Brown had no intentions of battling his parents over their anti-LGBTQ views until, that is, he viewed a viral video of his mother demanding that a local school board in Texas remove library books that she considered pornographic or that promoted LGBTQ themes. She also urged the Board to have a local pastor decide which books should remain in the schools’ libraries.

In this episode, Brown describes the painful estrangement from his parents and siblings and why he decided to speak out against his mother’s efforts to ban books in public school libraries.

America’s culture wars are driving great teachers out of the classroom, exacerbating a shortage that has reached critical levels in most states. The story of Willie Carver, Kentucky's Teacher of the Year for 2022, is especially tragic. He was honored at the White House along with 49 other outstanding teachers this past spring. He was beloved by his students and colleagues. But Carver was also an openly gay teacher and became weary (and fearful) of the unrelenting hostility toward LGBTQ educators and students at his school.

In this episode, Carver explains the conditions that led to his painful decision to leave Montgomery County High School. Carver said he became a teacher so that every student could believe in their own worth and potential, a mission his students say he successfully achieved and one he still hopes to promote outside of the classroom.

On one side of this issue are those who believe discussions about gender and sexual identity shouldn’t take place in the classroom.

On the other side are those who believe that as students learn about diversity and respect for others in school, they must learn about differences in gender and sexual identity. Many also argue that LGBTQ students must have a safe and supportive learning environment, especially given the high number who suffer emotionally and socially as a result of bullying and prejudice.

The central questions guiding this Courageous Conversation are this: What role should schools play regarding policies, instruction, and classroom discussions related to sexual and gender identity? How can schools respect the rights of parents while also ensuring that students are well-supported and have a safe place to learn?