Fresno Unified schools to receive 1,000 LGBTQ-friendly books to ‘benefit every child’

More than 1,000 LGBTQ-friendly books are on their way to Fresno Unified schools, thanks to a recent donation.

The 1,040 books donated by Gender Nation — a nonprofit that helps schools obtain age-appropriate LGBTQ stories — are primarily children’s fiction featuring LGBTQ protagonists and other characters in stories like “Julián Is a Mermaid.” The donation also includes non-fiction titles like “Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag.”

The books will be distributed at 65 Fresno Unified schools.

“Fresno Unified believes that all schools should be safe, supportive, and inclusive places where students, families, and staff feel accepted, respected, and welcome,” an FUSD statement said.

According to Gender Nation co-founders Keiko Feldman and Morgan Walsh, Fresno Unified officials sought out the donation.

“Fresno was so excited to get these books and so excited to create more resources for LGBTQ kids. We’re really, really grateful for these kinds of administrators and leaders,” Feldman said.

Fresno is not the first school to receive the donation of books. Gender Nation has been helping public schools obtain free LGBTQ-inclusive books since 2019.

“We believe the books benefit every child whether that child feels like they are part of the LGBTQ community or not,” Feldman said.

Feldman and Walsh said such stories are essential for kids who live in areas that otherwise might not see much LGBTQ representation.

“I mean, the organization started because of the power of story and knowing that there might be people who are in areas who are not getting positive messaging,” Walsh said.

Walsh said the power of story and representation in stories also helps stop bullying and negative feelings at a young age and helps prevent tragedies, like the murder of Larry King, an eighth-grader who was shot by a classmate in 2008 in Oxnard.

“They were exploring their gender identity, and they were murdered,” Walsh said. “Dealing with this before it reaches a crisis point is what we hope to do now.”

“When kids feel like they can open a book and see their own experience in a library, it makes them feel valued. When that happens, kids learn better; they feel safer,” Feldman said.

Walsh said representation in literature also helps decrease depression and self-harm.

According to The Trevor project, about 42% of LGBTQ youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, including more than half of transgender and nonbinary youth.

“LGBTQ youth attempt suicide every 45 seconds. It’s absolutely devastating,” Walsh said. “When people have even a little bit of positive messaging in their life, any kind of connection to someone where they can feel seen, heard, and valued, their self-harm does reduce,” Walsh said.

FUSD officials said the city’s schools remain “committed” to providing a safe learning environment for all youths.

“We want our students to see themselves reflected and celebrated as valued members of the school community,” FUSD officials said in the statement. “We also know that diverse representation helps all learners deepen their understanding of others and the world.”

The Education Lab is a local journalism initiative that highlights education issues critical to the advancement of the San Joaquin Valley. It is funded by donors. Read more from The Bee’s Education Lab on our website.

This story was originally published July 15, 2021 at 5:00 AM.