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Proposal for

LGBTQ+ Children's Program

 

 

“Tango was the very first penguin in the zoo to have two daddies.”

and tango makes three

 

“George knew that Mom was trying to help. But George didn’t have a normal problem. She wasn’t scared of snakes. She hadn’t failed a math test. She was a girl, and no one knew it.”

George

 

Program

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“My family, and Me,” is a program aimed at sharing stories of families and the unique individuals that come together to make them, with an emphasis on LGBTQ representation. The intended audience is families with children of all ages, emphasis on pre-school to elementary students. It will feature a story time as one part, and book group with performance (open to all), as a separate part. The featured titles will be displayed with similar books using the proper display area.

 

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Featured Titles & Guest Artist

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And tango makes three, by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, illustrated by Henry Cole.

George, by Alex Gino.

AU Collective

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The two featured books were selected because they are well reviewed, award winning books. They both have multiple facets to them that reflect families and individuals that are not represented as often as traditional western families. The books have also met challenges to their content. Creating programming around them will help patrons access the material in the context of community and the wider world we all live in. Bringing in the artists of AU Collective to represents a the LBGTQ community and promotes its understanding through their art will add an atmosphere of hope and celebration to the full program.

And Tango makes three Story Time

 

And Tango makes three, is a true story about penguins in the Central Park Zoo; two male penguins become life mates and adoptive parents of Tango. The story is a way unique way to

discuss same sex couples and adoption, especially helpful for those with younger children.

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Chrildren's Activities

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• Letting the kids know as we read, they can nod their head for yes or no, while we read and ask questions.

• Reading of book and questions: Have you ever been to a zoo? Have you seen penguins? Do you think it would be comfortable to sleep on a nest of rocks? Have you ever heard about adoption? Do you know any families that aren’t like your own?

• Share time, sharing a favorite part of the story or if you know/have any unconventional family. What other types of families can we have?  

• Activity: Create your own penguin family make paper penguin beaks, with card stock and string. Use beaks in freeze dance if you’d like.

• Freeze Game: Create your own nest with parents or friends. Walk/dance like a penguin when music plays, when it stops quickly make your way to the nearest nest, this may be a new one with new people. Families can be as varied as the nests we make in this game.

• Book Talk and Performance

 

George, by Alex Gino is a fiction, chapter book. The story gives readers a glimpse into the George’s life when she opens up to her family and best friend about being transgender, all through the experience of bringing the book, Charlotte’s Web to stage. George has divorced parents, spending the majority of her time with her mother and older brother. Her best friend also comes from a single parent home, raised by her father. The all ages book group would occur the hour before the performance and be focused on LGBTQ youth and families.

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Book Group Activities

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• LGBTQ focused questions will be sourced from Anti-Defamation League Guide, 2016. (linked here)  

       Ex: Jeff calls George “freak,” repeatedly. What do you think you could say if you heard a friend or classmate talking to someone like           this?

• Additional questions will focus on the types of families featured in the book. We will ask if anyone can give examples of other families from books, movies, real life. What things does your family do to help or not help each other feel accepted?

• Work together to make a large web with words that represent feelings or thoughts on George and her family, her experience revealing her true self, finding the courage to perform as Charlotte, and her first day out as Melissa with her best friend Kelly.

 

Au Collective Performance

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The performance would serve as a celebratory climax of the positive and inclusive program. This would be an opportunity for the whole community to see what inclusive cooperation can achieve through art and give everyone present a common experience to discuss topics like self-expression and understanding. As a dancer I have participated in outreach performance with Q&A, this is common practice and will be added with artist consent. Au Collective describes themselves as color, queer and women artists who “celebrate the voice and visions of our artistic family” (unknown, 2018) and their mission is in line with the entire program as well as being a wonderful example of self-love and expression.

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Discussion and Challenges to Materials and Program

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 “Through educational programming and instruction in information skills, libraries empower individuals to explore ideas, access and evaluate information, draw meaning from information presented in a variety of formats, develop valid conclusions, and express new ideas. Such education facilitates intellectual access to information and offers a path to a robust appreciation of intellectual freedom rights.” (ALA, 2009)

 

Intellectual freedom rights extend to minors and the challenged materials in this program. In addition to the material here being pertinent to the community as a whole it is especially important to acknowledge the changing world in which children are being raised. When discussing multi-cultural diversity Naidoo (2014) states, “Studies indicate that by preschool age, young children reveal stereotypes and negative behaviors towards those they perceive as different. These learned attitudes are fostered by the views of parents, caregivers, educators, and peers and by the social messages that reading materials convey about a particular culture.” I think we can extend the idea of this to include diversity in sexual identity and diverse families. And tango makes three, has faced challenges for content featuring same sex families. A story time with playful activity gives families a chance to experience the book in a positive environment.

The book, George, has faced challenges for the sexual content and its age appropriateness for children. According to Theresa Chmara, patrons have a right to receive information in a library, we are a limited public forum where the rights of readers are highly respected (Magi, 2015). A book group that is inclusive of parents will encourage adults to read the whole book, instead of basing opinions on highlighted content by third parties. A shared learning experience also takes the pressure down a bit from a single person defending their reading choice.

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Seattle Public Schools has implemented a pilot program this year to bring diverse book kits into the classroom, George is included in the upper grade kits (SPS, n.d.). While we are not affiliated, we are both institutions that serve overlapping communities. The fact that schools are recognizing the need to make space for expression and questioning through diverse books is noteworthy.

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Calls for censorship will continue as long as people have differences of opinion, we do not want to replace a parent’s role and censoring would be doing just that. The goal of the programming is not to push ideas on the community but to reflect the real-world differences all around us. A copy of the ALA Library Bill of Rights will be available to share with patrons if they have questions about the libraries legitimacy in providing these materials and programming. It is recognized that young patrons have the right to read and that libraries serve as unique safe areas for exploration (Naidoo, 2014).

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If we hope to promote intellectual freedom and the right to read, we need to create a space where people, minors included, can feel comfortable exploring concepts that are foreign to them or personally important. The use of performance as a means to gather all ages in celebration of diversity and self-expression is further reinforcement of these ideas of intellectual freedom, the right to information, and first amendment rights. This program will be a reminder that we at the library bring the diverse books that represent the whole community and we respect all families and individuals right to read.

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Resources to Share

 

 

Seattle Public Schools LGBTQ Programs, Curriculum and Support website, outlining goals and sharing list of books that will be used in schools to help with educational inclusiveness.

 

PFLAG “PFLAG National speaks out on issues critical to creating a world where diversity is celebrated, and all people are respected, valued, and affirmed,” (PFLAG, 2018).

 

GLBTRT Resource list of various organizations that can help with LGBTQ issues, compiled by the ALA. Also, source for Rainbow Book List.

 

Anti-Bias Education National Association for the Education of Young Children. While this site focuses on educators, it also provides resources for parents, to help families and their ally’s with raising compassionate children.

 

Examples of Additional Books for Display

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Drama, by Raina Telgemeier

Families, by Shelley Rotner & Sheila M. Kelly

The Family Book, by Todd Parr

I am Jazz, by Jessica Herthel & Jazz Jennings

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: The Hammer of Thor, by Rick Riordan

My Mixed-Up Berry Blue Summer, Jennifer Gennari

 

 

 

References

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American Library Association (July, 23, 2009). Advocating for Intellectual Freedom. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill/interpretations/advocating-intellectual-freedom (Accessed April 18, 2018). Document ID: fd641f16-d02e-17c4-d545-95d1258a622c.

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Andracki, T. & 2016 Rainbow Book List Committee (January 11, 2016). 2016 Rainbow Book List- GLBTQ Books for children & teens. Retrieved from http://glbtrt.ala.org/rainbowbooks/.

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Anti-Defamation League (June, 2016) Book of the month. Retrieved from https://www.adl.org/sites/default/files/documents/assets/pdf/education-outreach/book-of-the-month-george.pdf.

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Au Collective (n.d.). Who we Are. Retrieved from http://www.aucollective.com/home.html.

Gino, A. (2015). George (First ed.). New York: Scholastic Press.

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Magi, T., Garnar, Martin, & American Library Association. Office for Intellectual Freedom. (2015). Intellectual freedom manual (Ninth ed.). Chicago: ALA Editions, An imprint of the American Library Association.

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Naidoo, Jamie C. The Association of Library Service to Children, American Library Association (2014) The importance of diversity in library programs and material collections for children. Document ID: ad16b8f4-2576-1754-5909-e288dcd80a41.

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Richardson, J., Parnell, Peter, & Cole, Henry. (2005). And Tango makes three (1st ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

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Seattle Public Schools (n.d.). LGBTQ programs, curriculum and support. Retrieved from http://www.seattleschools.org/cms/One.aspx?portalId=627&pageId=25956478.