While popular culture and media icons including musicians, athletes, actors, and authors have become champions for identities that are not heteronormative, many educational institutions still have policies that allow and even encourage discrimination toward queer individuals. Young people face the persistent issue of the under-representation or misrepresentation of LGBTQ+ people in school curricula. It is possible to help LGBTQ+ students better understand themselves, explore their communities’ histories, and feel empowered by incorporating inclusive practices that allow students to perform music and theater that expresses LGBTQ+ voices and tells their stories.

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Who Am I? I Am What I Am is a 45-minute musical theater review that depicts LGBTQ+ characters in a performance you will not forget! Dr. Christopher Cayari tells his story through music theater songs, original prose, and verse. As a K-12 music teacher, Christopher avoided the topic of sexuality in his classroom; he used to think that LGBTQ+ issues had no place in school. This performance tells his journey of acceptance, empowerment, and activism that began when he realized that portraying LGBTQ+ characters through song and on stage was not only appropriate for young people, but also necessary for the representation of this population. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll be entertained!