During the 2022-23 school year, the University community received a Rainbow Library, a set of LGBTQ+ affirming grade level 9-12 books, through a program provided by GLSEN.
The program sends text sets, which are selected by a diverse committee of educators and students, to schools across the country free of charge. Selected works are award-winning, grade-aligned, and have all received positive reviews from journals, such as School Library Journal and Kirkus. Thus far, over 4,600 schools in 30 states participate in the Rainbow Library program, reaching more than 2.5 million students.
University applied to receive a Rainbow Library during the summer of 2022 and the school has received 10 texts so far. Members of University’s GSA student organization have been working alongside English instructor Jamie MacDougall to continue adding books to the collection. The texts include genres, such as young adult and teen literature, graphic novels, and nonfiction works.
“It’s critical for kids to see themselves in the curriculum, in books, in the world,” said MacDougall. “These books are free to check out, but will also be used for free reading in class.”
The book collection, which is located on a bookshelf in the English classroom hallway, is now open for students to sign books out and is already being utilized by University’s Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) organization. GSA co-presidents and juniors Khari Dennis and Sophie Francis say having literary works with LGBTQ+ representation easily accessible is important for the entire UHS community.
“I feel like these books can be hard to find if you don’t already know what you’re looking for, especially a lot of the older ones,” said Sophie. “We have some classics, so they have the quality of writing of a classic, but also the representation, in some way, that we’re looking for.”
Khari says reading books with diverse characters and storylines is essential for all students.
“Being represented in books is one of the closest ways we can get to seeing ourselves, especially for me. So, finding these books has been really important to me,” said Khari. “I think it’s also important for kids who don’t relate to the characters in the books to read them because they can say, ‘I don’t understand what you’re going through, but I can see it and I know that it’s happening—how can I help?’”
This year, GSA hosted a talent show that raised money for Indiana Youth Group, an Indianapolis-based organization that serves young people who self-identify as LGBTQ+, as well as their ally peers.
“We raised over $400 to help queer and trans youth get an education, have access to gender-affirming care and clothes, and a safe space, which I’m very proud of,” said Khari. “We have a lot of plans for GSA in the future. I definitely want GSA to be a safe space for members of the LGBTQ+ community in our school. Whoever you are, I want you to feel safe in this space and feel like you have a place here.”
Sophie says that no matter what GSA accomplishes throughout the school year, the group’s most important role is creating discussions within the UHS community and serving as a resource for students.
“It’s important that people know that we’re here and they can talk to us if they need us. We like giving presentations and sharing PSAs, so people can understand how to help each other better regardless of whether they actually attend club meetings,” she said.
According to GLSEN, LGBTQ+ students who attend schools “with an LGBTQ+ inclusive curriculum, which includes LGBTQ+ affirming books, have higher GPAs, are less likely to hear anti-LGBTQ remarks at school, and are less likely to miss school due to feeling unsafe.”
The organization was founded by a group of teachers 25 years ago with a mission to create affirming learning environments for LGBTQ+ youth and has volunteer-run chapters in 31 states.
French Instructor and GSA faculty mentor Christopher Hindsley further highlights the significance and benefit of having these literary works available on campus.
“Having LGBTQ+ affirming literary works is one step towards validation and honor of the LGBTQ+ community, a rich, diverse, and dynamic community, and I am thrilled we have the GLSEN Rainbow Library to offer our students additional opportunities to see themselves, their friends, and their family in the works they read.”
If you’d like to donate any books to UHS’s Rainbow Library, please reach out to teachers Franklin Oliver or Jamie MacDougall. Donations can also be dropped off anonymously at the front desk. Please send books in new or gently used condition.