Gay Poems for Red States

Willie Edward Taylor Carver Jr., the 2022 Kentucky Teacher of the Year, left the public school system due to anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination, highlighting the need for protections in schools. His poetry collection, Gay Poems for Red States, counters the injustice of a persistent anti-LGBTQ+ movement and offers a message of beauty and pride for all.

Format: Hardback
Length: 120 pages
Publication date: 06 June 2023
Publisher: The University Press of Kentucky

Willie Edward Taylor Carver Jr., the 2022 Kentucky Teacher of the Year, announced his decision to leave the public school system due to anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination. His career as a high school English teacher spanned over a decade, but it ended abruptly due to the discrimination he faced. Carver's administrator warned him not to discuss his openly gay identity at work, and despite a new administration allowing for more freedom, the warning eventually rang true. School officials failed to address harassment of students and Carver himself, leading to a deterioration of human rights. Carver's testimony before the House of Representatives brought attention to the need for protections for LGBTQ+ people in schools, but the damage was done. In his book, Gay Poems for Red States, Carver counters the injustice of a persistent anti-LGBTQ+ movement by asserting that a life full of beauty and pride is possible for everyone. His earnest and heartfelt verses are for those wishing to discover and understand the vastness of Appalachia and for the LGBTQ+ Appalachians who long for a future in an often unwelcoming place.

Dimension: 216 x 140 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780813198118