Approved by AHA Council, May 2021

We forcefully reject the implication in both proposed and existing legislation—one used in the recent past to perpetuate homophobia and homophobic public policies—that the teaching of LGBTQ+ history in any way threatens children. [...] Moreover, the failure to include LGBTQ+ history in the curriculum provides students with a false picture of the past. [...] Not only have LGBTQ+ people made great contributions to both United States and world history, attention to LGBTQ+ issues helps students understand the history of the family; of civil rights and politics; of race, gender, and class; and of religion, to name just a few examples. [...] The American Historical Association therefore opposes restrictions on the teaching of LGBTQ+ history and promotes the repeal of existing limits. [...] In addition, we are strongly in favor of expanding access to LGBTQ+-inclusive history curricula and greater protections for history teachers who include LGBTQ+ history in their classrooms, such as those included in the Equality Act currently being considered by the US Senate.