https://variety.com/2025/film/news/john-boyega-star-wars-white-fans-reject-black-heroes-1236352669/

John Boyega Says ‘Star Wars’ Is ‘So White That a Black Person Existing in It’ Is a Big Deal: Toxic Fans Are ‘Okay With Us Playing the Friend’ but We ‘Cant Touch Their Heroes’

By Zack Sharf
Mar 31, 2025 8:35am PT

Inspired by the 'what people think teachers do' post, I've made one of my own.
Note: of course, LGBTQIA+ inclusive materials do more than just those 10 things ...

YOU!

Yes, you!
Have you signed, verified and shared the open letter to the ELT industry on representation of LGBTQIA+ identities?

The numbers are now just over 300 signatures, with fewer verified.
If you believe that LGBTQIA+ identities deserve to represented in ELT materials, then please do sign, verify and share.

If you have already signed, please do share – around 300 signatures will have a much wider network than just me on my own.

https://openletter.earth/an-open-letter-to-the-english-language-teaching-industry-25a94707?limit=0

U.S. Dept of #Defense restores #JackieRobinson story on website, admits it was taken down in #DEIpurge

The #DOD has restored an article on its website honoring Jackie Robinson after having removed it in an effort to #purge "#DEI" (#diversity, #equity & #inclusion) content [at the direction of #Trump & #Hegseth].

#USpol #WhiteSupremacy #racism #military #ServiceMembers #history #BlackHistory #RepresentationMatters #whitewashing
https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/u-s-department-of-defense-restores-jackie-robinson-story-on-website-admits-it-was-taken-down-in-dei-purge/

#Trans people, #women, people of color [#POC] are being erased

Across #Trump’s federal government, agencies have been busy scrubbing photographic and written references about women, people of color & members of the #LGBTQ+ community from their websites.

#law #USpol #RepresentationMatters #discrimation #bigotry #hate #WhiteSupremacy #MaleSupremacy #heterosexism #racism #sexism #misogyny
https://www.npr.org/2025/03/19/nx-s1-5317567/federal-websites-lgbtq-diversity-erased

Today, we celebrate ALL women!

We stand on the incredible shoulders of Grace Hopper, Ada Lovelace, Sophie Wilson, and many more.

To everyone from underrepresented groups: claim your stage! Now more than ever, we need to uplift voices, share knowledge, and support those whose rights are under pressure.

Leadership needs love, empathy, and warmth. Representation matters. Step up, speak out!

Submit your proposal: https://cfp.why2025.org

Republican #House Speaker #MikeJohnson urged fellow Republican lawmakers on Tues to avoid #public #TownHall meetings with #voters after some events turned into angry confrontations over #Trump's moves to fire #FederalWorkers & defund government programs.

#cowards #PublicDisservice #Republicans #GOP #RepresentationMatters #USpol #Musk #DOGE #FederalAgencies #SocialSecurity #Medicaid #Veterans #children #seniors #disability #PublicHealth #weather #DisasterPreparedness
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-house-speaker-urges-lawmakers-avoid-town-hall-meetings-2025-03-04/

It's Day 24 of #LGBTQPlusHistoryMonth, and we're recommending The Transgender Issue by Shon Faye.

We need to listen to trans voices.

#LGBTQHM #LGBTQIA #RepresentationMatters #TransRightsAreHumanRights

https://iamnotataboo.com/books/the-transgender-issue/

I shared the open letter to the ELT industry at the start of the week, and it now has 140 signatures (although only 135 are email verified – don't forget to do this!).

The serious message here is that the #LGBTQIA community exists and deserves to be represented.

So, have you signed and shared?

#ELT #ESL #QueerEd #IAmNotATaboo #RepresentationMatters #Inclusion

https://openletter.earth/an-open-letter-to-the-english-language-teaching-industry-25a94707

A new #BlogPost from me.

#ELT #LGBTQIA #RepresentationMatters

https://peterjfullagar.co.uk/is-bad-representation-better-than-none/

For Day 10 of #LGBTQHM, I wanted to share the talk on Teachers Talk Radio, hosted by Harry Waters, featuring Taylor Olivia Veigga, Tyson Seburn and yours truly on 'Is ELT doing enough for LGBTQIA+ Rights and Representation?'

I think you probably know the answer...

#LGBTQIA #ELT #RepresentationMatters #Inclusion #LGBTQPlusHistoryMonth

https://teacherstalkradio.podbean.com/e/is-elt-doing-enough-for-lgbtqia-rights-and-representation-the-twilight-show-with-harry-waters/

Black history is a superhero story.

From Reconstruction to Black Wall Street, HBCUs to DEI, medicine to space, Black people have always been heroes, leaders, and pioneers.

Read today’s #TonysSuperheroSaturdays feature: https://wix.to/hdbQEi6

It’s Day 8 of #LGBTQHM.

It’s important to realise that the LGBTQIA+ community is diverse in nature and each identity deserves to be represented.

Today, I’m suggesting Home is Where …, a resource aimed at #CEFR B2+ students, looking at the Traveller community and some idioms.

#LGBTQIA #ELT #ESOL #RepresentationMatters #Inclusion

https://peterjfullagar.co.uk/eltshop/home-is-where/

It’s Day 8 of #LGBTQPlusHistoryMonth.

Today’s recommendation is Queer Roma by Dr Lucie Fremlova.

This book offers in-depth insight into the lives of queer Roma, thus providing rich evidence of the heterogeneity of Roma. The lived experiences of queer Roma, which are very diverse regionally and otherwise, pose a fundamental challenge to one-dimensional, negative misrepresentations of Roma as homophobic and antithetical to European and Western modernity.

https://iamnotataboo.com/books/queer-roma/

At the end of a video call this morning as we were saying goodbye, the other person smiled and complimented the #Pride flag I always have up in my background

It’s so little but it felt like a whole moment. We’re still here, still #queer, and not going anywhere.

So, here's a thing I've been updating.

I wanted to have something for #LGBTQIAHistoryMonth and I found it difficult to write a new resource. So I thought I'd update my FREE guide to LGBTQIA+ identities in ELT.

I have expanded it (or rather 'embiggened' it) by about ten pages, and included some more examples of exercises teachers and writers can use to enable representation (positive representation) of Queer people in their lessons or materials.

Did I mention it's FREE? I'm so good to you.

#ELT #RepresentationMatters #QueerEd #LGBTQIA #LGBTIQA #InclusiveMaterials #Inclusion @edutooters

https://peterjfullagar.co.uk/eltshop/lgbtqia-identities-in-english-language-teaching-a-practical-guide/

You are not a taboo!

I'm talking particularly about the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

Why shouldn't we feature in #ELT materials? Why shouldn't we be represented? What are people so scared of that we are erased by educational materials? Why shouldn't our voices be heard?

Of course, it's not just the 2SLGBTQIA+ community in ELT which is silenced. All marginalised communities are silenced and erased - whether that be in lack of representation in course books, harmful stereotypes in lesson materials, teachers whose first language isn't English being discriminated against, erasure in conference and event lineups.

I'm attempting to build a safe, online space for people whose voices have been silenced; particularly those in the 2SLGBTQIA+ community - and those who transcend different marginalised groups.

But this is where the community comes in. I've said it before, and I'll say it again - there is a lack of community between 2SLGBTQIA+ ELT professionals. We must work together to hear the voices.

I particularly want blog pieces from non-white or non-'Western' or trans, NB, GNC or disabled 2SLGBTQIA+ ELT professionals (or students, or allies) to contribute to the blog to allow your voices to be heard. You can be anonymous if you wish.

Although I am not a taboo! blog remains rather small in stature, I'm still really pleased with the blogs we've got. Here's a quote from one of them written by Walton Burns.

Catch the full blog here: https://iamnotataboo.com/actual-authentic-axioms-about-autism/

#IAmNotATaboo #Education @edutooters @Edutooter #Autism #Inclusion #RepresentationMatters