its users through interactive modes and consistent updated information. Quist also outlines HIV history and its influence in the word. Her app is active to over 100,000 users worldwide.
She continues to bring queer advocacy into the digital world through her inclusivity efforts with Apple and Google in 2014. Lastly, she hosted her Youtube series “Quistory in your Neighborhood.”
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| The official LGBTQ flag. |
Queer, There, and Everywhere is her first book. Her novel has received three-star reviews, as well as being an official selection of the Junior Library Guild. Additionally, it was also named Best Book for Teen by New York Public Library in 2017. Prager is expecting her second book, Rainbow Revolutionaries, to be published in the Summer of 2020.
She currently resides in Massachusetts with her wife, two daughters, and three cats
Scholarly Resources
Cover of Butler's
Gender Trouble.
1. Gender Trouble by Judith Butler
Butler examines the constructions of what it means to be female and male. There are excerpts from this critical theory that can aid in understanding queer studies, and allow students to understand why LGBTQ voices have been historically omitted.
Cover Harvey Milk
biography.
2. Harvey Milk: Pioneering Gay Politician by Corinne Grinapol
A biography of the transformative career and policies enacted by Harvey Milk, California's first openly gay elected official.
3. The Violence of Heteronormativity in Communication Studies by Gust A. Yep
Yep examines the violence heteronormativity causes on society as well as exploring ways that we can begin to grow from such traumas to open new possibilities in the world.
4. The Big Picture (in Pictures): In Protest, Power , and Pride in the History of Queer Liberation (Book Review) by Rosemary Booth
A review published in the Gay and Lesbian Review Worldwide that overlook the history of queer history through photographs. They emphasize the existence of the community and its contributions all throughout photographic history.
Gender Trouble.
biography.
2. Harvey Milk: Pioneering Gay Politician by Corinne Grinapol
4. The Big Picture (in Pictures): In Protest, Power , and Pride in the History of Queer Liberation (Book Review) by Rosemary Booth
A review published in the Gay and Lesbian Review Worldwide that overlook the history of queer history through photographs. They emphasize the existence of the community and its contributions all throughout photographic history.
Instructional Resources
A video on Why Gender Pronouns Matter.
Illustration of Harvey Milk
in Queer, There, and
Everywhere from Epic Reads.- It Gets Better is a project whose goals are to share stories from LGBTQ people around the world recounting their experiences of being in the community and how they are doing today.
- The Trevor Project is the leading national organization that provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention to LGBTQIA+ individuals.
- The local LGBT centers in Los Angeles and Orange County provides a variety of services for the community as well as serving as a safe space for any and all individuals.
- A review of Queer, There, and Everywhere by Liz Baudler, which includes a synopsis of the novel as well as the impact that such a novel can have on both younger and older readers alike.
Instructional Activity
Preview In this lesson, students will learn to compare and contrast between the information that is given in their textbooks and the information outlined in the book. Additionally, they will find further resources (popular and scholarly) to use as evidence for the “new” information. They will analyze and build an argument as to why there is such a discrepancy between what has traditionally been written into textbooks versus what Prager has to say. Students will discuss their findings with their peers.
Selected Common Core State Standards
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.2
Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.6
Analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work of literature from outside the United States, drawing on a wide reading of world literature.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.1
Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.3
Analyze how the author unfolds an analysis or series of ideas or events, including the order in which the points are made, how they are introduced and developed, and the connections that are drawn between them.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.6
Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.7
Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1
Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11-12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1.A
Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1.B
Work with peers to promote civil, democratic discussions and decision-making, set clear goals and deadlines, and establish individual roles as needed.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1.C
Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that probe reasoning and evidence; ensure a hearing for a full range of positions on a topic or issue; clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions; and promote divergent and creative perspectives.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1.D
Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives; synthesize comments, claims, and evidence made on all sides of an issue; resolve contradictions when possible; and determine what additional information or research is required to deepen the investigation or complete the task.
Inspired by the KWL chart, students will fill out the three sections above. They will write down what they know about a person mentioned in Queer, There, and Everywhere (QTE), and fill out the sections accordingly. Instruct them to choose 3-5 people of their choice. Next, they will refer to either their textbooks, scholarly journals, and/or popular media such as (Wikipedia, Youtube, etc.) and outline the information that is presented on those forums.
Resources and Preparation
Activity #1: Mock KWL Chart
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| Traditional KWL chart. |
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| Modified KWL chart for QTE activity. |
Preparation
Introduce students to scholarly databases, such as ProjectMuse, EBSCO Host, JSTOR, etc., so they understand how to properly utilize these websites for research. Encourage students to look through their history books, as many of the figures in QTE appear in their American history textbooks. They are also encouraged to look through their math/science textbooks. Students are also allowed to use non-scholarly primary sources, such as Youtube, The Huffington Post, The New York Times, National Geographic, etc.
TIME: Allow a full class day for this activity, as well as making it a take home assignment. Research will take time for the students.
MATERIALS: Print out this handout.
Activity #2: Reflection
Students will take 15-20 minutes reflecting on the information that they gathered. They will answer questions that are listed in the directions and any other thoughts they have on the subject matter. Reflection is a great method for students because it allows them the time to critically think about the activity that they just did. This allows them to find answers as well as ask further questions on topics they are still unsure of. It is a space where they are safe to be curious and share their thoughts on what they just learned.
Activity #3: Group Work
Ask the students to partner into groups. Based on the 3-5 people from QTE they chose, they will be partnered with peers who analyzed and reflected the same individuals (Frida Kahlo, Abraham Lincoln, Eleanor Roosevelt, Joan of Arc, etc). They will then take a few minutes in their groups to compare and contrast their charts and reflections.
Activity #4: Presentation/Class Discussion
Afterwards, students will present their findings on their assigned person to the class. The class will hold a discussion on their formulated arguments, and write down any notes/opinions that their peers share. This teaches the students to listen to other peers interpretations and perspectives on the reading, and foster further critical thinking.
TIME: Allow 20-25 minutes of class discussion.
PREPARATION: Have questions ready, so you can get the discussion started. Make sure you choose at least one representative from each respective student groups to share the information they found.
TIME: Allow 20-25 minutes of class discussion.
PREPARATION: Have questions ready, so you can get the discussion started. Make sure you choose at least one representative from each respective student groups to share the information they found.
Bibliography
Baudler, Liz. “Seeing History Queerly: A Review of Queer,
There, and Everywhere: 23 People Who Changed the World, by Sarah Prager.” Between
the Lines, Jul 20, 2017, pp. 25. ProQuest, http://search-proquest-come.lib-proxy.fullerton.edu/docview/1923229605?accountid=9840
Booth, Rosemary. "The Big Picture (in Pictures)." The Gay & Lesbian Review Worldwide, vol. 26, no. 5, 2019, p. 36+ Gale Literature Resource Center, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A599442800/LitRC?u=csuf_main&sid=LitRC&xid=355b55d0. Accessed 19 December 2019.
Butler, Judith. "Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity." New York, Routledge, 1999.
Butler, Judith. "Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity." New York, Routledge, 1999.
Common Core State Standards Initiative. "English Language Arts Standards." Common Core, http://www.corestandards.org/
EpicReads. "Celebrate Pride Month With This Powerful YA Book." Epic Reads,
Grinapol, Corinne. "Harvey Milk: Pioneering Gay Politician." The Rosen Publishing Group, 2014.
Yep, Gust A. "The Violence of Heternonormativity in Communication Studies: Notes on Injury, Healing, and Queer World-Making." Journal of Homosexuality, 45.2-4 (2003): 11-59. Web.
