BY: Jasmine Franklin
Published 4 hours ago
Across the Garden State, lessons are changing as New Jersey’s LGBTQIA+ curriculum brings new stories and voices into the classroom. Students are reading about writers who loved freely and activists who changed laws. Teachers are naming the people whom it seems history has ignored.
The initial goal was to make schools more affirming, reduce bullying, and lower suicide rates among queer and trans students. For many young people, it is the first time they see themselves reflected in what they study. For others, it is an opportunity to understand the world with greater honesty and empathy.
How Inclusion Became a Mandate
The path to New Jersey’s LGBTQIA+ curriculum began with a small but determined effort. According to North Jersey, 12 schools first joined the LGBTQIA-Inclusive Curriculum Pilot Program. It was a collaboration between Garden State Equality and Make It Better for Youth. The pilot offered ready-made lessons that teachers could use in subjects from history to biology.
The success of that program set the stage for something bigger. New Jersey became the first state in the nation to require LGBTQIA-inclusive teachings in all subject areas. California and Colorado had passed similar laws, but their focus was limited to history and social science. New Jersey went further, embedding queer voices across the full range of learning. For educators and advocates, it marked a new chapter in how schools reflect the full story of who we are.
Successes, Pushback, and the Road Ahead
Following the statewide rollout, schools began to see both progress and challenges. New Jersey’s LGBTQIA+ curriculum shows early progress. California schools report fewer bullying incidents, according to the American Bar Association. LGBTQIA+ students say they feel more comfortable participating in class discussions and are less afraid of being targeted.
But not everyone supports the effort. Some parents have begun requesting to pull their children from classes that include LGBTQIA+ material. The requests increased after the U.S. Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision in Mahmoud v. Taylor, which expanded the rights of parents to opt out of certain lessons for religious reasons. The ruling focused on LGBTQIA+ storybooks.
However, the ruling does not prevent the curriculum from being implemented. It only affects parents who wish to withdraw their child from a specific lesson.
“There’s nothing in the decision that says parents automatically get it just because they are requested,” said David Rubin, whose law firm represents about 100 New Jersey school districts.
Still, the state remains committed to the program. Districts continue to refine materials and train teachers to handle sensitive discussions with respect and clarity. Advocates hope that, over time, the curriculum will become as natural as any other part of education.
For students growing up in New Jersey today, queer visibility is now a part of the main story. And while challenges remain, the lessons of inclusion are already reshaping what it means to belong in public schools.
What do you think about New Jersey’s LGBTQIA+ curriculum? Share your thoughts in the comments.
