Literature Review

In this literature review, we will examine various journals, articles, and interviews around the effects of building an LGBT-inclusive pedagogy in public education. Additionally, we will explore the effectiveness of using graphic novels as suitable vehicles in communicating complex subject matter to a broad audience. The current literature examines how LGBT-inclusive pedagogy, when implemented with institutional support, can positively affect students' mental health, sense of belonging, academic performance, and future academic outcomes, for both cisgender, heterosexual students and LGBT youth alike. This will be tied together by looking at the traditionally subversive medium of comics and graphic novels and how they are positioned as a universal but underused resource. Articles for this review have been sourced from Learning for Justice, Journal of Youth and Adolescence, Educational Research Review, The Trevor Project, Sage Open, The Urban Review, Discover Education, International Journal of Inclusive Education, Education Week, and more.

INCLUSIVE EDUCATION

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In “Inclusive Education Benefits All Children,” from the fall 2022 issue of Learning for Justice, Melanie Williams-Jagger highlights the growing trend of anti-LGBT education across the country despite the overwhelming public support for LGBT rights. Most of this pressure is coming from right-wing politicians and special interest groups. “From so-called ‘Don’t Say Gay’ laws that erase LGBTQ+ identities in classroom discussions to bills that would force teachers to report transgender or LGBTQ+ students to unsupportive parents, we’re witnessing a devastating trend that spirals further each day” (Williams-Jagger 1). This is in contrast to the growing public sentiment around LGBT rights in general.

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Williams-Jagger continues, there are legislative failures that impact LGBTQ+ students and their ability to feel safe at school happening around the country every day. “One Trevor Project survey revealed that over 90% of transgender and nonbinary youth are worried about being denied essential medical care or access to the school bathroom due to state or local laws” (Williams-Jagger 3). Despite this back-and-forth, pro-LGBT advocates, students, and educators continue to fight for more inclusive environments and curricula.

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The May 2021 issue of Journal of Youth and Adolescence features a study from V. Paul Poteat, Ryan J. Watson, and Jessica N. Fish titled “Teacher support moderates associations among sexual orientation identity outness, voctimization, and academic performance among LGBQ+ Youth” that looked at how being “out” about one’s sexual orientation affects school experiences for LGBQ+ youth, and whether teacher support can help. Using data from over 11,000 U.S. LGBQ+ students, including both cis and trans/non-binary, the researchers found that students who were more open about their identity faced higher levels of school-based victimization, which in turn was linked to poorer academic performance. “Some LGBQ+ youth are especially at risk of victimization, including youth who are more out to others about their sexual orientation. These findings are concerning in part because victimization based on sexual orientation, gender identity or expression is associated with academic concerns such as absenteeism, lower reported grades, and less intention to graduate” (Poteat et al. 1634).

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In Educational Research Review, “Supportive school strategies for sexually and gender diverse students,” is a meta-analysis of 26 studies that examined how four types of LGBT-targeted school-based strategies, enumerated anti-bullying policies, school staff training, inclusive curriculum, and gender and sexuality alliances (GSAs), relate to secondary students’ experiences of bullying and perceptions of school safety. “Sexually and gender diverse students are more frequently victims of bullying compared to their heterosexual and cisgender peers. This disparity exists across all forms of victimization, including verbal, physical, and sexual harassment. For example, a 2019 study among secondary school students in the United States found that sexually and gender diverse students are nearly twice as likely to experience verbal or physical harassment and two and a half times more likely to be subjected to sexual violence” (Van Vliet et al. 2).

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In “From awareness to action: Teacher attitude and implementation of LGBT-inclusive curriculum in the English Language Arts Classroom,” author Michelle Page examines the need for inclusive curricula in schools to properly support all students. “Specifically, students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) report feeling less safe, less respected, and less valued in our schools than do their heterosexual and cisgender peers, leading to lower engagement and achievement” (Page 1). This can extend to future educational opportunities as well. “LGBTQ students who were more frequently victimized based on sexual orientation or gender expression ‘were twice as likely to report that they did not plan to pursue postsecondary education (e.g., college or trade school) than those who experienced lower levels (10.0% vs. 5.2%)’” (Page 1-2). 

“Social support in schools and related outcomes for LGBTQ youth: A scoping review” in Discover Education examines how various school-based support systems shape educational, emotional, and social outcomes for LGBT students. “Many studies have indicated that LGBTQ youth experience numerous socioemotional, educational, and health risks at school due to LGBTQ-specific prejudice and victimization. This includes isolation from peers, low social support, low school engagement, low academic success, school dropout, stress, anxiety, depressive symptoms, and suicidal ideation and attempts” (Leung et al. 1). The authors reviewed 94 studies published between 2007 and 2021 to identify systems of support and overall school climate.

The International Journal of Inclusive Education examines how cisnormative school systems marginalize transgender and nonbinary youth and proposes critical pedagogy as a framework for change in “Towards a critical pedagogy of Trans-Inclusive Education in UK secondary schools.” “Whilst schools are keen to promote anti-bullying, safety and diversity awareness, they are less willing to explore how the structure of schooling perpetuates the gender binary, thus denying a systemic commitment to trans affirmative education” (Johnson and Mughal 1939). 

Using interviews with six gender-diverse young adults, the study found that participants experienced bullying, exclusion, and institutional betrayal in school environments that enforced rigid gender binaries. “An unfortunate consequence of this is that young people who identify as gender diverse report negative experiences, which in turn impact mental health, whilst lived experience tends to be side-lined. Factors contributing to ‘school based wellbeing’ include acceptance and supportive school environments” (Johnson and Mughal 1937). 

Trans identities were largely absent from curricula, limiting awareness and fostering stigma. “One of the defining characteristics for the participants of secondary school was the lack of trans visibility within the curriculum, LGBTQ + identities were perceived as taboo and most participants only heard about trans people in sex education, reinforcing a medical model of trans identity” (Johnson and Mughal 1943). This singular version of trans-ness can paint them as a disease or medical issue, rather than a whole person. “Participants explained how visibility from an early age would help raise awareness of gender diversity. This could have helped them name their experience earlier, develop empathy amongst all students towards gender variance and help counter negative stereotyping in the media” (Johnson and Mughal 1943).

BELONGING

In Design for Belonging by Susie Wise and Rose Jaffe, they examine the concept of belonging and how it can affect one’s ability to thrive when one doesn’t feel welcome, included, or valued. Belonging brings confidence, power, and freedom, which can directly relate to academic success. “In her studies of students in American high schools, Dr. Camille Farrington has shown how belonging sets up students’ ability to adopt a learning mindset, seeing themselves as learners in a school setting. This shows up particularly in students’ likelihood to ask for help and use feedback to improve” (Wise and Jaffe 18-19). The act of learning involves questioning, making mistakes, and correcting them. These actions are difficult in the best of times, but are laced with an additional level of fear from students who do not feel like they belong. “... [W]hen students have that sense of belonging, they ‘tend to interpret setbacks and difficulty in their studies as a normal part of learning, rather than as a sign that they are “out of place”’” (Wise and Jaffe 19).

Wise and Jaffe explore the need for belonging to be more than just a surface-level treatment. Without depth, the community doesn’t actually grow. “Belonging means more than just being seen. Belonging entails having a meaningful voice and the opportunity to participate in the design of social and cultural structures. Belonging means having the right to contribute to and make demands on society and political institutions” (Wise and Jaffe 64). If you are not able to participate meaningfully in your community, you don’t truly belong.

In Design for Belonging, they examine the idea of “levers of design,” a tool you can use to make moving towards your goal easier (Wise and Jaffe 84). Some of the particularly relevant levers discussed in the book are space, roles, and grouping. To encourage a sense of belonging in a space, one can “place cues in your environment to let everyone know that they are included. This could mean anything from who is represented in outreach materials to who is included in test questions” (Wise and Jaffe 90). The idea of roles as a designable element can easily be overlooked. Most roles seem inevitable and pre-designed, but they all can be adapted to fit new needs and social norms. “Roles are designed and can be redesigned. They are invented and can be invented anew … If we could have any roles to support our work, what could they be” (Wise and Jaffe)? Grouping might be one of the more obvious levers for designing belonging, as most are aware of the various affinity groups already in our society. The power in those groupings cannot be underestimated. “There is power in group identity to ground learning and prepare for work across difference to reduce othering. Explorations can be wide-ranging, and they often help participants see how aspects of identity show up in collaborative work, what consequences are, and how to change them” (Wise and Jaffe 108). Affinity groups can help prepare marginalized people and make it easier to collaborate with others to foster belonging.

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“Inclusive Education Benefits All Children” points to a strong push for inclusive schools over recent years, including, but not limited to, extracurricular resources such as Gender and Sexuality Alliances (GSAs). Inclusion efforts that extend into the classroom can create a world of difference for LGBT students. “Research shows that students with access to inclusive curriculum and supportive teachers enjoy a more positive school climate where they feel safer in school and experience less harassment” (Williams-Jagger 2). Inclusive curricula can significantly improve the lives of LGBT students. “The Trevor Project has found that LGBTQ+ youth who view their school as LGBTQ+ affirming report lower rates of attempting suicide” (Williams-Jagger 2), as well as help prepare cishet students as well. “Accurate and inclusive lessons not only affirm LGBTQ+ students, but also give non-LGBTQ+ students clear information about the diverse world around them and help prepare all young people to navigate and contribute to a multicultural society” (Williams-Jagger 2).

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The study from V. Paul Poteat, Ryan J. Watson, and Jessica N. Fish featured in “Teacher support moderates associations among sexual orientation identity outness, victimization, and academic performance among LGBQ+ Youth” shows that strong teacher support and affirmation made a significant difference in student experience. When students felt supported by teachers, the adverse effects of being out, such as increased victimization and lower academic performance, were reduced. “At school, teachers are in a key position to play a supportive role for students and foster their academic success. They have regular interactions with students and opportunities for one-on-one conversations during and outside of class. The potential protective role of teachers would be important to consider, as many LGBQ+ youth lack support from other traditional sources such as families” (Poteat et al. 1636).

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Overall, the findings show that affirming, supportive teachers play a powerful protective role for LGBQ+ students, helping reduce victimization and support academic success. “... greater perceived teacher support and affirmation (in the form of social-emotional support and affirmation of LGBQ+ people) may be associated with lower reported victimization and better reported academic performance” (Poteat et al. 1636). Additionally, “It suggests that teachers who have strong, supportive relationships with LGBQ+youth and who explicitly affirm LGBQ+ people could guard against LGBQ+ youth’s potential victimization” (Poteat et al. 1644).

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Similarly, a study in Educational Research Review found that students in schools that implemented targeted strategies reported lower levels of bullying-victimization and higher feelings of safety. “Consistent with existing research, our findings showed that, overall, students in schools with an LGBTQ-targeted strategy reported lower bullying-victimization and higher feelings of school safety” (Van Vliet et al. 10).

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The findings showed that sexually and gender-diverse students benefited most, suggesting these strategies can reduce disparities between them and their heterosexual, cisgender peers. “[W]e found that some strategies (i.e., inclusive curriculum and GSAs) benefit sexually and gender-diverse students more than heterosexual, cisgender students … This finding is supported by previous research that shows LGBTQ-targeted strategies offer sexually and gender-diverse students the opportunity to see themselves represented in the curriculum and to find peers and safe spaces to share experiences” (Van Vliet et al. 10). However, students of color benefited less, revealing that current approaches often fail to address intersectional issues. Of the four strategies, GSAs appeared to provide the most positive effects for students of color, particularly in reducing bullying. “The results of this study show that, in line with previous research, an important direction for future research is to pay attention to students’ intersecting identities, for example by examining how sexually and gender diverse students of color can benefit equally from LGBTQ-targeted strategies” (Van Vliet et al. 11).

The study concludes that while LGBTQ-targeted school-based strategies contribute to safer, more inclusive school environments, no single intervention is sufficient on its own. Effective change requires implementing multiple, visible, and intersectionally responsive strategies that recognize and address the unique experiences of students across sexual, gender, and racial identities.

The Research Brief, “The Relationship between Caring Teachers and the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Students,” looks at The Trevor Project’s 2023 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBT Young People. The survey found that LGBT students who feel cared for by school staff experience higher self-esteem and lower levels of depression, anxiety, and suicidality. “LGBTQ students who identified a greater number of supportive school staff reported higher levels of self-esteem, lower levels of depression, and lower rates of having seriously considered suicide in the past year” (The Trevor Project 1). Additionally, learning about LGBT identities and issues from educators was linked to lower rates of depressive symptoms, suggesting that informed and caring educators can meaningfully protect LGBT students’ mental health.

However, access to caring teachers is uneven, revealing troubling disparities by race, gender identity, and socioeconomic status. “LGBTQ young people of color reported lower rates of feeling that their teachers or professors cared a lot or very much about them, compared to their White LGBTQ peers. Across gender identity, transgender and nonbinary young people reported lower rates of feeling that their teachers or professors cared a lot or very much about them compared to their cisgender peers” (The Trevor Project 1). These inequities may stem from implicit bias among teachers and systemic underfunding of schools serving low-income and BIPOC communities.

The brief calls for greater institutional support for educators, including LGBT cultural competency training, equitable school funding, and policies that empower teachers to openly discuss LGBT topics. “Teachers can help support LGBTQ students by checking curricula for anti-LGBTQ bias, uplifting LGBTQ key figures from history, and sponsoring or proposing Gender-Sexuality Alliances (GSAs). Other research has found that students at schools which have GSAs report lower likelihood of depressive symptoms and suicidality. While recent legislation has sought to limit teachers’ ability to discuss LGBTQ identities in the classroom, it is imperative that teachers have the freedom to discuss these topics and express their support for LGBTQ young people in their schools” (The Trevor Project 4). In light of increasing restrictions on discussing LGBT topics in classrooms, the brief concludes that supporting educators as allies is essential to safeguarding the mental health and dignity of LGBT youth. “Some LGBTQ young people in our sample reported that teachers and school counselors are their sources of information about LGBTQ identities, issues impacting the LGBTQ community, and politics related to LGBTQ people. LGBTQ young people who learned about these topics from teachers or school counselors reported lower rates of recent depression” (The Trevor Project 2).

Michelle Page reports that while anti-bullying programs are often the first step in supporting LGBT students, they are often not enough. “Such findings support the idea that approaches to creating a positive school environment for LGBTQIA students that go beyond antibullying programs are vitally imperative. Michael Sadowski points out that providing safety for LGBTQIA students is not enough; we must also ‘create schools that affirm LGBTQ students and integrate respect for LGBTQ identities through multiple aspects of school life’” (Page 2). 

Page examines how ELA teachers perceive, understand, and implement LGBT-inclusive literature. Page’s survey found that while more than half of the teachers surveyed reported feeling comfortable using or discussing LGBT-themed texts, fewer than one in four actually integrated them into instruction. Most limited inclusion to “choice” reading rather than core curriculum, often citing fear of parental or community backlash, especially in rural areas where teachers felt more visible and less supported. “[U]sing queer texts solely for pleasure reading limits what kinds of discussions students can have about these texts and the kinds of discourses that surround the texts and provides no instructional support. An additional value to using LGBTQ literature in whole-class settings is an increased visibility: ‘Using LGBTQ-inclusive literature and film erodes the silence—these characters, their lives and experiences, deserve textual and discursive space in the classroom.’ Kenney continues, describing how such readings enhance all students’ empathy as well as literacy skills” (Page 11).

Teachers in urban schools were far more likely than rural teachers to have access to supportive resources such as Gay/Straight Alliances (GSAs), inclusive library holdings, and explicit anti-bullying policies, factors that increased both comfort and implementation.

Page concludes that comfort alone does not lead to inclusive practice. Action requires structural and cultural support. She argues that excluding LGBT literature from curricula tacitly condones inequality and invisibility, reinforcing heteronormativity. “Likewise, Winans stated that ‘. . . simply adding materials about “the other” does not challenge our pedagogy or conceptual framework in meaningful ways; the additive approach of inclusivity or celebration of difference tends to leave dominant cultural assumptions and their complex relationships to power unexamined.’” (Page 13).

“Social support in schools and related outcomes for LGBTQ youth: A scoping review” in Discover Education found that supportive relationships, both within and beyond the classroom, strongly correlate with positive academic engagement, mental health, and a sense of belonging. “Teachers who incorporated LGBTQ material into their curriculum allowed youth to identify teachers as possible safe adults to discuss sensitive concerns (e.g., LGBTQ-related concerns, coming out). Teachers also agreed on the importance of weaving social justice topics in the curriculum to model critical literacy and to create an inclusive curriculum, benefitting all students” (Leung et al. 8). LGBT-inclusive curricula and visible teacher allyship reduce isolation and foster authenticity. “Therefore, developing a curriculum that centers LGBTQ issues can disrupt homophobia, injustice, and other forms of oppression, which can provide safety and acceptance, and validate LGBTQ youths’ experiences at school” (Leung et al. 8). Additionally, “LGBTQ youth who had natural mentors (e.g., teachers, staff members, school administrators) were three times as likely to graduate from high school, had increased intentions to seek help for suicidal thoughts, and had positively impacted their engagement and connectedness to their school compared to youth who did not have such mentors” (Leung et al. 11). GSAs have emerged as transformative spaces, promoting empowerment, safety, and advocacy. However, their impact varies across community contexts. 

Teachers play a critical yet uneven role; students benefit most when educators actively intervene, integrate inclusive content, and visibly support LGBT students. Conversely, institutional barriers like rigid curricula, unsupportive leadership, and restrictive community norms often inhibit progress.“Classroom intervention focused on accepting individual differences through open discussion and participation of emotional and sensitive issues were effective in framing uniqueness as a strength and fostered change towards an accepting classroom climate. Youth-led theater and dialogue-based interventions were effective to address heterosexism and genderism in schools, with increased reports of willingness and intention to advocate for social justice and equality for LGBTQ people” (Leung et al. 10). Inclusive policies and positive school climates were consistently associated with safer, more affirming environments for all students.

Ultimately, the authors argue that social support for LGBT youth must be understood as systemic rather than singular, requiring collaboration among families, educators, peers, and policymakers. “Schools with higher reported implementation of inclusive and anti-discriminatory policies had lower levels of discrimination against LGBTQ youth, fostering a safer school space” (Leung et al. 12). They emphasize shifting the narrative from viewing LGBT youth as passive recipients of aid to recognizing them as active participants in shaping inclusive, equitable schools. “For both LGBTQ and heterosexual youth, a positive school climate, strong school connectedness, and involvement in school-based activities predicted fewer physical victimization, fewer depressive symptoms, less suicidal ideation and attempts, substance use, and truancy” (Leung et al. 13).

The International Journal of Inclusive Education argues that teachers can act as transformative allies by modeling inclusive practices, such as pronoun use and visible allyship, and by engaging in continuous learning. Through critical pedagogy, they call for co-created learning spaces where students and teachers critically examine gender norms together. “Drawing upon critical pedagogy, Freire proposed moving away from ‘banking’ methods of education towards ‘problem posing’ education where education starts with the lives and experience of the students in class. This could mean opening space for student-teacher exploration of issues related to gender identity” (Johnson and Mughal 1945-46). Proper trans-inclusive education, they conclude, requires systemic transformation, embedding gender diversity across curricula, policies, and practices to create schools where all students can learn and thrive safely. “One of the fundamental ways to achieve this is to reconceptualise students as partners in the education process, co-constructing knowledge and understanding of gender identity alongside their teachers and peers and being open to being a student just as a student is a teacher” (Johnson and Mughal 1947).

In The Urban Review, authors Jerusha Conner, Michael Posner, and Bright Nsowaa explored how student voice and students' feeling heard by teachers affect engagement in urban high schools in “The relationship between student voice and student engagement in Urban High Schools.” Using survey data, the authors found that when students felt their teachers listened to them, they were more emotionally, behaviorally, and cognitively engaged. “Research in Chicago Public Schools found that in schools that students rated as responsive to student voice, students had better grades and attendance than did their counterparts in schools rated as less responsive” (Conner et al. 756).

Student voice was directly linked to enjoyment and interest in learning and, indirectly, to motivation and effort through perceptions of care, belonging, and competence. “The central premise of student voice is that students know what is and is not working in their classrooms and schools, and therefore, it is incumbent on anyone who wants to improve students’ educational experiences to attend to their perspectives, solicit their ideas, and take their feedback seriously” (Conner et al. 755). In schools where students felt cared for and respected, they were more likely to see their schoolwork as meaningful.

The authors conclude that listening to students is a powerful, low-cost strategy for fostering engagement, especially in under-resourced schools, and they recommend incorporating student voice into teacher training and professional development.

DESIGNING THE DELIVERABLE

The Education Week article “Teaching Social Justice with Comics” explores how graphic novels and comics can be powerful educational tools for addressing social justice issues. The author explains that comics combine history, politics, ethics, and visual storytelling in ways that deeply engage students, allowing them to connect emotionally and intellectually with complex topics. “In fact, comic books may be particularly suited to teaching that combustible combination of history, politics, philosophy, and ethics” (Wickner).

The article points teachers toward several resources, including Teaching Tolerance, which offers lesson plans using editorial cartoons on bullying, gender discrimination, and censorship, and The Comics Grid, an open-access journal that examines the academic and cultural significance of comics. “Teaching Tolerance, a program of the Southern Poverty Law Center, offers a series of lessons, ‘Using Editorial Cartoons to Teach Social Justice,’ that aims to build critical literacy and understanding of 12 issues, including bullying, gender discrimination, and censorship. Each lesson centers on a single cartoon, exploring how each image’s wordplay, visual puns, irony, idioms, and composition, among other elements, contribute to several layers of meaning” (Wickner).

The author concludes that comics are not a classroom gimmick but a legitimate medium for cultivating empathy and critical thinking. Through their unique blend of words and images, comics make social justice narratives more accessible and engaging, helping students explore complex histories and envision more equitable futures.

The article “Banned or Grand?: Why Graphic Novels Maus and Persepolis Belong in the Classroom” from the West Virginia University Research Repository argues that, despite frequent bans, graphic novels are valuable tools for teaching history, empathy, and literacy. Volk maintains that the visual form enhances understanding and engagement, especially for reluctant or struggling readers, by pairing text and imagery to deepen comprehension and emotional connection. “One benefit that graphic novels introduce to the literary canon and English/Language Arts instruction is their very unique structure. The panels (individual frames) in graphic novels can vary by size, shape, and arrangement on the page, and this structural format unleashes a new world of analysis for students, rather than just the analysis of words on a page” (Volk 10).

The essay also highlights how the structure of graphic novels, including panel design, symbolism, and color contrast, teaches students to analyze form as well as content. “Not only is the history of these graphic novel memoirs important for students to learn, but the analysis and critical thinking skills they can develop from utilizing these texts in the classroom is unrivaled” (Volk 23). Finally, Volk contends that banned books themselves can spark critical thinking: when students research why texts like Maus and Persepolis are challenged and argue for their inclusion, they strengthen reasoning, civic engagement, and open-mindedness. Ultimately, Volk concludes, banning these works harms students by shielding them from history’s realities and stifling opportunities for intellectual and emotional growth.

This Comic-Con panel, “Comics as a Conduit” explored how comics serve as powerful tools for education, engagement, and social awareness. Moderated by Chloe Ramos of Image Comics and featuring creators Henry Barajas, Rodney Barnes, Darcy Van Poelgeest, and David F. Walker, the discussion emphasized that comics are more than entertainment; they are vehicles for connection, understanding, and activism. “I hadn't seen many stories that dealt with class as it pertained to race. It was mostly a one-dimensional portrayal of race, and I wanted to go a little bit deeper. I wanted to get into the idea of how poverty plays a role in displacement and apathy, and what happens when people feel powerless,” said Barnes. “I felt like through TV and film and trying to get those stories told, the gatekeepers really weren't interested in those types of stories, so comics for me was a good place to explore themes that felt like they hadn't been explored a lot” (“Comics as a Conduit” 7:20-8:00).

Panelists described how the comic or graphic novel form can engage reluctant readers and bridge literacy gaps by combining art and storytelling in accessible ways. “I feel very strongly about this, and I've said this before, as a kid, I was not a particularly good student, and I was in the slow kid classes. It had nothing to do with me not being smart; it had to do with me not being engaged, being bored. I was that kid who had the comic book inside the textbook and was reading it. It wasn't until I got older that I started understanding that there are different types of learning and some people are more visual learners,” said Walker. “For me, as I venture more into non-fiction, I find myself, and I've heard this from teachers, also librarians, that my Frederick Douglass book is one of the only books about Frederick Douglass that has a lot of pictures and isn't a 900-page block of text. It was comics that introduced me to Dickens, it was comics that introduced me to Melville, it was comics that introduced me to Dumas, and I don't think there's anything wrong with it. Now it's up to each of us individually to determine what we're going to do with this thing that comics give us, but I would rather have a kid reading a comic than watching a movie because they're at least reading” (“Comics as a Conduit 27:53-30:49). Panelist Darcy Van Poelgeest concured, “I was dyslexic, as well as several other learning disabilities, which I was completely unaware of until I was well into adulthood, so what happened in school is I just couldn't keep up at the pace that was required and therefore i just disengaged completely … I think just because we are talking about connecting this, in terms of libraries and their the role that they play, it's so important to include books like the ones we're discussing and graphic novels that reach into historical fiction and non-fiction because if you're not, you're leaving out so many people who are just not able to access reading in the same way that you might” (“Comics as a Conduit 31:01-32:07).

They highlighted comics’ unique ability to center marginalized voices and explore history and the connections to the world today. “It was crucial to keep it in that era because what was going on, specifically in harlem during the renaissance, was this expression of creativity and this almost liberation … but then conversely everywhere else in the country there was such abhorrent racism and lynchings were still going on and the clan was was very active and there was such a dichotomy going on that I thought it would be really interesting to explore. Unfortunately, that dichotomy still exists, and so there's this relevance that, honestly, I feel actually really uncomfortable with right now and … the last thing you want to do is write something, be a part of something that you turn on the news and you're like, ‘oh there it is’” (“Comics as a Conduit” 22:38-23:46).

The panel portrayed comics as conduits for change, empowerment, and education, capable of transforming how people learn, feel, and see the world. “The thing I love about research and adding a historical component to the comics that I work on is that hopefully it opens the door for other people” (“Comics as a Conduit 23:52-24:04). Comic authors are now taking proactive steps to bridge the gap between traditional literature and graphic novels. “It does seem like a a lot of authors are now sort of clueing into what librarians and teachers have been asking for a while, and you guys have all been at the forefront of that, which is if you put back matter and ephemera and historical essays in the back of even a fiction book, that book can then more easily be used in a a college or a high school level curriculum” (“Comics as a Conduit 24:35-24:59).

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In the Chapter “Vendor Power!” in Designing for Social Change, Andrew Shea discusses how the Center for Urban Pedagogy addressed a complex set of government policies that negatively impacted a community, primarily made up of immigrants. “The Brooklyn-based nonprofit organization ‘brings together art and design professionals with community-based advocates and researchers to make the city, its policies, processes, and infrastructure more legible so that historically underrepresented groups can better participate in shaping the places where they live’” (Shea111-113). The project focused on the complicated regulations and policies governing NY street vendors. 

The city's “quality of life” laws were oppressive and complicated. “‘All these regulations are buried in documents full of intimidating jargon and heinous text formatting that would make even the most patient person cry,’ … Over 80 percent of vendors in Lower Manhattan are immigrants, for whom English is a second language, making these rules especially cryptic” (Shea 114-116). This led the design team to a unique problem and solution.

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The Making Policy Public publication titled “Vendor Power!” was an 8.5-by-11-inch brochure that folded out into a 22-by-34-inch poster. “The team decided to place vendor-targetted information in the first folds, so vendors can easily access it on a day-to-day basis. ‘The fully opened poster was devoted to a few additional elements, including personal stories from local vendors, historical background …’ [they] kept the design as pictorial as possible to communicate across languages and cultures” (Shea 117). The designers decided to rely on the universal language of comics and graphic novels to communicate complex subject matter effectively. “After trying out various visual styles, the designer ‘eventually landed on a friendly Chris Ware-inspired style’ (Shea 117). Community feedback refined the design, and ultimately, vendors responded that it was easy to understand, welcoming, yet authoritative enough to use when dealing with law enforcement.

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CONCLUSION

The literature overwhelmingly shows that there is a need for LGBT-inclusive pedagogy in our public schools. Sexually and gender marginalized students experience a tremendous amount of bullying, stress, and isolation, leading to truancy, poor academic performance, and even suicide. While it is often the first step, implementing anti-bullying campaigns is not enough. Comprehensive change is needed at the structural level, where educators can create inclusive pedagogies grounded in LGBT topics, not as an add-on or afterthought. Educators need to be visible allies for their LGBT students, explicitly calling out bullying and harassment. They need to welcome LGBT students into the learning process and co-create with them. They need to allow the students to use their own voices to take ownership of their education. This will be communicated through a subversive re-imagining of public school pedagogy, augmented with an equally subversive medium: graphic novels, given the universality, accessibility, and unique voice of comics.